Spend Management Outlook projects overall healthcare supply chain inflation of 2.78%

Vizient^® today released its Winter 2026 Spend Management Outlook, projecting a 2.78% overall increase in healthcare supply chain prices between July 2026 and June 2027. The report finds that, for the first time in more than a decade, pharmacy is no longer the fastest-growing non-labor expense: IT and facilities-related costs now lead projected inflation, signaling a shift in how hospitals must approach budget planning.

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The Vizient Winter 2026 Spend Management Outlook.

Beyond aggregate inflation, the report highlights several emerging cost drivers reshaping utilization, capital planning and care delivery, including the expansion of theranostics and the downstream effects of GLP-1 weight loss medications on surgical volumes.

“This is not a uniform inflation environment,” said Carina Dolan, associate vice president, clinical oncology, pharmacoeconomics and market insights, Vizient. “Some cost pressures are moderating, while others are accelerating or shifting location. The challenge for health system leaders is managing that divergence and reallocating resources accordingly.”

Pharmacy growth moderates

Pharmacy price growth is projected at 2.84%, down from 3.35% just six months ago. The moderation reflects increased biosimilar adoption and initial impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. Based on Vizient purchasing data, this reduction represents substantial avoided growth in drug spend across participating health systems over a single year.

IT, facilities management and food accelerate

As pharmacy growth moderates, indirect spend categories and purchased services have emerged as the fastest-rising non-labor cost category. IT hardware and software show the steepest projected increase at 5.66%, with continued inflation across IT services (4.5%), facilities management (4.13%), construction (3.7%), food (3.63%) and medical gases (5%). These categories are increasingly central to digital transformation, cybersecurity, infrastructure resilience and regulatory compliance, limiting organizations’ ability to defer or downsize.

Theranostics accelerates as a growth and capital priority in oncology

Health systems are rapidly expanding theranostic capabilities that combine diagnostic imaging and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy, allowing clinicians to visualize and treat disease through the same biological mechanism. Radiopharmaceutical utilization increased 24% between 2023 and 2024, with an additional 15% growth projected at end of year 2025. Capital investment in positron emission tomography/computed tomography and single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography system purchases rose 42% from 2023 to 2024, with an additional 24% increase expected through 2025 as organizations expand capacity to meet rising demand.

GLP-1s, pulsed field ablation reshape utilization and site-of-care strategy

Widespread adoption of GLP-1 therapies has reduced bariatric surgery volumes by roughly 20% since 2022 and may further dampen long-term demand for procedures such as hernia repair, orthopedics and certain cardiac interventions, while potentially increasing demand for cosmetic and reconstructive services. Another new technology, pulsed field ablation, is moving from early adoption to routine use, with shorter procedure times and lower complication rates enabling higher case volumes for organizations with sufficient perioperative capacity.

“Overall inflation rates provide an important benchmark,” Dolan said. “Long-term success and effective planning depends on understanding how cost pressures, utilization and care delivery patterns are evolving.”

The Winter 2026 Spend Management Outlook is produced for Vizient clients and is designed to support executive decision-making across finance, supply chain, pharmacy and operations.

About Vizient, Inc.

Vizient, Inc., the nation’s largest provider-driven healthcare performance improvement company, provides solutions and services to more than two-thirds of the nation’s acute care providers and more than one-third of ambulatory providers. Vizient offers proprietary data and analytics to deliver unique clinical and operational insights and a contract portfolio representing $156 billion in annual purchasing volume enabling the delivery of cost-effective care. With its acquisition of Kaufman Hall in 2024, Vizient expanded its advisory services to help providers achieve financial, clinical and operational excellence. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Vizient has offices throughout the United States. Learn more at www.vizientinc.com.

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