March 18, 2019 09:00 NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Change Healthcare and the HealthCare Executive Group (HCEG) published the 9th Annual Industry Pulse Survey report. Among the findings: fully one-third of healthcare executives surveyed, the largest single block, believe non-healthcare market entrants could upend industry business models. Meanwhile, Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) initiatives are disrupting healthcare delivery and reimbursement, with a significant number of respondents planning to offer programs addressing care coordination, transportation, food insecurity, and other factors for members over the next 12 months.

These are just some of the industry insights and sentiments revealed in this year’s Industry Pulse, an annual survey designed to provide executives with timely insights on opportunities, challenges, and trends in the healthcare market.

Additional findings show nearly 40% of respondents said a market in which the majority of value-based relationships include both upside and downside shared-risk remains three to five years off—a concerning finding that might indicate payers and providers continue to struggle in their efforts to scale complex, value-based care and reimbursement models from pilot to production.

“Healthcare is navigating disruptions on multiple fronts, and as a consequence, payers and providers are finding themselves stretched thin as they try to address a perfect storm of change,” said David Gallegos, SVP, Consulting Services, Change Healthcare. “As if insurance market changes, value-based care, consumerization, and regulatory uncertainty weren’t enough, this year the industry is facing a new breed of market entrants and innovators whose impact remains unknown but could be substantial. Even the largest healthcare organizations don’t have the people and processes to move on all these fronts alone, yet they can’t ignore these changes.”

Other Industry Pulse Survey findings include:

Consumer demand for better access, price/cost transparency, and convenience are all paving the way for external competitors that provide a highly refined consumer experience to enter and disrupt the market;
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advances in analytics will address lagging business models and a growing talent gap; and
Cybersecurity initiatives are a lower funding priority despite the rise in breaches, with 40% of respondents citing sophistication of attack outpacing prevention capabilities.

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