Sg2 Blog

Editor’s note: Answers have been edited for clarity. Sg2 was formed in 2001, and, today, our cutting-edge expertise, analytics and tailored consulting offerings help health industry leaders anticipate health care trends and provide them with unparalleled insight into local market dynamics. We are just one of the companies that founder Michael Sachs started—and grew—with his visio...

Each year at Sg2 we debut the latest health care projections from our 10-year Impact of Change® (IoC) national demand forecast. After a year of sharp declines in volume and pronounced shifts in site of care, 2021 recovery to pre-pandemic utilization takes hold, with some key exceptions. Inpatient admissions, which declined approximately 10% nationally in 2020, are projected to largely recover ...

It is with great sorrow that we share the passing of Sg2 former imaging expert and beloved friend and mentor Henry Soch on November 16, 2023. He was a leader of Sg2’s clinical technology research, analyzing the impact of medical technologies on care delivery and collaborating with organizations to develop operational strategies. “I am among the many at Sg2 (and in health care in...

Nearly 16 years ago, I made the fortuitous choice to join a small but mighty team of health care change agents at a company called Sg2. In a conference room in Skokie, IL, Sg2’s founder, the late Michael Sachs, addressed a team of about 20 new hires (representing about 20 percent of the rapidly growing company) with what I came to understand was his everyday passion: health care and our need...

Health systems and organizations face numerous evolving challenges when it comes to achieving strategic growth — be it due to changing competitive landscapes, workforce constraints, or access and capacity challenges, among many others. And while the terrain has become tumultuous, there is an essential constant that exists with great potential for differentiation and growth for any healthcare...

Each year, Sg2 experts examine trends that will change health care utilization across the care continuum, which results in our Impact of Change® (IoC) Demand Forecast. Our health system members leverage the IoC forecast to revise their strategic plans, prioritize investments and redesign their health care systems. Predicting the future in this time of uncertainty is far from easy, but the Sg2 ...

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a myriad of operational and strategic priorities for integrated delivery networks (IDNs) and brought to their attention the importance of an agile, rapid-cycle strategic planning process. In today’s health care climate, it has become clear that partnerships are not only beneficial, they are necessary, and this realization creates a unique window of opportunity fo...

As part of Sg2’s value-based care (VBC) analysis and market research, we review the quarterly earnings calls from a subset of publicly traded legacy payers and VBC-focused entrants. The summary is designed to highlight emerging trends and dynamics in these closely related industries, especially as they tie to VBC. The following post draws from recently released earnings call transcripts fro...

At the end of 2021, we celebrated Sg2’s 20-year anniversary with heartfelt reflections from friends and colleagues past and present. This year Sg2 celebrates another milestone: five years as part of Vizient, the largest member-owned health care company. Sg2 members have heard us speak often about our System of CARE (Clinical Alignment and Resource Effectiveness) concept, which is our ...

Editor’s Note: Jenna Stern, Vizient, AVP, Regulatory Affairs & Public Policy, also contributed to this post. In the absence of congressional intervention, a significant financial incentive for physicians to participate in value-based payment models will disappear at the end of 2022. To provide greater stability to providers reimbursed by Medicare, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthori...