How Incumbent Healthcare Tech Vendors can Sell AI Solutions to the Healthcare Buying Committee

Today’s enterprise healthcare customers want AI solutions from their trusted vendors—a window of opportunity for leadership to promote solutions and get in front of competition  

Every study I’ve run across confirms that incumbent vendors are in an auspicious position. 

Enterprise healthcare leaders not only trust their existing and familiar vendors for new AI solutions, they also look to them for direction in applying the technology. This goes for all incumbents, but even more so to those with mature, non-AI solutions in a market where AI is shifting from hype to a norm. 

But I’m hearing another story in my talks with vendors—whispers of pure AI solutions that are new to the market and gaining ground. That all adds up to a story of a shifting playing field. 

Today’s security can easily be disrupted as buyers get more comfortable with AI technology and challenging vendors get more savvy in connecting with the healthcare buying committee. 

In situations like these, the best offense is a good defense. And in an environment where buying committees are increasingly self directed and doing research on their own, defense starts with content marketing that provides value.  

To help you and your team launch a productive, AI-defense campaign, I’ve put together a few tips based on research and what I’ve seen on the incumbent side. 

AI Is Redefining an Already Volatile Healthcare Buying Committee Journey

Even before AI, the healthcare tech buying committee journey was highly self-directed. 

For AI solutions, over 60% of the journey happens before contact with sales (compared to almost 70% from prior studies), meaning CIOs, CFOs, CEOs and department heads are checking your social, website, and event presence, talking to their peers, and comparing their findings to other options.  

But two specific trends around AI solutions are signaling security while contributing another layer of complexity. 

Incumbent Vendors Are the Preferred Option for AI Solutions

A 2025 HFMA/Eliciting Insights study found that vendors already serving health systems have a distinct advantage in rolling out AI solutions. This is largely a question of trust—decision makers are more comfortable piloting AI solutions from and sharing data with you (or with an AI providers who partners with you.) Most health systems are also looking outside their EMR vendor for AI capabilities

(Side note: Almost three out of every four health system leaders believe their existing vendors should be investing in and integrating AI into their solution portfolios. If you haven’t invested in one or haven’t launched yet, it’s likely time.) 

Buyers Are Slow to Change Their AI Vendor Preferences 

Second, healthcare decision makers are heavily attached to a preferred vendor within the selection process. 

These signal security and advantage for incumbents willing to invest in AI, but the question is how long this window will stay open. 

An Effective Defensive Posture Relies on a Culture That Leverages Content

These market shifts put incumbent (and established) vendors in a position to defend their advantage on two fronts:

• With customers, in the form of customer marketing and retention that demonstrates vision and innovation in AI
• In the market overall, building a competitive moat around reputation, social, and search (GEO/AEO)

Both of these are content marketing plays. But there’s a catch. 

The strategies many incumbent vendors relied on in the past (network and word-of-mouth selling, leaving sales to do most of the heavy lifting) are highly risky in an environment where buying committees are open to exploring new technologies and even learning about tech for the first time themselves from your competitors. 

Addressing this change can run headlong into your internal perspective on marketing. 

Taking advantage of the incumbent AI window in a way that protects your market share and even promotes growth could be uncomfortable for some of your team or your leadership. Understanding your advantages is the first step in building stronger buy-in. 

4 Incumbent Vendor Advantages in Enterprise Healthcare AI 

If content marketing isn’t already a natural part of your strategy, keep things positive by leaning into your strengths and opportunities in this market. 

1. You’ve got trust built into the conversation, with both customers and prospects. Remember that most already trust you with data, but beyond that, seventy percent of those without a mature program are leaning on their vendors to guide them toward opportunities across the organization. This was one thing IBM did well with Watson—they leveraged their reputation (while simultaneously being a little shady about outside vendors, especially startups and new entrants to the industry.)

2. You have proof. Your customers already know you can get them the kind of results that matter in enterprise healthcare. Couple that with proactive content-driven conversations around AI and you have a beautiful opportunity for long-term mutual growth (and future case studies…so collect those baselines.)

3. Your client base is a source of wisdom: You have a broad base of experience. Step out with targeted thought leadership, white papers, and testimonials that mine your deep experience in healthcare. Especially on the thought leadership side, start forming a vision of AI that aligns with your specific market needs…and get your executives involved in publishing and sharing to connect with organizations that are looking to vendors for guidance in uncertain times.

4. You already have champions. As an incumbent, you know who loves your solution and why. Document it as a part of your content marketing strategy and spread it across your customer organizations and into the market. 

4 Tips to Use Content as Defense in Enterprise Healthcare AI

When you’re ready to protect your position and leverage defense as a form of offense, content will be an invaluable asset. 

1. Study what you’re up against. Gather competitive intelligence on scalability, ecosystem agility, developer-friendliness, and cost. As an incumbent, your position is stronger than a new market entrant or competitor, but it isn’t guaranteed. Do some research around what they offer AND how they’re communicating it. 

2. Study market needs. How mature are your customer and prospect AI programs? What is their overall AI strategy? Where are they with governance? Are there opportunities to educate them on AI? Don’t make assumptions, ask questions. (And don’t miss an opportunity to teach and guide your market on how to use your technology and AI in general. This type of campaign is a good place to start.)

3. Lean into your results. Use your existing relationships to explore not only ROI, but to paint a narrative of economic and organizational impact. Tap into your sales team and account executives—their relationships and knowledge can be rich sources of content inspiration.

4. Update your messaging. You’re sitting on an opportunity to position a relationship with you as an asset and source of clarity in uncertain times. So embrace AI openly in your content—refresh what can be refreshed (like with a Smart Recycling exercise), and THEN look at net new content. And as always, don’t forget to distribute in a way that meets buyers where they are (Especially the CIO role, who takes the lead in AI decisions). 

4 Potential Pitfalls for Incumbent and Mature Vendors to Avoid 

1. Don’t underestimate how much you might need to change your messaging, or even create completely separate messaging around AI. Your customers and prospects could be completely new to the technology or there could be elements of your existing messaging that conflicts with your AI goals. (This is where an objective, third-party perspective is invaluable.)

2. Don’t assume they won’t switch or aren’t looking. Yes, incumbent vendors are more secure and established names carry trust—but AI is moving fast and this can turn at any time. Content is a slow game, so you don’t want to be forced to play catchup after missing this window.

3. Keep your promises reasonable. IBM did a lot well with Watson, but they also made some mistakes, especially in healthcare. Its promises around oncology were lofty, and when they didn’t work out, the brand slipped. Base your promises on the needs of your market and you’ll keep content grounded. 

4. Don’t slack on distribution. One of the hardest battles in marketing is shifting your position in the minds of buyers. AI though, is a new solution, so you have an opportunity to get in early. Just don’t be passive. Leverage your email lists, events for both customers and the market, paid ads, and social. You’ll need to be aggressive here. 

Dial Up Your Defensive Content

If you’re in charge of an emerging content program or launching a new campaign, this might feel like an uphill battle, but it can be an easier lift than you think—if you focus on value and a structured framework. 

LocutusHealth provides an objective perspective that bypasses in-group assumptions, getting you on the right track before you commit to the wrong agency or misguided FTE spend. Grab some time today to talk about how we can lay a foundation for future content marketing wins and position marketing as a profit center.