Leaders innovate to tackle top challenges
Healthcare executive market research
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.
Explore the insights below ↓
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.
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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
Top trends
This year
3-5 years
Technology infrastructure
Care access transformation
Digital management and analytics
Virtual care delivery
Cost reduction/optimization
Revenue growth
Managing health system capacity
Health equity
Redesigning workforce
Supply chain management and modernization
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*Bold = new trend
= change from previous research
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Virtual care delivery
Technology infrastructure
Revenue growth
Workforce mental health
Cost reduction/optimization
Diagnostic and generative AI
Care delivery
Health equity
Care access transformation
New economic models
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Leaders grapple with interconnected challenges
Top 10 healthcare 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.
Current top challenges
Change from previous research
Investing in data structures for better decision-making
Supply chain transformation
Cost reduction/optimization
Regulatory compliance
Redefining portfolio/changing healthcare business model
Finding the right mix of inpatient and outpatient services
Workforce shortages
Managing health system capacity
Addressing consumer experience
Operational efficiency using advanced analytics (AI/ML)
+47%
+23%
-28%
N/A
-27%
-4%
-8%
-18%
0%
0%
Financial pressures and cost-saving measures
Leaders take comprehensive approach to address financial pressures
To better understand industrywide revenue and cost challenges, healthcare leaders rank the key financial pressures their organizations face.
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.
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Revenue pressures
Cost/expense pressures
1. Supply chain and vendor costs
2. High cost of capital
3. Reducing internal operation costs
4. Rising labor costs
1. Pricing optimization
2. Revenue cycle management
3. Adding digital-enabled revenue
4. Pressure from competition
Top cost-saving measures this year
Supply chain cost reductions
Increasing interoperability & system optimization
Redefining portfolio
Workforce cost reductions
Reconfiguring economic model
38%
36%
35%
31%
30%
Top investments and growth priorities
Technology, employees, and consumers key investment 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
How leaders rank growth priorities
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:
Investing in digital tools
Improving care access
Redefining portfolio/changing healthcare business model
Revenue growth
Improving employment productivity
Investing in AI/machine learning
Improving consumer/ customer experience
are investing in intelligent automation for care delivery
are prioritizing AI tools and RPA as a strategic growth priority
plan to adopt AI tools and RPA to save costs
are automating revenue cycles to confront challenges
77%
70%
29%
23%
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.
Click to explore
01
Evolve care to become more consumer-centric
Consumer engagement and retention ranks as the top growth priority this year, with leaders championing strategies including care access transformation, virtual care delivery, and improving the consumer experience.
Re-thinking care to match shifting consumer preferences creates an opportunity for organizations to increase patient loyalty and drive network integrity.
Work redesign emerges as a new trend this year, and culture-focused initiatives are a top priority.
Forward-thinking leaders are prioritizing staffing, recruiting, and retention initiatives while strategically investing in digital tools to relieve staff workload. By thinking critically about what work needs to be done, who does the work, and how work will be performed, organizations can innovate their workforce strategy to address talent challenges and position themselves for future success.
Redesign how work gets done
Healthcare organizations are prioritizing culture-focused initiatives.
02
03
Redesigning portfolio remains a key strategic growth priority and cost-saving measure. A quarter of leaders also cite difficulties finding the right mix of inpatient and outpatient services.
As organizations evaluate their service mix and evolve their care delivery models, leaders identify care-focused initiatives, along with strategic partnerships and advanced technologies including generative AI, as core to optimizing and growing their portfolios.
Re-evaluate portfolios to grow revenue
Strategic partnerships 39%
Population health strategies 37%
Advanced technology adoption 36%
Regulatory compliance changes 34%
Integrated and value-based care models 34%
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
Mergers and acquisitions
Investing in AI/machine learning
Adoption of AI tools
Click to learn more
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Top 10 healthcare challenges
Current top challenges
Change from previous research
Investing in data structures for better decision-making
Supply chain transformation
Cost reduction/optimization
Regulatory compliance
Redefining portfolio/changing healthcare business model
Finding the right mix of inpatient and outpatient services
Workforce shortages
Managing health system capacity
Addressing consumer experience
Operational efficiency using advanced analytics (AI/ML)
+23%
-28%
N/A
-4%
-8%
-18%
0%
0%
-27%
+47%
are automating revenue cycles to confront challenges
Revenue cycle automation/ optimization
Redefine portfolio
Integrated care delivery models
How leaders are implementing AI