Healthcare Leadership Trends for 2025
2. Multiple Growth Paths Led by Service Line Expansion Healthcare is balancing financial restraint and the need to invest for sustainable long-term growth. Trends probed each respondent’s top three strategic growth paths in 2025. Those attaining counts over 20% were:
49%
41%
35%
31%
VALUE-BASED REIMBURSEMENT GROWTH
SIGNIFICANT COST REDUCTION
NEW SERVICE LINES
EXISTING SERVICE LINE EXPANSION
31%
25%
22%
TELEHEALTH
EXPANDED CONSUMER MARKETING
SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIPS WITH PAYERS OR OTHER HEALTH SYSTEMS
This varied agenda incurred some movement from last year. A tried-and-true strategy, existing service line expansion declined to 49% from 56% in 2023 and 64% in 2022. This expansion may be reaching some limits after years of investment. Shift of care site is a dominant motif for new service lines. The transition of procedures from inpatient to outpatient proceeds apace. Over the next decade, ambulatory volume will grow 17% compared to just 3% for inpatient discharges. 1 Hospitals are also opening urgent care centers which are said to produce an average of $450,000 greater referral revenue than from other primary sources. 2
Growth partnerships dipped slightly from last year’s results, but they remain an essential avenue to success for many. A study found that almost 4 in 10 leaders regard strategic partnerships as their top initiative to redefine their business portfolios. 3
1 Sg2, “2024 Impact of Change Forecast Highlights,” June 2024. 2 Advisory Board, “By The Numbers: Urgent Care is a Referrals Winner for Health Systems,” April 2024. 3 Huron Consulting Group, “Leaders Innovate to Tackle Top Challenges,” 2024.
© B.E. Smith 2025
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