Trend #1: Pandemic ripple effects continue to suppress near-term volume growth for health systems. But the long-term outlook on provider demand remains strong due to heightened disease prevalence, aging baby boomers, and overall population growth. Download trend #1 slides

Trend #2: Despite strong revenue performance for hospitals in 2021, their margins continue to be pressured by elevated costs and looming price cuts. Download trend #2 slides

Trend #3: Labor shortages are more severe in hospitals than in ambulatory settings (and most other industries) due to inflated salary offerings from non-hospital firms and staff burnout. Download trend #3 slides

Trend #4: Site-of-care shifts have been initiated and accelerated by pandemic-era regulatory flexibilities, payer steerage, and new competitors in the ambulatory space. Three shifts are most important: high-complexity procedures to ambulatory surgery centers and office-based labs, physician visits to telehealth, and medical admissions to the home. Download trend #4 slides

Trend #5: Consumer loyalty is more fragile than ever as ambulatory disruptors offer on-demand access to care providers, health plans expand virtual gatekeeping models, and technology firms launch digital tools to influence how consumers search, schedule, and shop for providers. Download trend #5 slides

Trend #6: Amid record-breaking venture capital funding and a growing presence of private equity firms in the health care industry, incumbents are consolidating (horizontally and vertically) to adapt to disruptive industry changes and to find synergies in care delivery and administrative platforms. Download trend #6 slides

Trend #7: Employer health benefit costs are projected to rise, but the ability to moderate cost growth with aggressive tactics is limited. Expect experimentation with “soft steerage” and expansion of digital health coverage to balance maintaining cost-discipline and offering an attractive health benefit. Download trend #7 slides

Trend #8: Medicaid enrollment may decline as states resume income redeterminations halted during the pandemic. But rapid growth in the Medicare-eligible population continues to shift overall payer mix to governmental funding sources (managed by private plans) in the long term. Download trend #8 slides

Trend #9: Health policy priorities are shifting as the public health emergency nears an end, and regulators are doubling down on reforms after pandemic-related delays. Download trend #9 slides

Trend #10: Industry care standards are being elevated by new, life-changing clinical treatment innovations and cross-industry stakeholder investments in health equity initiatives. Download trend #10 slides