Inside Healthcare Provider Selection: How US Executives Evaluate Providers

Client

A Global Healthcare Organization

Service

B2B Healthcare Research / Qualitative Research

Sector

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Coverage

United States

A healthcare organization partnered with us to examine healthcare provider selection among senior decision-makers across healthcare organizations, health insurers, and health plans in the United States.

The research looked at how healthcare executives evaluated external service providers across pharmacy benefit management, data and insights, and care delivery. Participants included CFOs, CHROs, Chief Medical Officers, and network management leaders.

The Challenge

The client wanted to understand how senior healthcare leaders approach healthcare executive decision-making when selecting providers for pharmacy benefit management, data and insights, and care delivery.

The research needed to identify:

• The healthcare provider selection criteria senior executives use when comparing potential providers.

• How priorities differ across healthcare organizations, insurers, and health plans.

• What matters most when evaluating providers across pharmacy benefits, data services, and care delivery.

• Which factors strengthen or weaken confidence in a potential provider.

• How parent-company endorsement affects provider perception and consideration.

• How decision-making differs across CFOs, CHROs, Chief Medical Officers, and network management leaders.

The challenge was not only to understand what executives look for in a provider, but also how functional needs, organizational context, and corporate association come together in the final selection decision.

What We Did

We conducted senior healthcare executive research through one-on-one online IDIs with decision-makers from healthcare organizations, health insurers, and health plans. The interviews focused on how executives evaluated potential providers, the priorities behind their decisions, and the role of parent-company endorsement.

The provider selection research included:

15 senior healthcare executives targeted across healthcare organizations, insurers, and health plans.

• A cross-functional mix of CFOs, CHROs, Chief Medical Officers, and network management leaders involved in provider-related decisions.

• Respondents aged 25–74, with sample controls used to maintain balance across key screener criteria.

• 45-minute one-on-one online IDIs designed to give executives space to explain how provider decisions are made.

• Discussion around provider evaluation across pharmacy benefits, data and insights, and care delivery.

• Exploration of the factors that build or weaken confidence in a potential healthcare service provider.

• Focus on how parent-company endorsement influences provider perception and consideration.

• Client review of qualified respondents before interviews were scheduled.

The interviews helped uncover how senior executives evaluate providers and what ultimately shapes their selection decisions.

The Impact of Research

The study helped the client understand how senior healthcare executives evaluate external service providers and what ultimately shapes their selection decisions. It also showed how corporate association can influence provider perception alongside capability, organizational fit, and service relevance.

Key outcomes included:

• Deeper understanding of healthcare provider evaluation and the criteria used to compare providers

• How provider priorities vary across healthcare organizations, insurers, and health plans

• The role of pharmacy benefits, data and insights, and care delivery in provider decisions

• The factors that can strengthen or weaken consideration of a potential provider

• The role of parent company influence on provider selection and provider perception

• A clearer understanding of what matters to senior healthcare decision makers when evaluating potential partners

By speaking directly with senior leaders across finance, HR, medical, and network functions, the research connected different executive perspectives to the way provider decisions are made.

For healthcare organizations looking to understand what shapes senior-level provider selection, contact us to explore executive decision-making, provider evaluation, and selection criteria.