Netsmart Unveils its Netsmart AI Strategy at the 19th Annual CONNECTIONS Conference, CONNECTIONS 2026 The event brought together clients and partners in Denver, Colorado. The health technology provider serves community-based care organizations throughout the United States. Its CareFabric® platform has transformed the delivery of whole-person care across the nation.
It has reached more than 176 million people on the platform. CONNECTIONS2026 also featured client success stories, innovation, and ongoing platform development. The event kicked off with a keynote address from Netsmart’s CEO, Mike Valentine. He described how decades of digitization created the conditions for today’s powerful AI.
The company is based on augmented intelligence over artificial intelligence. The goal is to supplement human expertise and keep health care professionals in the loop. Netsmart has also extended CareFabric beyond the traditional electronic health record. The platform is now powered by embedded AI for clinical, financial and operational workflows.
“The investments we have made alongside our clients over the past decade have built the foundation for this moment,” said Netsmart CEO Mike Valentine. “As we bring AI, data and workflows together across the CareFabric, we can help organizations put that foundation to work in new ways, simplifying daily tasks and creating capacity for work their teams have wanted to take on. CONNECTIONS is an opportunity to celebrate that progress and show how the platform will continue to evolve with the communities we collectively serve.”
AI Automation Expands Across CareFabric
A major keynote focus involved the evolution of AI and automation across CareFabric. Netsmart highlighted several capabilities designed for healthcare professionals. For clinicians, Bells® has expanded beyond basic note recommendation assistance. The solution now includes group documentation, ambient listening, quality coaching, and predictive analytics.
These capabilities, in sum, can help relieve clinicians of administrative burdens. They can also return precious time to professionals serving patients and communities. Bells Quality Coach provides an additional layer of clinical oversight. That means organizations can review up to 100% of clinical notes. Previously, the scale of random sampling was used in documentation reviews. But broader review capabilities can help organizations spot trends earlier.
The solution can also improve the quality of documentation across clinicians and programs. This leads to better oversight of healthcare organizations. Netsmart also announced growth in its revenue cycle capabilities. Benny graduated from retrieving claim information to intelligent denial guidance. It also backs up coding decisions with coupled workflow functionalities. AutoStatus simplifies claim-status processes while AlphaCollector™ is running.
The enhanced Benny Collections Assistant offers guidance to resolve denial. It allows claim resubmission, corrections and eligibility checks. AlphaCoding is used by Benny the Coding Assistant to raise relevant clinical documentation. It also suggests diagnosis codes and presents supporting evidence for coder review.
Healthcare AI Delivers Measurable Efficiency
Netsmart also singled out Otto in the keynote. Otto is an AI-powered virtual support assistant for Netsmart clients. The assistant has grown beyond just helping with support cases. Today it helps clients get answers and take action through conversational assistance. AI-powered search and updates for case support capabilities include: This gives clients more choice to answer questions in existing workflows.
Netsmart leaders also shared several efficiency gains achieved through its technology. These results included a 67% reduction in time from session to note completion. The improvement came through the Bells Documentation Assistant. Netsmart also reported a 77% improvement in hospice visits during the last days of life. Bells Predictive Analyst supported that improvement. Additionally, Benny Coding Assistant saved approximately three minutes per chart through AlphaCoding.
The enhanced Benny Collections Assistant saved more than five minutes per denial resolution workflow. Otto also reduced clicks required to manage support cases by 75%. Nearly 95% of support conversations were resolved without opening a support case. Conversational Otto supported these results across client support workflows. These developments demonstrate how Netsmart AI continues to expand across healthcare operations. The company is connecting intelligence with practical workflows across CareFabric.
Netsmart Previews New AI Agents
Netsmart also provided attendees with a preview of its next two AI agents. These agents will operate across the CareFabric platform. The initial capabilities will focus on specific healthcare workflow needs. One capability will allow users to ask questions about analytics data. Another capability will rethink the intake process through AI and interoperability. This approach aims to streamline access to care.
The roadmap also examines how embedded intelligence can support teams throughout care delivery. The technology could coordinate work before, during, and after care. Beyond the keynote, attendees can explore new features in the Solutionarium. They can also participate in the AI Data Lab with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The Interoperability Lab provides another area for exploration. Netsmart leaders will help attendees evaluate the Netsmart Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN™).
The QHIN can support referrals and care coordination. It can also help organizations access a more complete view of individual care. As the network grows, interoperability could support broader information exchange. Consequently, organizations can explore new ways to connect care information.
CONNECTIONS2026 Highlights Healthcare Innovation
CONNECTIONS2026 spans three-and-a-half days of education and industry collaboration. During the event, 78 client experts and Netsmart speakers will share their experiences. They will participate across more than 125 education sessions. The sessions focus on advancing community-based care and sharing practical best practices. Attendees can also visit the Solutionarium throughout the event. The area features more than 50 Netsmart solutions and Marketplace partner demonstrations.
These demonstrations address different clinical, operational and financial priorities. Thus, attendees will have an opportunity to explore technologies that fit their organizational needs. To summarize, CONNECTIONS2026 reinforces that Netsmart AI continues to evolve in healthcare workflows. The company is integrating AI, data, interoperability and automation. It offers the foundation for these via its CareFabric platform. Meanwhile, Netsmart is continuing to develop tools to support healthcare professionals and community-based care organizations.
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News Source: Businesswire.com
