The past few years have seen unprecedented momentum in healthcare’s digital evolution. But today, the conversation has shifted. It’s no longer about which digital tools a health system has adopted—it’s about what those tools are doing to improve care, operations, and workforce experience.
At AVIA, we work closely with more than 40 health systems nationwide, helping them identify and implement digital strategies that drive measurable performance. Our latest State of Digital Transformation Report, supported by data from across the AVIA Network, shows that the leaders in this space are moving beyond pilots and platforms to focus on real, applied transformation.
Three clear operational trends emerged from this year’s analysis—each with critical implications for health system leaders aiming to move from access to impact.
Moving From Access to Experience
The first wave of digital transformation was about giving patients access: to portals, to virtual visits, to online scheduling. But now, that’s table stakes. The real focus is shifting toward creating seamless, intuitive digital experiences—the kind patients have come to expect in every other part of their lives.
High-performing health systems are designing mobile-first, easy-to-navigate journeys that begin before a patient ever sets foot in a facility. They’re integrating scheduling tools, offering self-guided symptom checkers, and enabling asynchronous virtual visits to expand convenience and improve care continuity.
If you have a patient-first mindset with an integrated system, you will be ahead of the curve.
Supporting Your Workforce Through Technology
One of the most important—yet often underappreciated—roles of digital transformation is its impact on the workforce. Done right, technology doesn’t replace people; it helps them make better, faster decisions, and be more efficient.
Across the AVIA Network, health systems are investing in tools that return time to clinicians, reduce burnout, and enhance care delivery.
A powerful example: one of our members is using virtual nurses for half of inpatient admissions and discharges, they returned over 400 hours to bedside nurses in just five months. That’s time that was redirected to patient care, improving both safety and staff satisfaction.
Ambient clinical documentation is another area where digital investment is paying off. MemorialCare, a leading nonprofit health system serving Orange and Los Angeles Counties, for instance, has a high percentage of ambulatory appointments available for online scheduling; ambulatory appointments scheduled online by patients; synchronous and asynchronous virtual visits (15% of their patients were seen by virtual visits), and self-service digital registration/check-in via website or mobile app, helping providers reduce administrative burden and focus more fully on the patient in front of them.
The message is clear: technology should be part of the workforce strategy. It’s one of the most effective ways to retain talent, enhance job satisfaction, and ultimately deliver better care.
Systemwide Implementation = Operational Impact
The early days of digital transformation in health systems were usually seen with innovation in EHRs. Today, success in digital transformation is defined not by ideas, but by enterprise-wide execution and measurable results.
Health systems at the forefront are tying their digital initiatives to hard operational metrics: appointment throughput, resource allocation, discharge efficiency, and care coordination.
Sutter Health, an AVIA Member, has implemented online scheduling across most of their system, and the results are telling. They saw 19% of ambulatory appointments and 83% of lab visits scheduled online by patients—a direct improvement in convenience, efficiency, and workflow optimization.
The best-performing health systems are solving real problems, streamlining care, and building resilient, scalable operations.
The systems that we’re working with demonstrate what’s possible when digital transformation moves from theoretical to operational. They are not just adopting technology—they are embedding it into how they work, how they engage patients, and how they deliver care.
In a time of ongoing workforce challenges, financial strain, and rising consumer expectations, applied transformation isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative.
Health systems that move beyond digital access and focus on experience, workforce support, and operational execution will be the ones that thrive. And they will be the ones that patients choose.
Clay Holderman
Clay Holderman is the Chief Executive Officer of AVIA. He has more than 30 years working in health systems and has extensive experience leading initiatives that improve health outcomes and organizational effectiveness. He most recentlyserved as president and CEO of UnityPoint Health, a $4.5 billion health system in the Midwest consisting of 17 hospitals, a pioneering home health services division, a specialty pharmacy division and a $100 million venture capital fund.
