Top 20 Most Innovative Healthcare Companies in 2026, Per Fast Company

Healthcare entered 2026 with no shortage of momentum. 

In the US, the FDA approved 46 novel drugs in 2025, while in Europe, the EMA recommended 104 medicines for approval in 2025, among them firsts for conditions including non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and postpartum depression after childbirth.

WHO member states also adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025, a new framework for stronger pandemic surveillance, preparedness and coordination. It also includes a proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system intended to support rapid sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and more equitable sharing of the benefits that come from using them.

On the operational side of the industry, Deloitte’s 2026 global outlook shared that more than 90% of health leaders saw productivity improvement as a priority, while 56% expected AI to add significant value to operational efficiency.

With World Health Day 2026 observed under the theme “Together for health. Stand with science,” the year has also brought fresh attention to scientific collaboration and partnerships across borders. For instance, GE HealthCare acquired Montreal-based Intelerad in a $2.3 billion cash deal to expand in specialized clinics and ambulatory care and strengthen its cloud-first, AI-enabled imaging business.

All of that also makes Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026 rankings an eye-opener on where healthcare innovation is gaining traction. 

Below, we highlight the top 20 most innovative healthcare companies in 2026 from that list and briefly look at who they are, where they are based and the patients, providers and healthcare stakeholders they serve.

1. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, or CHOP, is a pediatric academic health system and research institution. It serves infants, children, adolescents and families through routine, specialty and complex pediatric care, while also advancing pediatric research and professional education. In February 2026, CHOP marked the one-year anniversary of what it described as the world’s first personalized CRISPR-based gene-editing treatment for a child with a rare genetic disease.

2. Axmed

Axmed is based in Basel, Switzerland, and focuses on healthcare procurement in low- and middle-income countries. Its B2B procurement and logistics platform is designed to improve access to affordable medicines in fragmented markets. In February 2026, the company announced $6 million in grant funding from the Gates Foundation to support expansion across Africa and procurement programs in areas including family planning and malaria.

3. Lantern

Dallas-based Lantern is a specialty care platform that connects members to high-performing specialists through what it calls a Network of Excellence. It works with employers, health plans and members seeking services such as surgery, cancer care and infusion therapy. In March 2026, Morgan Health and Echo Health Ventures planned to invest $30 million in Lantern to support the expansion of its specialty care platform.

4. Overjet

Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Overjet develops dental AI technology for providers and payers. Its tools are used by dentists, dental groups and insurers to support disease detection, case presentation, insurance workflows and broader oral health management. In December 2025, the company received FDA 510(k) clearance for Overjet CBCT Assist, extending its platform into AI-supported review of 3D dental imaging.

5. myLaurel

myLaurel, based in New York, provides acute and transitional care in the home for moderate- to high-acuity patients. It works with health systems, health plans and value-based care organizations to help patients receive hospital-level or post-acute support at home. In 2025, the company secured $12 million in funding to support growth in its acute care-at-home model.

6. Clarium

Clarium is a New York-based healthcare technology company focused on hospital supply chain operations. Its Astra OS platform helps hospitals monitor supplies, manage inventory and respond to shortages or disruptions. In May 2025, the company raised $27 million in Series A funding to expand Astra OS across more health systems.

7. Maven Clinic

Maven Clinic, headquartered in New York, is a virtual care platform centered on women’s and family health. It supports employers and members across fertility, family building, pregnancy, parenting and menopause, with services available across multiple markets. CEO Kate Ryder told TIME that Maven plans to offer subscription-based virtual care directly to women across the US in May, expanding beyond its employer-based model and opening access to more than 600 providers.

8. Regard

New York-based Regard develops AI tools designed to support clinical documentation and diagnosis support. Its platform reviews patient records, surfaces clinical insights and drafts documentation within existing workflows. Through its recent integration with Microsoft Dragon Copilot, Regard can pair captured clinical conversations with years of patient record data, helping clinicians document visits more fully and with less manual work.

9. Merck & Co.

Merck & Co., based in Rahway, New Jersey, is a global biopharma developing prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. It serves patients, healthcare professionals and animal health markets worldwide through a broad pipeline. In March 2026, Merck said it would acquire Terns Pharmaceuticals, adding investigational chronic myeloid leukemia candidate TERN-701 to its hematology pipeline.

10. Vheda Health

Vheda Health is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and provides virtual-first chronic care, behavioral health and maternal health programs. It primarily serves Medicaid, Medicare and Special Needs Plan populations through partnerships with health plans.

Related: Top 30 Largest Publicly Traded Healthcare Companies in 2026 by Employee Number

11. Alice

São Paulo-based Alice is a Brazilian healthtech company built around primary care-led health insurance. It works mainly with companies and their employees, using a preventive and coordinated care model intended to improve care access and help manage costs.

12. Inspiren

Inspiren, based in Brooklyn, New York, develops AI-powered technology for senior living communities. Its platform helps operators and caregivers with areas such as fall prevention, emergency response, care planning and staff efficiency, serving both residents and senior care teams. CB Insights named Inspiren to its Digital Health 50 list (2025) of the 50 most promising private digital health companies.

13. Theator

Theator is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and focuses on surgical intelligence. Its platform converts surgical video into structured clinical data to help surgeons, hospitals and operating room teams improve performance, documentation and patient care workflows.

14. SamaCare

San Francisco-based SamaCare develops software to streamline prior authorizations for specialty medications. Its platform is used by medical practices to submit, track and manage authorization workflows, with the goal of improving patient access to treatment and reducing administrative burden. In February 2026, the company said more than $6.2 billion in medical benefit drug prior authorizations had been processed through its platform in 2025.

15. First Stop Health

First Stop Health, based in Chicago, offers virtual care services through employers and organizations. Its model includes virtual primary care, urgent care and mental health support for employees and covered members across the US.

16. RatingsMD

Atlanta-based RatingsMD focuses on verified patient ratings and reviews. Its platform is used by hospitals and health systems to turn patient feedback into searchable, structured information that can help patients find physicians and help organizations manage online reputation and visibility.

17. Lyric

Lyric, headquartered in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, is a virtual-first healthcare platform designed to connect members to appropriate care and support navigation across the care journey. It serves patients and families, while also aiming to help employers and healthcare purchasers reduce friction in the care experience. 

18. Form Health

Boston-based Form Health is a virtual obesity care company. It provides medical weight management support, including clinician and dietitian visits and access to FDA-approved medications where appropriate, for patients seeking evidence-based obesity treatment. Form Health has joined Eli Lilly’s Lilly Employer Connect platform to help employers offer obesity treatment with more predictable pricing and simpler benefit design.

19. Bunkerhill Health

Bunkerhill Health, based in San Francisco, develops AI-enabled workflow tools for health systems. Its no-code Carebricks platform lets clinical and operational teams build AI agents to automate workflows across care settings. In December 2025, Carebricks was recognized in Inc.’s Best in Business Awards and had been adopted by UTMB Health, Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.

20. LucyRx

LucyRx is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and operates as an independent pharmacy benefit manager. It serves plan sponsors and members nationwide, positioning itself around more transparent prescription benefit management and pharmacy care. In October 2025, the company completed its acquisition of CerpassRx, another pharmacy benefit manager, adding scale to its pharmacy benefit platform.

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