Looking at their challenges and strategic investments through 2030, the U.S. health system executives expect to see a deluge of regulatory, financial, workforce and consumer pressures and are looking to technological advancements to improve the caregiver experience and enable new ways of delivering more accessible, cost-effective care, Chartis Group said.

While the chief executive and strategy officers look to chart their organization's path over the next 10 years, "they must navigate tremendous uncertainty," Cindy Lee, Chartis chief strategy officer (CSO) and leader of strategic transformation for the firm, said in a statement.

WHY IT MATTERS

For the 2025 health system CEO and CSO pulse study, researchers surveyed 61 health system executives in December and found that 84% anticipated regulatory changes would significantly or moderately affect their organizations. 

"Topping the list of concerns is the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, significant changes tied to payment reform, and recruiting and retaining physicians and clinicians – even as the risk of a negative provider experience rises," Lee said.

Nearly half of survey respondents – 46% – were confident an uncertain regulatory environment would harm provider experiences. 

Another factor that is pushing the majority of those surveyed – 89% – to prioritize better alignment with their physician leaders is payment reform. 

While 41% of healthcare executives said it could also burden providers, Chartis said in the report that more than half expect both public and private payer reforms to improve healthcare quality and safety (54%), affordability (54%) and health equity (51%).

Lee said that most health systems are investing in technology to address burdens on their clinical workforces and improve their experiences. 

Nearly three-quarters of respondents – 73% – said they believe technology will have positive effects on workforce recruitment and retention. 

"They also believe it will increase patient retention through better access, experience and quality," Lee added.

Survey data showed that healthcare CEOs and CSOs are also looking to tech improvements to increase access to care – 81% – and 75% cited benefits for patient experience. 

THE LARGER TREND

Since 2023, Chartis Group has focused on helping its health system clients address clinician burnout by developing its Center for Burnout Solutions to address friction points.

The center was built around a burnout assessment tool developed by DES Health Consulting, which Chartis acquired. The workforce metrics enable reductions in employee turnover and allow users to glean insights that zone in on actionable improvements, the firm said.

ON THE RECORD

"Executives view technological advancements – particularly artificial intelligence such as machine learning and natural language processing, remote patient monitoring, wearable health devices and other telehealth expansion – as an essential part of navigating these industry changes," Chartis Group researchers said in the new report.

"They are hopeful that these advancements will have a significantly positive impact on access, patient experience and provider experience."

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.