1、Executive PerspectivesApril 2026Health CareAI-First Providers Win the Future1Copyright 2026 by Boston Consulting Group.All rights reserved.IntroductionWe meet often with CEOs and executives to discuss AI-a topic that is both captivating and rapidly evolving.Drawing on our work with over 2,000 client
2、s for more than two years,we are sharing our latest insights in a new series designed to help executives navigate AI.With most sectors undergoing major shifts,the focus in 2026 is on how to leverage AI to fully transform organizations and create new sources of competitive advantage.Health care provi
3、ders are at an inflection point.Demand is growing faster than supply,labor costs are outpacing reimbursement,and health care spending is rising at nearly three times the rate of GDP.Incremental efficiency gains will not be sufficient;providers must unlock step change productivity to expand capacity
4、without proportional labor growth.Agentic AI is a critical lever to enable this shift.Against this backdrop,three questions matter most for executives:Why are AI pilots failing to scale,and what makes enterprise-wide transformation a strategic imperative now?What does an AI-first provider look like,
5、and how does AI unlock value across access,cost,and experience throughout the patient and provider journeys?What does it take to realize AIs full potential to move beyond a“just tech”transformation and overcome data and organizational constraints?This document is a guide for health care provider exe
6、cutives to cut through the hype around AI and understand what creates value now and in the future.In this Executive Perspective,we articulate the vision and value of building an AI first health care provider organization12Copyright 2026 by Boston Consulting Group.All rights reserved.Executive summar