A survey from Bain & Company and KLAS Research, polling over 300 healthcare executives, shows that health IT investment remains a dominant priority. Nearly 95% of providers and payers said technology was a top strategic area for investment, but executives are narrowing their focus to specific use cases with measurable outcomes.
Among providers, revenue cycle management drew the strongest interest, cited by 43% of acute care executives, while 40% named patient access and engagement tools. Independent physician groups listed those same two areas as their top IT investments. Payers, by contrast, are concentrating on utilization management, care navigation, and claims processing. For clinical tasks, over half of providers said they would prefer an EHR-native tool with basic or partial functionality over third-party alternatives, though they favor advanced third-party solutions for governance, risk, and compliance.
On AI, the survey found cautious optimism: about 60% of payer executives say the technology is meeting or exceeding ROI expectations, and 75% of providers are optimistic about AI's potential, especially in ambient documentation and chart summarization. However, the report warns that early adoption has often relied on intuition, and executives who have set thresholds expect returns of roughly three to four times the original investment. The authors conclude that ROI will become increasingly important to sustain AI funding as the technology matures.