New Report Reveals Disconnect Between Short-Term Focus and Long-Term, Data-Backed Growth Strategies for Health Systems

National survey of healthcare leaders suggests investing in AI, preventive care, and specialist integration could strengthen financial sustainability

BOSTON – November 3, 2025 – Arcadia® (arcadia.io), a leading healthcare data platform, today announced the publication of its latest research report, From Insight to Impact: How Top Health Systems Use Data to Make Healthcare Financially Sustainable, which points to tension between health systems’ short-term priorities and strategies that drive long-term impact. In a new national survey, healthcare leaders ranked improving quality of care and cost containment as their most critical initiatives. At the same time, they deprioritized strategies such as preventive care, chronic disease management, and reducing avoidable utilization, which have proven links to better outcomes and financial sustainability.  

“Too often, health systems focus on the areas that feel most controllable, like cost containment and quality measures, while underestimating the long-term ROI of strategies like preventive care and mitigating the impact of social determinants of health,” said Anna Basevich, Senior Vice President and General Manager of National Accounts at Arcadia. “Our research suggests that organizations willing to take on these harder-to-measure areas stand to unlock the greatest value over time.” 

Arcadia produced the report in partnership with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) to examine how healthcare organizations leverage data, analytics, and AI to achieve clinical and financial objectives. The report also identifies the critical, yet untapped opportunities for health systems to deliver better care, increase revenue, and reduce costs. Additional findings include: 

• AI adoption is still limited: While 42% of leaders said they use AI for predictive analytics, far fewer apply it to chart summarization (35%), care coordination (33%), or personalized care plans (21%). Using AI more for administrative tasks and not embedding copilots into clinical workflows results in missed opportunities to improve staff efficiency and patient outcomes. 

• Population health strategies drive sustainability: Leaders ranked care coordination (60%) and chronic disease management (52%) as the most critical elements of value-based care, while only 10% prioritized the use of longitudinal patient records. Otherwise called patient 360s, longitudinal patient records help health systems better understand populations so they can allocate resources more efficiently, increase engagement, and drive revenue. 

• Analytics deliver measurable ROI: Among organizations that implemented enhanced analytics strategies, 85% saw improvements in performance measurement, 81% gained operational efficiency, and 77% boosted patient engagement—demonstrating the value of investing in data infrastructure. 

• Preventive care and social drivers of health remain overlooked: Despite the direct link to improved outcomes, only 8% of leaders prioritized preventive care strategies, and just 10% prioritized social determinants of health. Specialist integration was cited by only 5% of respondents. These lower-ranked areas present untapped opportunities for health systems to improve financial performance and clinical outcomes.  

The report includes real-world examples from health systems that successfully leverage data and analytics to increase shared savings and strengthen specialist collaboration.  

“Success in today’s healthcare environment depends on a high-quality, aggregated data asset paired with advanced analytics and the expertise to use them effectively,” said Mike Tiffany, Chief Operating Officer at Arcadia. “Organizations that take a comprehensive approach and leverage an enterprise-grade platform are best positioned to deliver better care, reduce costs, and achieve sustainable growth.” 

Download the full report, From Insight to Impact: How Top Health Systems Use Data to Make Healthcare Financially Sustainable, to learn how leading healthcare organizations are turning insights into measurable improvements.