HFMA Survey Insights Into Health System AI Buying Attitudes

Health system buying committee leaders are leaning on vendors to guide their AI growth—and vendors have to step up with content that meets that need. 

HFMA (in partnership with ElicitingInsights) recently released the results of a survey on health system leader attitudes toward AI (HFMA Health System Readiness for Artificial Intelligence). It tells a compelling story. 

Vendors should take some time with this one, first to inform their AI strategy, and also to take advantage of content opportunities in relating to the hospital and health system buying committee. 

Key Takeaways

• Leaders are looking for vendor support: 70% of health systems without a mature AI program rely on vendors to show them AI opportunities across the organization. 
• EMRs aren’t the go-to: Most health systems are looking outside their EMR vendor for AI capabilities
• Existing vendors piloting AI have an advantage over new vendors (78%)
• Investment in AI is table stakes: Health system leaders expect vendors to be investing in AI (73%) and integrating AI into their solution portfolio (76%)
• Partnerships are a foot in the door: Partnering with existing vendors boosts your chances of consideration (78%)

Content takeaways

AI is still a new and emerging technology, so communication is crucial. Leaders should be working closely with marketing in multiple areas to take advantage of this moment in hospital and health system AI adoption.

Customer Marketing

Now is a great time to build out your AI narrative. 40% of survey respondents said that a vendor “must have an AI story.” This means that it’s a requirement in some cases, and a strong competitive advantage in others. 

Work on crafting a story that aligns with your brand. Tell your customers how you’re investing in AI and frame it in a way that matters to them. Make sure your story is incorporated into sales collateral and marketing content. Don’t reinvent the wheel and overspend on net new content—this is a good use case for a content reframing exercise. 

Most importantly, health system leaders are looking to you to identify AI opportunities. This is an upsell opportunity for consulting and strategic services. Make sure your marketing and sales teams have the support content they need to move forward. 

Education

I recently sat in on a leadership development webinar for hospital executives. A nurse tech administrator made a point that many executives in hospitals and health systems need support with tech literacy. 

This, combined with the results of this survey that state that health systems with less mature programs are leaning on vendors to identify opportunities, adds up to an opening for vendors to step up and establish trust, competitive differentiation, and awareness through educational content campaigns. AI might feel normal and even basic to you, but hospital leaders on buying committees need insights from your SMEs and strategic experts. 

Partnership/Biz Dev

If you’re new to healthcare and are looking to form partnerships, you need the collateral to make your case with potential partners. Don’t send your BD reps out with case studies meant for clients. Invest in a few pieces of content that outline your organizational vision, the value you provide as a partner, ICP, and organizational specs.

Since hospital and health system leaders are 70-80% through their buying journey by the time they contact you, content should be a key consideration for any vendor in the AI space. Grab some time on my calendar to talk opportunity and potential program gaps that could be stalling your business results.