The data: 85% of health system and health insurer technology executives say they plan to boost investment in agentic AI over the next two to three years, with 61% already building or implementing initiatives.

How providers and insurers are using agentic AI: Respondents report their organizations are deploying the technology for strategic priorities rather than back-office functions.

Agentic AI is being used to:

• Drive better engagement with consumers/patients. As one example, the report highlights Humana’s rollout of an agentic AI tool that helps staff respond to member inquiries faster and more accurately by summarizing calls and anticipating needs, such as identifying members who require assistance with coverage and benefit explanations.
• Build a more predictive, actionable patient health record. For instance, Stanford Health Care is piloting agentic AI to analyze electronic health records (EHRs) and surface relevant evidence to inform a physician’s treatment decision—rather than requiring the doctor to initiate an EHR search for information.
• Redesign workforce operations. Agentic AI is helping Sentara Health automate nursing workflows like clinical documentation, saving thousands of nursing hours across its facilities in just months, per the report.

Why it matters: Scaling generative and agentic AI across their organizations is a top strategic priority this year for health system and health plan leaders—second only to managing regulatory and policy changes, per a December 2025 Deloitte survey.

Executives expect agentic AI rollouts to drive significant efficiency gains and cost savings: Nearly all (98%) anticipate at least 10% savings within 2 to 3 years, and 37% project savings exceeding 20% over that period, per Deloitte.

Implications for healthcare organizations: AI investments—and returns—will vary across health systems and insurers, with larger enterprises better positioned to deploy and scale AI more aggressively than smaller players. But as agentic AI tools expand into strategic, proactive decision-making, companies must clearly define high-value use cases, rigorously vet a growing field of vendors, and implement strong governance frameworks.

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