Payers and provider relationships are at a watershed moment. An essential transition is required: shifting from leverage to alignment as the primary driver.

Negotiating the right price is only the beginning. Learn how utilization insight helps health systems improve purchased services performance and value over time.

Rating analysts are looking for strong governance, durable financial performance, and strategic flexibility in the face of looming payment pressures.

AI maturity is not only a function of technical capability—it’s a reflection of how an organization leads, engages its people, and operationalizes change.

Leadership development improves retention, quality and financial performance. Learn why it’s one of the highest-ROI investments in healthcare.

Explore how advanced analytics and strategic foresight are reshaping payer forecasting—helping healthcare leaders anticipate reimbursement trends, navigate uncertainty, and make smarter financial decisions.

The last decade in healthcare has focused on building scale through mergers, diversification and integration. But scale alone does not guarantee coordination, access or performance. In this perspective, Vizient CEO Byron Jobe explains why systemness in healthcare is no longer a strategic preference but an operational imperative.

This is part two of a seven-part series that unpacks each pillar of the Vizient AI Maturity Assessment, sharing lessons from our work with leading health systems and practical steps to build maturity across every stage of the AI journey.

Hospital rating downgrades declined in 2025 while the number of upgrades increased, resulting in a lower ratio of downgrades to upgrades and tempering higher downgrade activity in recent years.

In 2025, many health system leaders renewed an enterprise-wide strategy while navigating major uncertainties. They evaluated growth, advanced ambulatory and service line efforts, and balanced performance, growth, and transformation. In 2026, health systems will need to clearly define how they’ll transform to fulfill their missions and better serve patients.