TL;DR
- For startups at HLTH USA 2025, Health Systems (Healthcare Providers) have become the most active partners, accounting for 30% of all partnerships, surpassing Tech and Insurance (each 12%).
- Partnership activity has risen steadily over the past 3 years, from 726 (2022) → 833 (2023) → 852 (2024), showing a vibrant, growing ecosystem despite tighter funding markets.
- Health Management Systems leads all digital health clusters in the number of partnerships with startups at HLTH USA 2025 — signalling the growing strategic focus on operational innovation and AI-driven efficiency in hospitals.
- Health Systems are evolving from technology adopters to co-creators, shaping solutions that address real-world pain points in care delivery and administration.
- The partnership model is shifting from pilots to scalable platforms, emphasizing ROI, integration, and measurable outcomes.
- HLTH USA 2025 is the prime opportunity to forge these high-impact collaborations between startups and Health Systems, driving the next wave of digital transformation.
➡️ Filter the 1,100+ attending startups by momentum, cluster, and evidence — only on HealthTech Alpha.
A Decade of Growth: From Novelty to Necessity
Over the past decade, digital health has evolved from a niche innovation field into one of the most dynamic segments of healthcare transformation. Venture capital has fueled bold ideas, technology giants have entered the arena, and startups have introduced everything from AI-powered diagnostics to predictive population health tools.
Yet one of the most defining — and underappreciated — shifts in the U.S. digital health landscape has been the rise of Health Systems as the most active partners in this innovation ecosystem. Once seen primarily as the end users of digital health technologies, hospitals and integrated delivery networks have become co-creators and strategic investors in digital transformation.
And this year, as the industry gathers for HLTH USA 2025, the data points to one clear message: Health Systems are leading the digital health partnership revolution — and this moment presents an unparalleled opportunity to connect, collaborate, and co-create the next chapter in healthcare.
For the startups attending HLTH USA 2025, partnership data over the last three years paints a vivid picture of acceleration. According to the HealthTech Alpha dataset, the number of digital health partnerships has grown steadily year after year, reflecting not just innovation for its own sake, but a deepening alignment between healthcare pain points and digital solutions.
Between 2022 and 2024 alone, the volume of partnerships increased by more than 17%. That growth is particularly striking when seen in the context of a capital-constrained market — showing that for this group of startups, collaboration, not just funding, has become the currency of progress.
Startups attending HLTH USA next week are entering an ecosystem that’s more mature, more connected, and more strategically driven than ever before. The partnerships being forged today are less about pilot programs and more about scalable transformation — integrating digital health solutions into the core fabric of care delivery.
Health Systems: The Power Partners at HLTH USA 2025
Among all categories of partners — including tech, insurance, pharma, and academia — Health Systems account for 30% of all partnerships, far surpassing Tech (12%) and Insurance (12%).
That’s not a coincidence. It reflects a structural change in how innovation happens in healthcare.
Hospitals and integrated health networks are facing mounting pressures: workforce shortages, operational inefficiencies, declining reimbursements, and growing expectations for consumer-grade digital experiences. To meet these challenges, they’re not just adopting technology — they’re actively partnering with innovators to build it.
These partnerships span a range of focus areas:
- Operational optimization (AI-driven capacity management, predictive staffing models). Connect with Aidoc, recognized for its solutions that drive operational optimization.
- Care coordination and patient engagement (virtual care platforms and connected health tools). Learn more about Buddy Healthcare and connect with them at HLTH in Las Vegas.
- Clinical decision support (AI in diagnostics, triage, and risk stratification). PreciseDX is a cancer risk stratification company attending HLTH USA this year.
- Revenue cycle and administrative efficiency (automation and interoperability). Connect with Headway, focused on streamlining reimbursement processes in healthcare.
By leading 30% of partnerships, Health Systems have moved beyond being customers — they are now the architects of digital transformation.
The Top 10 Most Active Companies Partnering with Startups at HLTH USA 2025
📈 See how these partnerships are evolving with real-time updates — visit HealthTech Alpha.
| Rank | Partner | Partnerships with startups attending HLTH USA 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Humana | 28 |
| 2 | Mayo Clinic | 27 |
| 3 | Cigna | 23 |
| 4 | Amazon Web Services | 19 |
| 5 | Microsoft | 19 |
| 6 | Pfizer | 18 |
| 7 | Eli Lilly and Co. | 18 |
| 8 | Teladoc | 17 |
| 9 | Amazon | 17 |
| 10 | Aetna | 17 |
The leader — Humana — exemplifies how providers are not just deploying technology, but partnering at scale to modernize operations, improve patient outcomes, and drive financial resilience. Its activity underscores a broader truth: the front lines of healthcare innovation rely on ecosystem collaboration.
