Building the ROI roadmap for digital investment | Viewpoint

While the majority of health systems (79%) raised their digital health spending over the past two years, about half will hold spending flat in 2026 as they await clearer proof of ROI, according to a recent survey by Peterson Health Technology Institute.

The majority of those surveyed intuitively believe that digital experience delivers on the ROI front, but provider organizations struggle to accurately measure the impact. This is understandable because while digital is often a conduit for achieving high-level goals, it’s interdependent on other tools and strategies.

In a 2025 survey produced by Modern Healthcare Content Studio, health leaders point to mobile as a value lever for delivering unified digital experiences that can drive tangible ROI. Sixty-one percent of respondents said their organization had either already seen a financial benefit from mobile patient experience investments or expect to in the future.

Understanding how to optimally design and deploy mobile experience is important to the big picture of digital strategy. In fact, many healthcare executives will find that when thoughtfully planned and executed, mobile investment can quickly move digital strategy from cost center to revenue generator.

The problem is that many health systems are rapidly investing in digital tools without having a holistic strategy in place. That’s where mobile investments can deliver significant value by consolidating digital offerings into a single app that is frictionless, seamless and accessible to consumers.

Unified digital experience: Laying the foundation for ROI

Digital strategies are designed to tackle big healthcare challenges, whether that be a best-of-breed scheduling platform to improve access or proactive outreach tools for population health management. The problem is that many exist as web-based applications that are integrated into the greater asset pool of a health system. Accessed across multiple digital touchpoints, this fragmentation makes it difficult to identify benchmarks and track performance.

In contrast, a more robust strategy is characterized by intentional integration of all digital solutions into a single mobile touchpoint that patients can access from the palm of their hands.

This approach results in a frictionless experience and a better overall patient journey—not to mention greater efficiency and profitability for providers. With one click, consumers have access to everything from wayfinding and provider lookup to scheduling and virtual care all in one place.

This framework not only extends the value of digital investment but also provides a clear path to measuring ROI.

Five value pools for measuring impact

With a unified mobile platform, health systems are equipped to drive optimal value realization of digital investment by measuring impact across five areas:

Strategic growth and competitive differentiation

More than half (55%) of U.S. consumers prefer to use a mobile app to manage healthcare appointments, prescriptions and medical records, making digital experience a key factor in patient acquisition and retention.

A persistent, well-branded mobile app can strengthen loyalty and keep patients in-network at a time when health systems increasingly need to stand out in a commoditized market. When patients are receiving a convenient, consumer-grade experience, it becomes easier for them to stay engaged with system-owned access points rather than seeking care elsewhere. Bottom line: digital maturity supports market expansion and mergers/acquisition integration to strengthen competitive positioning.

Operational efficiency

Investments in digital tools are often initiated with consumer experience in mind, but offering these tools within a mobile app has the potential to dramatically impact operational efficiencies. For example, guiding patients to self-service scheduling can help relieve staffing pressures, remove administrative burden and allow for better resource utilization. In similar fashion, wayfinding reduces staff time spent giving directions or escorting patients to different departments. Notably, 31% of respondents in the Modern Healthcare survey attempting to measure ROI cited reductions in operational costs.

Financial

Mobile strategies should be designed to drive cost reduction and improve revenue generation. A unified mobile app that guides patients to each next step of their healthcare journey can help negate the potential for missed appointments or revenue leakage. For example, a physician search via a mobile app can guide patients to an in-network specialist. Improved scheduling and appointment management increases capacity utilization, preserving downstream revenue from follow-up visits and procedural care.

Patient experience and satisfaction

A unified digital experience should naturally drive improvements in patient experience and satisfaction. Seamless, personalized interactions that remove friction from healthcare visits and interactions will increase net promoter scores, influence the likelihood of patients recommending a health system and lead to repeat engagements. Forty-one percent of respondents in the ROI survey said their organization has seen or expects to see increased patient retention and loyalty as a result of enhancing the mobile patient experience.

Clinical and Quality Enablement

Health leaders should view mobile as a problem solver that can support clinical and quality goals—namely more timely access to services, care continuity and follow-up adherence. Unified mobile apps become a conduit for helping providers interact with patients where they are, ensuring proactive engagement that can lead to improved clinical outcomes, reduced care gaps and better quality measurement scores, including HCAHPS domains such as responsiveness and overall care experience.

Understanding full impact

Digital strategy is no longer optional but a foundational component of patient-centered operations. Understanding how these tools impact the bottom line is critical to long-term strategic positioning.

By optimizing mobile strategy as the value lever for digital offerings, healthcare leaders can measure the full impact of consumer-facing digital elements.

Katie Logan is chief strategy officer for Gozio Health.