Blog Post

As healthcare systems around the world confront rising costs, workforce shortages, and increasing demand for personalised care, one thing has become clear: artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies are no longer optional—they are essential. A recent survey of health system executives reveals a resounding consensus: 91% believe their organisations must fundamentally transform the way they operate within the next five years, with AI and digital tools playing a pivotal role in that evolution.

This article explores how healthcare leaders are navigating this digital shift—what they are prioritising, where adoption is gaining ground, and the strategic actions needed to drive meaningful change. From improving access and operational efficiency to personalising care delivery, we break down the insights, implications, and practical steps for those leading health systems into the future.

Why this moment is pivotal

According to the survey:

• 91 % of executives agreed their health systems must “fundamentally change” how they operate in order to remain viable. [PR Newswire]
  
  
• They view digital and AI tools not just as incremental improvements but as foundational to a shift from reactive illness‑care toward proactive, value‑based delivery (access improvement, personalised journeys, demand forecasting). [chartis.com]
  
  
• In short: the era of “we’ll just optimise the old model” is over; leaders see digital‑first care models as the differentiator. [HIT Consultant]
  
  

For executives, the implication is clear: investment in AI and digital tech is no longer optional—it is strategic. But the survey also signals caution: digital maturity matters, and simply acquiring technology without transforming workflows will not deliver.

What leaders are prioritising

The Chartis survey identifies four priority domains where AI and digital tech are expected to deliver:

1. Transform access – Improving timely, convenient care via digital front doors, triage tools and remote‑delivery models. (~89 % prioritise this)
   
   
2. Personalise the patient journey – Engaging patients through data‑driven pathways, tailored communications, remote monitoring (~86 % prioritise)
   
   
3. Fit resources to demand – Leveraging predictive analytics for capacity, referrals, home‑care models (~77 % prioritise)
   
   
4. Serve more patients – Using digital scaling, AI automation, home‑care to expand reach without just building more bricks (~75 % prioritise)
   
   

These priorities reflect the reality that many health systems are grappling with cost pressures, workforce shortages and a need to deliver care outside traditional hospital walls. For example, leaders are emphasising digital and AI tools to free clinicians from administrative burden and allow focus on higher‑value care. [Healthcare Dive]

Where progress is happening—and where gaps remain

The survey shows encouraging signs: some systems are piloting or adopting AI‑capabilities such as triage support, referral/capacity management, care‑navigation tools. For instance, about 17 % of respondents said they had fully implemented AI‑clinical‑decision support tools, while nearly half said they were in pilot phase. 

However, other research underscores that barriers persist. According to a separate survey by Sage Growth Partners:

• 83 % of executives believe AI can improve clinical decision‑making, 75 % believe it can reduce operational costs.
  
  
• Only ~12 % believe today’s AI algorithms are robust enough to rely on; only ~13 % say their organisation has a clear clinical‑workflow integration strategy.
  
  
• Barriers include data and privacy concerns, bias in datasets, legacy infrastructure and readiness for change.

In other words: the aspiration is there, but execution remains uneven. Leaders must therefore focus on both technology deployment and organisational transformation.

Key leadership implications for health system executives

Based on the survey findings and broader literature, here are six strategic implications for executives seeking to lead transformation:

• Make digital and AI a strategic imperative: framing it as a top‑board agenda item—not just a department project—is critical. The Chartis release emphasised change must “start at the top of the organisation… and must be embraced all the way down”.
  
  
• Prioritise patient access & experience: the shift to digital‑first patient engagement (scheduling, triage, remote care) is central to future differentiation.
  
  
• Prioritise resource‑modelling and predictive operations: use analytics/AI not just for clinical care but operations — capacity, referral routing, home transitions.
  
  
• Drive digital maturity—not just adoption: installing tech is only half the story. Organisations must modernise data platforms, optimise workflows, cultivate skills, and embed change. (See McKinsey insight: many organisations prioritise DX but lack readiness/resources).
  
  
• Invest in governance, ethics & data‑quality: With AI at scale, risk management, bias assessments, accuracy monitoring emerge as board‑level concerns.
  
  
• Ensure workforce and cultural readiness: transformation will demand new skills, new ways of working, and leadership who can orchestrate cross‑functional change (clinicians + IT + operations).
  
  

Practical steps to get started – for a healthcare leader

Here are suggested tactics:

• Map your “digital front‑door” and remote‑care pathways: where can digital/AI improve access and relieve resource pressure?
  
  
• Identify one or two high‑impact pilots (e.g., AI‑based triage, care‑navigation or capacity forecasting) and measure outcomes. Use the Chartis survey data to set internal benchmarks (e.g., 17 % have fully adopted AI‑clinical decision support today).
  
  
• Conduct an internal readiness assessment: data systems, talent, governance structures, change management capacity.
  
  
• Create a cross‑functional steering committee (CIO, CMO, COO, digital innovation) to oversee the roadmap and ensure digital is not siloed.
  
  
• Track metrics that matter: patient access (wait times, no‑show rates), patient‑experience scores, clinician time freed, operational efficiency, cost per case.
  
  
• Build a culture of continuous improvement: iteration, feedback‑loops, clinician engagement in technology design.
  
  

Why this matters now – and what happens if you don’t act

The urgency reflects a shifting landscape: as leaders noted, many believe unless they act, the affordability of care will worsen, access will continue to decline, and workforce burnout will intensify. From a competitive standpoint, the survey highlights that size will be less of a differentiator in five years. What will separate high‑performing systems is “digital‑first experience” and “digitally enabled care”. For executive teams, the message is clear: continuing with business‑as‑usual is high risk. Health systems that fail to prioritise digital and AI-enabled care delivery models risk being left behind.

Conclusion

For health‑system executives, the message is unmistakable: digital and AI-enabled transformation is no longer optional—it is mission‑critical. As the Chartis survey shows, the vast majority of leaders believe their organisations must evolve from reactive to proactive care models—and that digital/AI tools will be central to that shift. Success will come not from simply installing new technology, but from aligning it with strategy, operations, culture and governance. Executives who step up now to embed digital‑first care models, invest in maturity, and lead change will help position their organisations to deliver better access, better experience and better outcomes.