Why Industry Partners Must Shift From Selling to Solving

The rules of engagement with health systems are changing—and industry partners clinging to the old playbook risk being left behind. At Sg2's 2025 Executive Summit, a clear message emerged: assumptions that once guided strategy are not just outdated—they’re obstructive. Financial recovery doesn’t mean business as usual, and hospitals shouldn't be the center of care anymore. Providers are looking for solutions that reduce costs, drive throughput, maximize use of resources and deliver value—not just products.

Assumption: Financial Recovery Equals Business as Usual

Margins remain fragile for health systems. Cost-neutral is now the baseline; shared upside is the expectation. Industry partners must prove their value—not just with clinical outcomes, but by showing how they help the health system improve performance across metrics. This also means broadening leadership engagement within strategic accounts to understand how value is measured from all angles.

• Are you connected to strategy leaders at target accounts?
• Can your offering boost throughput in a high-demand specialty?
• Do you understand the organization's priorities for ambulatory and system-wide care?

Assumption: Hospitals Are the Anchor of the Care Continuum

The future is ambulatory first. Health systems must be intentional about boosting volumes and driving efficiency in outpatient settings to offset tight margins. That means rethinking the hospital's role and prioritizing ambulatory care as the business driver.

For industry partners, this shift demands more than a tweak—it requires adapting offerings to meet the needs of where care will be delivered. Success depends on a deep understanding of operational workflows and strategic fit.

• Can it streamline ambulatory workflows?
• Does it fit smaller ORs in ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs)?
• Do you understand how procurement and value analysis differ between ASCs and hospitals?

Rethinking the Playbook

Industry partners must come prepared with insights to identify bottlenecks and demonstrate how their offerings can ease the pressure for their customers. Selling a device or a drug? Fine. But if you can demonstrate how that product reduces readmissions or enables ambulatory-first care, now you’re solving a problem—and elevating your status from vendor to strategic partner.

"Today’s value isn’t in what you sell, but in what you solve."

—Industry Partner at Life Sciences and Industry Breakfast Event

It’s time to reframe your market approach. Bring data. Speak the language of health system pain points. Show up with solutions that enable providers to do more with less. Co-creation isn’t a buzzword. It’s the price of admission.

Download the Sg2 Life Sciences Q3 Newsletter to get insights on how policy changes may impact health care utilization and revenue projections. Contact us to learn more about Sg2’s Life Sciences offerings.