Rahul Saluja is a technology and business leader focused on AI-driven enterprise transformation and operating-model innovation.
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Over the past 20 years, I have worked in the healthcare, life sciences and healthcare technology sectors. During that time, I have watched organizations invest billions in data, analytics and digital transformation with a common goal: helping people make better decisions.
In many ways, those investments have succeeded.
Healthcare organizations now have access to more information than ever before. Clinical records are digitized. Analytics platforms deliver near real-time insights. Artificial intelligence (AI) can identify patterns that once took weeks to uncover.
Healthcare spending in the U.S. now exceeds $5 trillion annually, yet many people still struggle with some of the most basic healthcare decisions. They are often unsure where to go for care, what it will cost, whether it is covered or what steps they should take next.
I was reminded of this during a recent conversation with a healthcare executive. Their organization had spent years modernizing systems and expanding access to information. Leadership teams had unprecedented visibility into performance, utilization and operations.
At the same time, one employee was struggling to answer three simple questions:
1. Where should I receive care?
2. What will it cost?
3. Is it covered?
The organization had no shortage of data. The individual still lacked confidence. That distinction matters because confidence—not information—is often what people are searching for when navigating healthcare.
For years, healthcare has focused on solving information challenges.
Electronic health records improved access to clinical data. Modern platforms connected previously disconnected systems. Analytics helped organizations identify risks, trends and opportunities faster than ever before.
These advances created significant value, but most were designed to improve how organizations operate—not how consumers experience healthcare.
As a result, many people continue to face the same frustrations. They have access to more information yet often feel no closer to understanding what to do next. The challenge is no longer access. It is helping people translate information into action.
One lesson I have learned throughout my career is that organizations and consumers often view healthcare through very different lenses.
Organizations see workflows, referrals, authorizations and claims. Consumers see decisions: Should I schedule this appointment? Is this specialist the right choice? Can I afford this treatment? Should I seek care now or wait? What happens next?
These questions often arise during moments of uncertainty, when people are already under stress and the stakes feel personal.
That is why healthcare navigation is becoming one of the most important opportunities in healthcare transformation. Helping people make informed decisions may ultimately create more value than providing additional information.
Some of the most interesting healthcare conversations I have today are with employers. Healthcare remains one of the largest expenses many organizations manage, but leaders increasingly recognize that its impact extends far beyond cost.
It influences employee well-being, productivity, engagement and retention. What I find encouraging is how the conversation has evolved. A few years ago, many discussions focused on reducing healthcare spend. Today, more leaders are asking a different question: How can we help employees make better healthcare decisions?
That shift matters. When people understand their options, access appropriate care and receive support throughout their healthcare journey, the benefits extend well beyond financial outcomes.
AI has the potential to simplify healthcare in meaningful ways. It can surface relevant information faster, personalize guidance and help people navigate increasingly complex choices.
But technology alone is not enough. Healthcare decisions are deeply personal. People do not simply want answers; they want confidence that they are making the right choice for themselves and their families.
The organizations that create the greatest impact will not be those that deliver the most information. They will be those that combine intelligent technology with trusted guidance to reduce uncertainty and build trust.
For leaders looking to close the confidence gap, four priorities stand out:
• Identify the decisions that create the greatest friction. Most organizations understand their workflows. Fewer understand where people struggle to make decisions. Improvement begins by understanding where confidence breaks down.
• Make cost understandable, not just available. Transparency is important, but visibility alone is not enough. If someone can see a price but still cannot determine what they are likely to pay or whether they should move forward, the experience has not improved.
• Combine digital intelligence with human guidance. Many decisions can be simplified through technology. Others require reassurance, context and trust. The strongest experiences will combine both.
• Measure confidence as an outcome. Healthcare transformation has traditionally been measured through adoption, utilization and operational efficiency. Those metrics remain important, but leaders should also ask whether people feel more confident making decisions because of the experience that was created.
For years, healthcare transformation has been measured by how effectively organizations collect, connect and analyze information. The next phase may be measured differently: Did we reduce uncertainty? Did we simplify decisions? Did we help people move forward with greater confidence?
Healthcare has spent the last 20 years building information infrastructure. The organizations that lead the next 20 will build something equally important: systems, experiences and technologies that help people make better decisions when it matters most.
Because information by itself rarely changes outcomes.
People do.
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