Futurescan 2026:
Health Care Trends and Insights
A concise guide to the trends that will shape care delivery, finance, workforce, risk, and more in the years ahead.
Produced by SHSMD in collaboration with ACHE.
A trusted planning resource for health care leaders
Futurescan 2026 is the latest in a series of publications for health care leaders, produced by SHSMD in collaboration with the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) since 1999. The report is designed to support strategic planning and help hospital and health system leaders prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead.
In this edition, eight experts share practical insights on the trends shaping the future of health care and what leaders need to prepare for.
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- SHSMD Members: Enjoy a complimentary digital copy.
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Key trends and expert perspectives
Futurescan 2026 highlights eight critical areas that will influence care delivery, finance, workforce, risk and patient experience. Each chapter combines expert insight with real world implications and strategic questions for leaders.
Chapter 1
Global Health Care Comparisons
Tina Freese-Decker, CEO, Corewell Health
Chapter 2
Access and Disparities
Bill Gassen, President and CEO, Sanford Health
Chapter 3
Health Care Finance and Strategic Planning
Jon Poziemski, Managing Director, Kaufman Hall
Chapter 4
Regulations and Price Transparency
Abigail Abongwa, VP Revenue Cycle, UW Health System
Chapter 5
Leadership Development and Workforce Planning
Olesea Azevedo, EVP and Chief Administrative Officer, AdventHealth
Chapter 6
Pharmacy Management and Policy
Elizabeth Oyekan, Chief Pharmacy Officer, Stanford Health Care
Chapter 7
Retail Health
Chris Schrader, Partner, Oliver Wyman
Chapter 8
Risk Management
Caroline Bell RN, JD, CPHRM, DFASHRM
When health care leaders turn to Futurescan
Futurescan is most useful when leaders need outside perspective to inform planning, shape executive discussion and prepare for what is changing across the field.
Scenario 1
Strategic planning
A strategy leader uses Futurescan before annual planning discussions to bring external trends into conversations that might otherwise focus only on internal performance.
Scenario 2
Board and executive briefings
A marketing or strategy executive uses Futurescan to frame a board discussion around disruption, long-term risk and the forces that could reshape market position.
Scenario 3
Growth and investment decisions
A health system team uses Futurescan while evaluating service line growth, partnerships or innovation priorities to add a longer-range view to near-term decisions.
Scenario 4
Competitive market awareness
Leaders use Futurescan to understand how consumer expectations, new entrants and evolving care models may change the competitive landscape in the years ahead.
Grounded in data from the field
The expert perspectives in Futurescan 2026 are informed by a national survey of hospital and health system leaders, offering insights rooted in real world priorities.
Look inside Futurescan 2026
Get a first look at Futurescan 2026 through its introduction, table of contents, and the opening chapter on financial sustainability and strategic planning. The preview highlights key pressures facing health systems and the data-informed questions leaders will confront over the next five years
Go beyond the report
Turn Futurescan insights into action. Watch the expert-led webinar for deeper context or access ready-to-use slides to bring these trends into your organization.