Deloitte’s latest healthcare CFO survey reveals a clear shift in thinking: margin improvement must go beyond cost-cutting. Leading organizations are now embracing a comprehensive approach—balancing strategic growth, revenue enhancement, cost reduction, and smart capital deployment—to deliver profitability and resilience.
This is a conversation I have regularly with clients and partners in healthcare and healthtech – and it’s something we help them prioritize in sales and marketing specifically. But controlling costs needs to go beyond just cutting costs – we must be more strategic with how we spend and what projects we prioritize. Below, I’ll outline the key considerations I encourage our network to take into account with every decision on spend – for people, technology, and beyond.
1. ROI Must Drive Every Investment
Every hiring or technology decision should answer the same core question: “What’s the ROI?” Whether it’s people or tools, if you can’t clearly articulate how it boosts profitability, productivity, or efficiency, it doesn’t deserve priority. Deloitte notes that CFOs are allocating near-equal importance across margin-improvement levers—but investments hold greatest weight when they deliver measurable value.
2. Technology with Purpose
Deloitte notes that targeted investments in data modernization, interoperability tools, CRM systems, and AI—when tied directly to strategic objectives—can meaningfully shift margins. But in today’s environment, the most forward-thinking health systems and payers are looking beyond margin alone.
Right now, technology decisions are being driven by three urgent imperatives:
- Modernizing outdated systems to close operational gaps and eliminate inefficiencies.
- Meeting new compliance regulations—an absolute priority to avoid costly penalties and maintain trust.
- Improving the provider and patient experience to strengthen engagement, outcomes, and retention.
While compliance-related investments must come first, every other technology choice should be measured not only by its financial return, but also by its ability to elevate efficiency, enhance collaboration, and create a better experience for all stakeholders. The most impactful tools are those that deliver both operational and experiential value—reducing the time and effort required for internal teams, streamlining clinical workflows for nurses and physicians, and making the healthcare journey smoother for patients.
3. Fractional Talent: High-Impact, Low-Commitment
Here’s where the fractional workforce concept is especially powerful. Deloitte reports that outsourcing non-core functions can yield cost savings up to 28%, yet many organizations undervalue it—only a fraction are prioritizing such strategies.
- Fractional CFO models are rising in popularity due to their flexibility, reduced cost, and strategic input.
- A growing industry body affirms that hiring for outcomes—not hours—is the new norm. Fractional roles—from finance to staffing to marketing—deliver executive-level impact without the fixed cost of full-time employment.
- Many health organizations now expect efficiency gains by outsourcing financial roles—over 50% of healthcare CFOs anticipate major improvements from fractional models.
4. Align Fractional Talent with Strategic Levers
Connect fractional hires to those high-impact levers Deloitte identifies:
| Lever | Fractional Talent Fit |
|---|---|
| Strategic Growth | Fractional marketing, business development, partnership strategists |
| Revenue Growth | Fractional sales development, CX/digital engagement analysts |
| Cost Reduction | Fractional CFOs, operations specialists |
| Capital Deployment | Fractional IT or data modernization consultants |
Each role is conditioned on clear ROI—whether it be accelerating billing cycles, optimizing service mix, or unlocking digital efficiencies.
Why This Framework Works
- ROI-First: Resources go where value is verifiable—no more speculation.
- Agile and Cost-Effective: Fractional experts scale as needed, prevent overhiring, and minimize downtime.
- Strategic Synergy: Every fractional engagement is directly tied to key margin levers, cementing its purpose.
- Mitigates Risk: Project-based roles reduce long-term commitments and allow fast failure or adjustment when priorities shift.
Final Takeaway
Forward-looking healthcare and health-tech organizations should insist on ROI transparency in every people or tech initiative. By blending a strong internal team with fractional specialists, organizations can advance profitability, fuel innovation, and stay agile—without sacrificing quality or overcommitting resources.