These shifts align with policy incentives from CMS and the wider move toward value-based care, where Health Systems are under increasing pressure to deliver measurable outcomes tied to reimbursement.
Why Health Systems Are Winning at Partnerships in the USA
What explains the rise of Health Systems as digital health’s most active collaborators? Three fundamental shifts stand out:
1. From Pilots to Platforms
A few years ago, digital health partnerships often started with narrow pilots — single-department tests of a solution’s potential. Those were necessary first steps, but they rarely scaled. Today, Health Systems are taking a platform approach, integrating digital capabilities across service lines, care settings, and geographies.
2. From Vendor Relationships to Co-Creation
Co-development partnerships are replacing traditional procurement models. Health Systems are working hand-in-hand with startups to design and refine tools that address real operational pain points — gaining access to real-world data and validation, while shaping technology to fit workflows and priorities.
3. From Innovation Theatre to Measurable Outcomes
The new era of digital health prioritizes impact over optics. Partnerships are judged on measurable outcomes: throughput, burnout reduction, readmissions, and patient satisfaction. Innovation is now an operational imperative — backed by data, not hype.
The AI Imperative: Transforming Hospital Operations
If there’s one technology reshaping the partnership landscape, it’s artificial intelligence in healthcare.
For Health Systems, AI offers transformative potential — not as a futuristic promise, but as a pragmatic tool for immediate impact. The most active areas of AI collaboration include:
- Workforce Optimization — Predict staffing needs, optimize shift scheduling, and anticipate surges.
- Predictive Operations — Anticipate bottlenecks in patient flow, OR utilization, and bed capacity.
- Financial and Administrative Automation — Reduce billing and claims burden, freeing clinicians for care.
- Clinical Decision Support — Augment clinicians with AI-driven diagnostics and triage.
- Patient Experience and Engagement — Personalize communication and improve adherence through chatbots and assistants.
These innovations are not theoretical — they’re measurable collaborations reshaping how Health Systems deliver, manage, and fund care.
📊 View the full Health Management Cluster on HealthTech Alpha to identify high-momentum partners.
The Top 10 Series A Startups at HLTH USA 2025 in Health Management Solutions
| Rank | Startup | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TransformativeMed | Enhances clinical workflows to improve adherence and efficiency. |
| 2 | Fabric | Automates hospital workflows to boost capacity and reduce admin burden. |
| 3 | Upheal | Supports mental health care through prevention and treatment tools. |
| 4 | xCures | Uses real-time data to improve adherence and cancer care. |
| 5 | Gozio Health | Mobile platforms that improve patient navigation and engagement. |
| 6 | Kno2 | Enables interoperability through seamless healthcare communication. |
| 7 | Azra AI | Accelerates cancer diagnosis by automating radiology and pathology workflows. |
| 8 | Intus Care | Analyzes senior care data to improve outcomes and reduce hospitalizations. |
| 9 | FeelBetter | Optimizes medication management for older adults via predictive analytics. |
| 10 | HealthEx | Builds infrastructure for digital health delivery and operational efficiency. |
The Signal Behind the Data: Health Management Systems’ Leadership
That Health Management Systems tops the partnership chart for startups at HLTH USA 2025 is significant — it reflects a broader transformation where operational excellence is now seen as strategic, not secondary.
Hospitals are investing in:
- Data integration to unify clinical and administrative systems
- Workflow automation to reduce costs and delays
- Analytics-driven decision-making to allocate resources intelligently
The takeaway: digital health innovation is now deeply embedded in the operational DNA of healthcare delivery.
HLTH USA 2025: The Convergence Point for Partnerships That Shape the Future of Digital Health
All of these trends converge next week at HLTH USA 2025, where thousands of founders, executives, and investors will gather to chart the next phase of healthcare transformation.
This event isn’t just a showcase of technologies — it’s a marketplace of partnerships. Startups are showcasing innovation across:
- AI and automation
- Telemedicine and hybrid care models
- Population health and value-based care
- Data interoperability and security
- Mental health and chronic disease management
Across the table, Health Systems, Payors, Tech, and Pharma leaders are eager to collaborate — driven by strategic priorities and measurable outcomes.
For attendees, this represents an unprecedented opportunity to forge collaborations that reshape care delivery, enhance patient outcomes, and ensure financial sustainability.
Learn More and Connect Ahead of HLTH USA 2025
To explore the startups shaping the future of healthcare — and to identify partnership opportunities ahead of HLTH USA 2025 — visit HealthTech Alpha.
For event details, visit HLTH.com.
As conversations ignite in Las Vegas, remember: every transformative healthcare innovation begins with the right partnership.
Let’s make those connections count.
