A survey finds a wide gap in technology maturity, with leading hospitals far more likely to adopt workflow automation and integrate systems, devices, and software.
Baxter International Inc has released its 2026 Connected Hospital Report, an inaugural analysis examining how US hospitals are leveraging technology investments to improve clinical and operational outcomes—and where many are falling short.
Based on a survey of 150 information technology (IT) and nursing leaders, the report examines how hospitals are progressing along a “connected hospital” journey by identifying four distinct levels of technology maturity (early, developing, advancing, and leading). This framework is designed to help hospitals benchmark progress, prioritize initiatives that reflect their current needs and opportunities, and identify practical focus areas to strengthen long-term impact.
“Hospitals continue to invest in technology, yet many are still working to achieve measurable outcomes,” says Rob Kraal, vice president, of connected care at Baxter, in a release. “This report provides an actionable framework to help hospital leaders understand where they are today and focus on initiatives that can translate connected technologies into meaningful impact.”
Investment Outpacing Impact
While 89% of hospitals say technology investments are essential to future growth, only 53% believe they are maximizing the impact of those investments, according to the report.
Across all maturity levels, hospitals are concentrating their technology spending on three priorities: operational efficiency, workflow automation, and data integration, as organizations work to strengthen operations and improve clinical outcomes.
Automation Separates Leaders from Laggards
Workflow automation emerged as a defining marker of technological maturity in the report. Adoption climbs from 18% among early-stage hospitals to 72% at leading organizations, highlighting a widening operational gap between hospitals at different points on the connected care journey.
However, barriers to deployment persist regardless of maturity level. Security risks and workforce adoption challenges rank among the top obstacles to successfully deploying new technologies across all four stages of the framework.
As healthcare organizations expand their use of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, the report emphasizes the importance of a connected infrastructure to support those capabilities. Ninety-five percent of respondents agree that future innovation will require stronger integration among core IT systems, medical devices, and software applications.
