Conducting a healthcare market study for 2025 means working with new trends, demands, and areas of focus. Getting an accurate view helps companies, providers, and agencies set goals or find gaps. Here are seven key points that come up when looking at the US healthcare sector right now.
1. Pay Attention to Growth and Financial Trends
Healthcare in the US is expected to grow. Between 2023 and 2028, projections put healthcare EBITDA climbing at an annual growth rate of about 7 percent. The 2023 baseline was $676 billion, and this figure is set to reach $987 billion by 2028. Many providers face inflation, labor shortages, and tighter funding. Still, there is a push to adapt through stronger performance results and growth in areas like health system transformation and specialty pharmacy.
Marked increases in hospital use are also being recorded. The American Hospital Association expects annual inpatient discharges to reach 31 million within a decade. Inpatient days could move up 9 percent, to 170 million each year. This requires both financial and operational adjustments throughout the industry.
2. Management and Leadership Focus
Health system leaders remain focused on getting more out of their existing resources. Their main target areas are improved efficiency, higher productivity, and stronger engagement with patients. Nearly 90 percent of executives believe that using more digital tools, connected care, and virtual health methods will shape their future strategies.
Performance improvement efforts, especially those using technology, are a large part of current plans. After the pandemic’s impact, there is strong interest in recovery and resilience. Technology is often at the center of these plans, from scheduling to patient care platforms.
3. Major Topics for Health System Strategy
A few priorities keep showing up across different health system plans. Improving patient satisfaction and engagement comes up often. Programs focused on specific conditions are getting more resources. Mental health is getting more attention and funding, especially programs that use data and regular outcome measuring.
Generative artificial intelligence is also entering care delivery and management. Use of new technology creates opportunities to support physicians, improve documentation, and speed up administrative work.
4. Monitoring Mood and Outlook
Outlooks from industry surveys suggest more optimism than in past years. According to a Deloitte Center for Health Solutions survey, about 60 percent of healthcare leaders expect a positive climate for 2025. This is an increase from the prior year, when 52 percent felt this way.
Many believe their revenue will go up (69 percent expect this) and profitability will get better (71 percent report improved expectations). Still, this optimism is mixed with caution. Ongoing problems like inflation, resource costs, and new competitors make leaders watchful.
5. Regulatory Changes and Policy Planning
Election results at all government levels influence regulatory action. New laws and programs can affect everything from insurance to reimbursement, hospital operations, and patient access. In the 2025 climate, leaders keep a close eye on decisions made by the new administration and Congress.
Forty-four percent of surveyed executives said that continuing changes in regulation could affect their company’s direction in 2025. The key here is watching both the larger federal actions and local or state changes. Any one regulation can tip business models or patient management rules overnight.
6. Identifying Expansion Areas
Some population groups are going to need more targeted healthcare services. There is a predicted increase in people covered by both Medicare and Medicaid, known as the duals population. Providers are looking at ways to meet these needs, which can include tailored care planning, chronic disease programs, and support services.
Mental health continues to gain attention. Hospitals are growing behavioral health programs and integrating these services into standard treatment settings. There is also more focus on measurement and regular evaluation for these programs.
Post-acute care is another active area for expansion. There is demand for more inpatient rehabilitation and related aftercare, leading to new partnership arrangements.
7. Technology in Practice and Patient Care
Almost all health system projects today have some kind of technology angle. Artificial intelligence, for example, is providing new ways to streamline processes and automate tasks. Telehealth is a regular offering used alongside in-person appointments. Data systems are being updated to track patient progress, manage billing, and reduce manual work.
Most system leaders expect that using smarter tools and deeper analytics will bring savings and better results. Programs are underway to make technology use match the scale of current and projected demands.
Bonus: Using Real-World Benchmarks in Assessment
Successful market studies often compare performance targets to real-world benchmarks. These might include looking at recent inpatient utilization growth rates or comparing anticipated inpatient days to American Hospital Association figures. It helps to use sources like healthcare EBITDA forecasts or specialty pharmacy expansion rates as reference points along with healthcare market research. By doing this, analysts can paint a picture that lines up with what’s actually happening.
Checking regulatory and policy change data from recent federal and state election cycles can also offer concrete guideposts. This process helps bring forecasts closer to what providers and systems see in practice.
Final Thoughts
Getting a market study right means gathering the right facts and understanding what is actual, not only possible. For healthcare in 2025, the numbers point to continuing growth but also to real challenges. Financial performance, hospital use, staff supply, policy shifts, and new types of care are the main areas to watch.
A good healthcare market study should use data from all these areas to make comparisons and set marks for progress. Looking at trends today allows leaders to set targets, manage risk, and spot the areas that need the most focus. When numbers from providers, government agencies, and industry experts all line up, decisions get easier and more accurate.
Healthcare in the United States is growing, but it comes with more tracking and checks than in years past. For each area, finance, staffing, technology, policy, service delivery, decision-makers use data to set next steps. There is no single path, but reviewing the seven points above can give anyone starting a new study a well-marked outline to follow.
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky
