A new operating playbook is taking shape for medical technology as health system shifts at speed toward digital-first, consumer-centred and data-powered care. Analysis highlights a 12–24-month window in which more than $1 trillion (€865.6 billion) in annual spend is expected to move away from infrastructure-heavy settings. The implication for manufacturers is clear. Product innovation alone no longer guarantees growth. Leaders face tighter regulation, closer investor scrutiny and competition from AI-native entrants. Those that pull ahead will build value beyond devices by re-engineering commercial models, turning data into a product, embedding artificial intelligence into operations, partnering to deliver connected care and actively reshaping portfolios. Small execution differences during this period are set to compound into durable advantages.
Recasting Commercial Excellence as the Engine of Adoption
Commercial execution sits at the centre of the growth agenda. Traditional go-to-market approaches that rely on static coverage models and episodic interactions risk missing where decisions are now made. The priority is to meet customers at the point of choice, whether that is in person, through digital channels or via integrated service workflows. Organisations are refocusing commercial spending on high-growth categories while sustaining mature franchises with leaner models that use centralised support and AI agents to extend reach. Precision matters: leaders continually track share of wallet, market share and the balance between new and existing customer contribution to direct resources with discipline.
Automation is a second lever. AI-native processes are being used to remove latency and manual effort from quoting, pricing, contracting and service. By compressing cycle times and improving responsiveness, teams free capacity for higher-value engagement and reduce friction across the buying journey. The goal is not technology for its own sake but a measurable uplift in adoption and retention, evidenced in the metrics that matter. As commercial organisations pivot, they align incentives and operating rhythms to reinforce behaviours that drive repeatable growth. In a market where margins and access are under pressure, this engine of adoption becomes a differentiator.
Treating Data as a Product and Rewiring for AI and Agility
Medtech generates vast volumes of information across devices, services and support interactions, yet much of it remains fragmented. Treating data as a product changes that dynamic. Productised data is discoverable, consumable and actively exchanged within the enterprise and with partners. This orientation ties information flows to outcomes such as faster regulatory approvals, predictive quality and better patient experiences. It also requires a cultural shift. Clear ownership models and aligned incentives encourage teams to curate, govern and use data as a growth asset rather than a passive by-product.
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Realising these gains depends on an operating model fit for intelligent work. Legacy structures and rigid processes slow delivery in a market that rewards speed and learning. Leaders are building intelligent enterprises that place AI alongside human expertise in day-to-day execution. Hybrid workforces combine human and AI agents, each performing tasks they do best within redesigned workflows. Centres of excellence turn innovation into an industrial process, where cross-functional teams co-design and iterate solutions in rapid sprints. Agility is not an abstract aspiration but a practical approach that shortens feedback loops from concept to market, improves quality and supports compliance through repeatable practices. The result is a system capable of scaling digital-first offerings while maintaining the rigour required in regulated markets.
Building Connected Ecosystems and Shaping Portfolios for Durable Growth
Growth is also shifting from stand-alone products to connected solutions. Devices are expected to enable real-time diagnostics and guide decision-making across settings, from hospital to home and on the move. Delivering that promise depends on ecosystems. Companies are making deliberate choices about where to compete and where to partner, including collaborations with retailers, payers and digital platforms to create integrated care pathways. These partnerships extend capability, open access to consumers and data and support outcomes-based propositions that align with the direction of care delivery.
Portfolio discipline underpins this transition. Durable, industry-leading top-line performance comes from continuous shaping aligned to priority growth vectors. Internally, organisations reallocate resources and fund ventures that advance strategic programmes. Externally, mergers and acquisitions accelerate access to capabilities that would take too long to build organically. Divestitures are used to sharpen focus and release capital for reinvestment. Evidence points to the value of this approach, with the top quartile of divesting companies achieving 10.4% shareholder returns. Across both organic and inorganic levers, the emphasis is the same: concentrate on businesses and capabilities that will thrive in a digital-first, connected model of care and exit those that will not.
Medtech faces a decisive period as care delivery shifts toward digital, consumer and data-powered models. The organisations most likely to be rewarded by investors will be those that execute with discipline across five foundations: modern commercial engines, data as a product, AI-enabled and agile operations, ecosystem partnerships and active portfolio management. With more than $1 trillion (€865.6 billion) in annual spend poised to move and a 12–24-month window for action, the stakes are significant. For executives, the path forward is to rewire how value is created beyond the product and to turn small execution advantages today into long-term competitiveness, resilience and growth.
Source: HIT Consultant
Image Credit: iStock
