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Tasked with improving care outcomes and alleviating cost pressures with limited resources, healthcare executives are identifying innovative methods for evolving existing business models and creating a more digitally focused and consumer-centric future.

Huron’s longitudinal research tracks how healthcare executives across five functional areas are responding to today’s top trends and challenges.

WHO WE SURVEYED

300

U.S. healthcare executives across 5 functions

• Strategy and innovation
• Finance and operations
• Clinical care
• Technology
• People

Top 10 healthcare trends Digital advancements top of mind

Digital and technology trends continue to rise compared to previous research, confirming leaders’ belief that navigating healthcare’s future lies in successful digital transformation. Leaders also indicate an increased focus on care access and virtual care delivery as consumer preferences evolve. 

This year

  1.  Technology infrastructure ↑
  2. Care access transformation ↑
  3. Digital management and analytics ↑
  4. Virtual care delivery ↑
  5. Cost reduction/optimization ↓
  6. Revenue growth
  7. Managing health system capacity
  8. Health equity
  9. Redesigning workforce
  10. Supply chain management and modernization

3-5 years

  1. Virtual care delivery ↑  
  2. Technology infrastructure ↑
  3. Revenue growth ↑
  4. Workforce mental health
  5. Cost reduction/optimization ↓
  6. Diagnostic and generative AI
  7. Care delivery →
  8. Health equity
  9. Care access transformation
  10. New economic models

*Bold = new trend ↑ ↓ → = change from previous research

 

Top 10 healthcare challenges

Leaders grapple with interconnected challenges

Healthcare executives report a wide and even focus on challenges, indicating a clear view of the relationship between care, cost, performance, and growth. Data-informed decision-making takes the top spot as leaders aim to harness the power of analytics to resolve complexities across business, clinical, and people areas.

 

Leaders take comprehensive approach to address financial pressures

Financial pressures and cost-saving measures

 

To better understand industrywide revenue and cost challenges, healthcare leaders rank the key financial pressures their organizations face.

Revenue pressures

  1. Pricing optimization
  2. Revenue cycle management
  3. Adding digital-enabled revenue
  4. Pressure from competition

Cost/expense pressures 

  1. Supply chain and vendor costs
  2. High cost of capital
  3. Reducing internal operation costs
  4. Rising labor costs

In response to widespread financial pressures, leaders are balancing a combination of core and transformational cost-saving measures to improve financial health and fund growth priorities.

Drive Desired Outcomes

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Supply chain cost reductions

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Increasing interoperability & system optimization

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Redefining portfolio

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Workforce cost reductions

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Reconfiguring economic model

Technology, employees, and consumers key investment priorities

Top investments and growth priorities

 

This year, investment areas and growth priorities go hand-in-hand as leaders aim to enhance the employee and consumer experience, modernize operations,
and strategically deploy technology to inform growth initiatives.

Where leaders are investing

  • Investing in digital tools
  • Improving care access
  • Redefining portfolio/changing healthcare business model
  • Revenue growth
  • Improving employment productivity
  • Investing in AI/machine learning
  • Investing in AI/machine learning
  • Revenue cycle automation/ optimization
  • Improving consumer/customer experience

How leaders rank growth priorities

  • Consumer engagement and retention
  • Strategic cost management
  • Data management & analytical decision making
  • Integrated care delivery models
  • Redefine portfolio
  • Staffing recruitment and retention
  • Adoption of AI tools
  • Adoption of AI tools
  • Mergers and acquisitions

How leaders are implementing AI

Diagnostic and generative artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a new trend expected to impact organizations in the next three to five years. Leaders cite several areas where they’re implementing or plan to implement more traditional 
forms of AI and automation:

0%

are investing in intelligent automation for care delivery

0%

are prioritizing AI tools and RPA as a strategic growth priority 

0%

plan to adopt AI tools and RPA to  save costs

0%

are automating revenue 
cycles to confront challenges

 

3 ways healthcare leaders are driving change

With widespread trends and challenges influencing healthcare, how will organizations adapt? Leaders identify three key actions they’re implementing today.

 

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