2026 Benchmark Report Highlights Challenges in Healthcare CX ROI Measurement

A recent benchmark study titled "Unlocking Value: The 2026 Benchmark for High-Impact Healthcare," released by League and Healthcare Dive, uncovers the significant hurdles that healthcare plans are facing in quantifying the return on investment (ROI) for their customer experience (CX) strategies. With technology becoming increasingly central to healthcare delivery, this report emphasizes the widening gap between substantial investments in digital solutions and the tangible benefits realized from these initiatives.

Growing Investments, Limited Impact

According to the survey, which included responses from 100 healthcare leaders primarily from large U.S.-based payer organizations, while there's a clear recognition that improving CX is critical, health plans struggle to translate their digital and AI investments into meaningful outcomes. A mere 27% of surveyed executives could directly link their investment in digital tools, personalization features, and AI technologies to improvements in customer experiences. This stark reality highlights the challenge of not just implementing these technologies, but ensuring they deliver the anticipated impact.

Barriers to Advancement

The report identifies several legacy issues hindering progress for health plans. A staggering 58% of respondents cited outdated infrastructure, while 50% pointed to data integration challenges as significant roadblocks. Such constraints often leave health plans caught in a cycle of pilot projects—these initiatives may show promise but fail to scale effectively across organizations. This limits their capacity to innovate and transform customer engagement methodologies.

Potential of Agentic AI

Despite the slow pace of change, there is hope on the horizon. The report highlights the promise of agentic AI, which is increasingly integrated into industry discussions. However, the effective impact of these AI solutions is yet to be fully realized. 73% of respondents reported still being in the pilot phase for agentic AI technologies. To harness their full potential, organizations must shift their focus from isolated pilots to broad-scale corporate strategies that synchronize data utilization, automate workflows, and generate measurable value throughout the enterprise.

Sarah Hacker, VP of Solution Value Engineering at League, stresses the complexity of measuring member experience. She notes that the most successful health plans have initiatives aligned with four key pillars: revenue growth, operational efficiencies, health outcome improvements, and savings on medical costs. By anchoring digital and AI investments around essential member journeys—such as care navigation, benefits navigation, health coaching, and addressing care gaps—health plans can better define their impact and foster an innovative cycle almost autonomously.

The Path Forward

As the healthcare sector moves towards 2026, a strategic pivot is necessary. Greg Gilbert, Managing Director at Accenture, underscores that organizations must focus on maximizing enterprise-wide value through interconnected digital and AI strategies. The approaches that champion the utilization of agentic AI could lead to breaking through data silos, enhancing continual engagement, and materially improving satisfaction and closing care gaps.

The report's findings stress that as health plans modernize their digital infrastructure, redefining success in CX and leveraging agentic AI will be crucial to bridging the gap between innovation and measurable outcomes.

The full 2026 benchmark report is now accessible for download on League’s official website, providing insights on aligning digital and AI strategies to create enterprise-level impact and cultivating smarter, continuous engagement amongst members.

About League

Founded in 2014, League has established itself as a leader in healthcare consumer experience. Utilizing AI technology, League offers personalized healthcare solutions to over 63 million individuals worldwide. Their platform, which has facilitated substantial care and engagement transformations, has drawn over $285 million in venture capital, collaborating with reputable healthcare brands like CareSource, HCSC, SCAN, and Highmark Health.