How Miami healthcare leaders are using technology

Key points:

• • Miami healthcare providers are using AI, robotics, telehealth, and immersive technology to improve patient care and access.
• • Leaders across rehabilitation, pediatrics, and transplant care say technology is making treatment more precise and personalized.
• • South Florida hospitals are embracing innovations that reduce anxiety, expand mobility, and improve long-term outcomes.

May 2026 — Technology is rapidly transforming healthcare, reshaping everything from how patients access care to how physicians perform complex procedures and support recovery. In Miami, healthcare organizations are increasingly embracing innovations such as telehealth, robotics, artificial intelligence, immersive technology, and advanced prosthetics to improve patient outcomes and enhance the overall care experience. What once felt futuristic is now becoming part of everyday clinical practice across a wide range of specialties.

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Healthcare institutions across South Florida say that these advancements are not replacing the human side of medicine, but strengthening it. Whether it is helping children feel less anxious during procedures, expanding access to pediatric care through virtual visits, improving mobility for rehabilitation patients, or using robotics and AI to advance transplantation, technology is creating new opportunities to deliver care that is more precise, personalized, and accessible.

Healthcare leaders in Miami, including Evan Grant, medical director at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Miami; Roberto Palenzuela, CEO at Pediatrica Health Group; Giselle Guerra, medical director of transplant services at the Miami Transplant Institute; and Matthew Love, president and CEO at Nicklaus Children’s Health System, shared their perspectives on how technology is shaping and advancing their respective areas of healthcare.

Evan Grant, Medical Director, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Miami

Technology in rehabilitation is a broad topic, and much of what we incorporate comes from large academic centers. One area where technology is clearly advancing care is prosthetics and orthotics. With amputations, we have gone from basic devices to microprocessor knees and other systems that combine hardware and software. AI will likely further augment that by helping devices measure and adjust to pressure and weight in ways that improve gait.

There is also research happening in Florida around 3D printing to make prosthetic sockets more quickly. That matters because one of the bottlenecks in rehabilitation is the time it takes for the wound to heal and for the prosthesis fabrication process to move forward. If 3D printing can shorten that timeline, it could help patients begin practicing sooner.

Roberto Palenzuela, CEO, Pediatrica Health Group

Telehealth is another essential part of the model. Families expect that kind of flexibility, and healthcare providers need to adapt to that reality. We are also working to make telehealth available after office hours, giving parents even more options besides an emergency room visit.
Pediatrica makes quality, evidence-based care available when it is convenient for families, and more than that, we provide peace of mind from a trusted resource when they need it most.

A lot of this comes down to technology. The care still has to be delivered by a pediatrician, but technology allows us to provide more convenience and flexibility. We also use digital communication extensively, whether that is through online portals, text messages, or after-hours answering services.

Giselle Guerra, Medical Director of Transplant Services, Miami Transplant Institute

We are already well into this transformation — it is not a future story, it is happening now. For the past five years, all donor nephrectomies at MTI have been performed robotically. We also perform robotic kidney and kidney-pancreas transplants. The precision robotics affords is remarkable. Looking ahead, I expect we will expand into tele-robotic surgery, collaborating with other centers to extend this level of skill to patients and programs that don’t yet have access to it.

Artificial intelligence is another significant frontier. I see a strong opportunity to develop algorithms that better match donors with recipients, building pathways through AI to get the right organs to the right individuals as quickly as possible. And then there is xenotransplantation, which we are actively pushing to the forefront. Given the persistent organ shortage nationally and globally, transplanting organs from other species represents a genuine near-term opportunity. 3D printing has also entered the conversation in transplant circles, though it is not as immediately actionable as the areas I just mentioned.

Matthew Love, President and CEO, Nicklaus Children’s Health System

Immersive technology isn’t new in many industries, but in healthcare, it’s been expanding over the last few years. What matters most is that it’s not just “cool tech.” It’s a tool that can improve patient experience and clinical outcomes.

For example, adults can often tolerate procedures like MRIs without anesthesia, but children may need anesthesia to stay calm and still. What we’ve found with immersive technology is a documented decrease in anesthesia use in certain settings.

Whether it’s in an MRI environment or a dialysis room, distraction helps kids focus less on the procedure and more on an experience that feels safer and more manageable. Depending on age, it can reduce anxiety, lower perceived pain, and make the overall experience less disruptive for families.

Technology is much better than it was a few years ago. As it continues to improve, we’re going to see more virtual health, more patient connection, and more opportunities to deliver specialty care in ways that are convenient, timely, and clinically appropriate.

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