The HCEG Top 10 has been a pillar of the HealthCare Executive Group for over a decade with 2022 marking the 12th annual release of this list of challenges, issues, and opportunities facing healthcare leaders. The 2022 HCEG Top 10 is important as it helps drive HCEG programming, networking, and thought leadership for the coming year. It will also serve as the basis for national Industry Pulse research that takes a deeper dive into select items on the 2022 HCEG Top 10 priorities.
Historically developed and finalized during the HCEG Annual Forum, the coronavirus pandemic forced a change to that approach in 2020; a change that has carried over for the 2022 HCEG Top 10.
Guiding Development of the 2022 HCEG Top 10
Assembling a ballot to identify focus areas having the most business impact on health plans, health systems, and care provider organizations is a non-trivial task. Many areas overlap or may be considered a subset of another area. For instance, certain areas like “Data & Analytics” and “Interoperability & Data Liquidity” span or can be considered a part of almost every other focus area. Additionally, the business impact of a specific area, resources required and implementation timeframes may vary greatly.
Official Voting is Closed But You Can Still Submit a Ballot Here
The following considerations were observed while assembling the ballot of potential focus areas for 2022:
Incorporate Impacts from Ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic
The ongoing pandemic has placed new challenges, issues – and opportunities – in front of healthcare stakeholders. Unsurprisingly, almost all of the new areas for selection and ranking on the 2022 HCEG Top 10 were brought about by the pandemic. 
Accommodate Changing Regulatory Environment
The end of 2021 marked the first full year operating under a new presidential administration – one clearly supportive of the ACA and willing to expand government oversight and regulations across healthcare. New regulations and policy changes that went into effect or were passed in the last 12-18 months have a significant impact on more than a few focus areas for 2022 with more regulations and policy updates likely coming.
Acknowledge Highly Competitive Environment & New-Age Entrants
Healthcare continues to draw significant attention and large investments from both traditional and non-traditional companies. Big companies and startups, all leveraging technology and new business models are bringing new products and services to the healthcare ecosystem with some tech-driven companies having the capabilities to launch more consumer-focused health plans complying with industry regulations.
RELATED: The Big Tech In Healthcare Report: How Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Google, & Amazon Are Battling For The $8.3T Market
Consider Social Determinants, Health Equity, and Non-Medical Services
If anything, the pandemic has shown a strong light on the importance of social determinants and the prevalence of disparities and inequities throughout healthcare. The importance of non-medical products and services for improving health outcomes and overall well-being has been more widely accepted with established and new companies actively engaging.
Emerging Member Preferences & Focus on Member/Patient-Centricity
Health plan members and provider patients are comparing and rating their health care encounters and services to how they identify, select, receive, pay for, and otherwise consume other products and services. Addressing member preferences and delivering care in a person-centric fashion has become more important than ever.
Deriving Value from New & Emerging Technologies
Technology is advancing at a pace many healthcare organizations struggle to keep up with. Understanding available and emerging technologies – and selecting, implementing, integrating, managing, and operating these technologies efficiently and effectively – is key to maximizing a positive business impact.
Prioritizing the Focus of Healthcare Executives
In prior years, dozens of topics comprising potential focus areas for the HCEG Top 10 were collected from previous HCEG Top 10 priorities, along with input from the HCEG Network and Annual Forum attendees. Ten of these focus areas were then selected and ranked by attendees of HCEG’s Annual Forum in a two-step process.
For this year’s ballot, candidate focus areas were collected throughout the second half of 2021: from discussions in HCEG Focus Area Roundtables and webinars, submitted directly from members of the HCEG Network, and from a current review of various industry thought leaders. A total of 46 topics were consolidated down into 21 focus areas as candidates for the 2022 HCEG Top 10 ballot.
Help Identify, Select, & Rank Healthcare Priorities on the 2022 HCEG Top 10
As noted, HCEG’s Top 10 selection and ranking process have historically been limited to HCEG members attending our Annual Forum. To obtain a more comprehensive perspective of healthcare priorities, the ballot for the 2022 HCEG Top 10 has been made available to HCEG members and other healthcare executives and professionals associated with certain healthcare organizations.
Official voting is now closed. But…if you’re affiliated with a health plan, health system, or care provider organization and would like to share your take on top priorities for 2022 and beyond, feel free to complete and submit a ballot here. This should take less than 4 minutes to complete. You can also comment on specific items of the final 2022 HCEG Top 10 list here.
Share Your Insight and Learn More About Healthcare Executive Priorities
The 2022 HCEG Top 10 balloting process closed on Sunday, January 16th with the official 2022 HCEG Top 10 list published the following week.
The 11th Annual Industry Pulse research will kick-off in early February and will be open to participation from all healthcare stakeholders. You can learn more about Industry Pulse and indicate your interest in participating in research here to take a deeper look at the impact and urgency of adoption for specific priorities identified on the 2022 HCEG Top 10.
Keep an eye on this blog and subscribe to our newsletter to receive information on the 2022 HCEG Top 10 priorities and details on Industry Pulse. Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or comments. And join our newsletter to receive information, ideas, and insight for healthcare executives and change-makers: bit.ly/hcegnewsltr
