The Future of Wound Care: How CMS 2026 Rules and AI Innovation are Shaping Practice Models

• AI Is a Practical Tool That Enhances, Not Replaces, Clinical Expertise - AI is most impactful when used to streamline documentation, reduce tedious tasks, and improve workflow efficiency so clinicians can focus on patient care. These benefits can be crucial in the context of regulatory uncertainty. 
• Compliance Alone Isn’t Enough—Patient Expectations Are Driving a Shift Toward Higher-Touch Care - New CMS rules may create operational pressure, but Agnew argues the bigger force shaping practice models is changing patient behavior and expectations.  AI-enabled tools will be essential for practices to meet these expectations and remain competitive. 
• Clinicians Who Use AI Proactively Will Become Leaders—Those Who Wait for Regulation Will Fall Behind - AI is fundamentally a predictive, forward-looking technology. Agnew stresses that those who wait for formal guidance will be left behind, while proactive adopters will shape policy and define the future of wound care. 

Disclaimer: On December 24, 2025, CMS withdrew the final LCDs for certain skin substitutes. This content was created prior to that announcement and may reference policies that are no longer active. Much of the information remains applicable under other current or future regulations. Always consult your local MAC or payor policies for the most up-to-date guidance.

Recent policy updates, such as CMS’s 2026 payment rules, have redefined reimbursement models for CTPs and skin substitutes. M. Sean Agnew shared his unique point of view from an AI perspective, in this interview with the CTP News Desk. 

That’s a great question, and I think we have to peel it back to its foundation. When I speak with practitioners and clinics, a lot of concern comes from AI feeling like an unknown quantity. But if we put it in a historical context, this is simply another phase of evolution. Other industries, entertainment, software, and internet-based businesses, have gone through this repeatedly. 

AI is just another tool. It helps us do things faster, particularly tedious tasks that once weighed down clinical workflows. I heard an analogy recently that I thought was perfect: it’s like a chef who gets a new kitchen tool. You're still the chef. You still decide on the recipe, but now you don’t have to chop all the onions yourself. That’s what AI does for documentation and workflow support: it removes friction, so clinicians can focus on the work only a human can do. 

Documentation has become the easiest entry point for AI adoption, especially with ambient scribe technology. But healthcare faces a unique tension: the hype travels four times faster than technology, and governance travels five times slower. So, we end up with tools that are highly capable and widely promoted, while regulation and compliance frameworks trail behind. That mismatch creates anxiety and inconsistency. 

In wound care specifically, tools like wearables or AI-assisted documentation can be incredibly valuable. The problem wasn’t the tools; it was the motivation behind their use. In a small number of cases, financial incentives overshadowed patient benefits. That forced a correction. There’s debate about whether the correction needed to be as dramatic as what’s been proposed, but the intent - to ensure patient-centered documentation and appropriate use - was valid. 

If workflows improve, documentation begins earlier, and patient encounters are captured more efficiently; the outcome is better care. AI shouldn’t direct us, but it can absolutely inform us in ways that would take much longer manually. Ultimately, these policy shifts should encourage more thoughtful integration, not fear. 

One challenge I have is the word compliance itself. By definition, it feels minimalistic, What’s the least I need to do to stay in the right? That mindset doesn’t help the practice, the practitioner, or the patient. So, I feel that regulatory expectations are only some of the reasons that AI is becoming a crucial consideration in wound care.

We’re already seeing a divide between early adopters and those who are hesitant. AI tools have been around for seven or eight years, but they only became mainstream when ChatGPT went public about two and a half years ago. Now people are realizing this isn’t a fad. 

Generational shifts play a huge role here. Younger patients want direct access, communication, and choice. They changed entire industries based on their buying habits. Millennials, for example, are more likely to order Uber Eats than go to a restaurant—and that number grows each year. There’s no reason to believe healthcare will be immune from the same shift. 

Practices will need to offer higher-touch, more personalized experiences, and AI is what will make that possible. Whether you’re a solo practitioner, a group clinic, or a hospital system, you’ll need to embrace new tools because the marketplace will simply demand it. If you can’t meet those expectations, something else will fill the void. 

And while some people resist the idea of “entrepreneurship” in healthcare, the reality is that if there’s a transaction involved, you’re operating a business. AI will support both sides: the mission to care for patients and the operational need to stay viable. 

First, it helps to understand what AI actually is right now. At this stage, AI is a predictive tool. It doesn’t have all the answers, but it assimilates information incredibly quickly and offers its best estimate. People complain about “hallucinations,” but humans do the same thing—we think too fast, say the wrong thing, and then realize we knew better. 

AI tools are trained to be agreeable. They’re designed to feel like a best friend who never disagrees with you. But real friends call you out when you’re off base. That means you have to prompt AI to challenge you. You can ask: Given the current landscape, what could go wrong in the next 18–24 months? How should I prepare? 

Clinicians who do this, who use AI to future-cast and stress-test their assumptions, will be the ones who shape healthcare moving forward. They’ll attract patients, build trust, and influence policy. 

Those who wait for governance or regulators to tell them what to do will fall behind. Historically—and especially in healthcare—governance moves about six times slower than the technology. If you’re waiting for regulators to catch up, you’re already lost. 

We’ve been here before. Every major technological shift disrupts one group of people while creating new opportunities for another. When the internet emerged, many dismissed it as a fad. Some of those same people are now skeptical of AI for the same reasons. 

My advice is simple: embrace it. AI is another tool. It can’t replace the human elements of care: the empathy, the connection, the ability to sit with a patient and truly listen. In fact, clinicians who have adopted AI scribes often tell me they can finally look patients in the eye again. Their retention rates go up, their referrals go up, and the patient experience becomes something worth talking about. 

Try new things, even if they sound unusual at first. Some of the greatest innovations in every industry started that way. And remember: if you can’t keep your practice afloat, you can’t help your patients. As my grandmother used to say, a drowning person can’t save another drowning person. Use AI to support both your mission and your sustainability, especially considering these rapidly changing regulatory circumstances. 

Mr. Agnew is the Chief Growth Officer for iuvoCare.