Where Does AI Adoption Sit in Mid-2026?

June is the time of year when we pause for some midyear reflections. Usually, there’s some version of “I can’t believe it’s already June,” followed by something like, “Christmas will be here before you know it!” Apart from the distressingly rapid passage of time, however, there is a chance to take stock of projects and goals at what amounts to the halfway mark of 2026. 

For rehab therapy clinics—businesses of all stripes, really—AI remains the hottest (or hot-button) topic. And while you’ll never get total agreement on any topic, we have seen a shift towards interest and enthusiasm for AI in its current limited role. Let’s take a look at where sentiment sits as we enter the back half of the year. 

Clinicians are looking for tools that reduce stress rather than adding work. 

If there’s one common concern heard throughout from clinicians, it’s that they’re not looking to add things to their workflows that create more work. There are clear areas where they need help: reducing admin work, speeding up documentation, and improving consistency and coding. But there was skepticism about AI being able to help with that. Part of that is the lack of familiarity that existed — and still exists, even as more clinicians become familiar with what AI does. There were also concerns linked to larger worries about AI’s inaccuracies in other use cases. 

What we’ve found is that, as clinicians see how this version of AI trained on rehab therapy documentation and coding works, concerns have diminished. This AI fits into existing workflows to support clinicians, rather than asking them to add additional steps to their processes.      

Documentation is creating the most pressure on clinicians.

We have plenty of evidence that documentation is the biggest headache providers are dealing with on a daily basis, from conversations at conventions to years of State of Rehab Therapy data.  It’s the thing eating into lunchtimes and free time, and often it’s part of the reason that some providers are looking for careers outside of clinical care. So when they see that AI’s best function is in saving hours on notes, their interest is piqued.   

AI’s capabilities in rehab therapy align with what clinics are looking to address: reducing the repetitive, monotonous work of completing documentation across visits, ensuring they capture all required elements to support coding, and avoiding denials that only add to the burden. Instead of typing up notes after a visit, AI is taking those patient conversations and building a draft of a compliant note. Rather than having to wait for chart review, AI is helping to flag potential issues in documentation on the spot. Clinicians are looking for that assistance in the work of building out documentation, not something that replaces their clinical judgment.  

There’s more attention on automation for the front desk. 

One area where clinic leaders are certainly interested in what AI could do is at the front desk. It’s often a trouble spot for clinics, trying to keep it fully staffed and trained on the many responsibilities that fall to staff. And there’s a growing recognition that downstream documentation and billing errors are starting at the front desk, whether that’s with eligibility and authorization checks and tracking or managing and optimizing schedules and waitlists. 

Clinic leaders are interested in improving their front desk performance, and automation stands out as a clear way to avoid errors creeping in while also lessening the strain on your staff and allowing them to focus more on the in-person interactions with patients that can’t be overlooked, no matter how much technology you have. 

Adoption looks different for every level of clinic.

AI adoption isn’t going to be the same for any two clinics, both in use cases, level of adoption, and speed of adoption. Ultimately, the pace and integration of AI is up to clinic leaders to determine. If you watched our webinar From Rollout to Results: A Real-World Blueprint for AI Documentation Adoption, you heard how Florida Orthopaedic Institute went all-in on AI from the jump—not something that’s easy to do for an enterprise-level practice such as theirs. The reason behind the decision came down to their culture and approach; they saw the utility of AI in what they wanted to accomplish and decided against half-measures.     

Not every clinic is going to be a Florida Orthopaedic Institute, however, and not every clinic has the same goals or needs. Smaller clinics tend to look for ways to augment their team and handle the workload without adding headcount, so immediate efficiency improvements in documentation and admin are most appealing. For bigger practices with more resources, they’re looking to increase efficiency and standardization across scale and to gain greater insight into broader trends and performance.  What both groups have in common is the need to reduce admin complexity in their businesses.   

Early adoption is offering lessons learned.

The benefit of a wait-and-see approach is that you get the benefit of learning from others’ missteps, and the same could be true for AI. While there have been plenty of success stories from the first on the AI train, there are also plenty sharing their bumpy journeys.   

There are a few common themes from practices with lessons learned, and thus a few key takeaways for clinics considering AI today: 

• AI works best when it supports existing workflows
• Adoption and training matter more than advanced features
• Measurement is critical to understanding impact
• Small improvements can create meaningful change

Maybe the biggest lesson thus far is that AI adoption’s success or failure is down to leadership. Clinics that have taken the time to gather staff feedback, identify goals and must-have features, develop a training plan, and open the process to feedback and adjustments have seen greater success. Throwing AI at existing workflows and expecting it to fix problems hasn’t tended to work out for clinics that have tried that approach. 

Curious how AI could support your clinic?

If you’re thinking about AI adoption for your practice, consider what WebPT has to offer.  Our AI-powered documentation tools are purpose-built for AI and are helping clinicians finish notes faster so they can get time back in their day.

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