Payers Prefer Vendor-Built AI Solutions, Survey Finds

Nearly 80% of health insurers now favor implementing vendor-built artificial intelligence (AI) tools over developing internal capabilities, according to a new survey by Innovaccer. The healthcare technology and AI company polled 63 leaders from regional health plans to national carriers in mid-December 2025 through mid-January 2026, including senior and C-suite executives.

Abhinav Shashank, CEO and co-founder of Innovaccer, told Fierce Healthcare that this shift reflects a growing focus on how to "truly operationalize AI." He emphasized the importance of platforms that enable more agentic orchestration, noting that technology will significantly enhance payer operations.

Current Usage and Planned Investments

The survey revealed that 78% of respondents are already using AI solutions to improve care, with three-quarters actively pursuing or experimenting with AI in care innovation. These findings underscore a growing reliance on external vendors for advanced technological capabilities.

Planned investments further highlight this trend. Seventy-five percent of respondents reported plans to spend an average of $10 million on AI over the next three to five years. Notably, one-third of these organizations plan to invest at least $20 million in AI initiatives. This substantial financial commitment indicates a strategic focus on leveraging AI to drive operational efficiency and enhance patient care.

However, despite the enthusiasm and planned investments, 86% of respondents admitted they are not fully ready to operationalize AI at scale. Shashank highlighted that the most critical aspect of achieving this readiness is establishing robust "context and data infrastructure" behind AI solutions.

The Bottom Line

The survey underscores a significant preference among health insurers for vendor-built AI tools, driven by the need to operationalize AI effectively and efficiently. While current usage and planned investments are promising, challenges such as interoperability and inadequate data architecture remain significant barriers. Addressing these issues will be crucial for payers to fully realize the potential of AI in enhancing their operations and patient care.

For investors and industry stakeholders, this trend highlights the growing importance of healthcare technology vendors that can provide scalable, integrated AI solutions. Companies like Innovaccer are well-positioned to meet this demand, but they must also address the infrastructure challenges faced by payers to ensure successful implementation and adoption.