Patient-Centered Care Drives Evolving Ambulatory Strategy

Health systems across the United States are rethinking ambulatory care, driven by patient demand for convenience, as well as workforce challenges and financial pressures. From outpatient centers to virtual platforms, care is moving closer to the community.

To better understand health systems’ shifting ambulatory care strategies, the Center for Connected Medicine (CCM) at UPMC worked with KLAS Research to survey health care leaders from midsize and large integrated health systems across the U.S.

Our new report — “Moving Outside the Hospital: Ambulatory Care Strategies at Leading Health Systems” — explains how health systems are organizing and evolving their ambulatory care strategies in today’s health care environment.

Most respondents stated that their ambulatory strategy is guided by leaders who have system-wide visibility and the authority to shape decisions across clinical programs. This shift to centralization indicates the growing role of ambulatory care in health systems’ overall strategies. Regardless of the approach, the goal is consistent: to ensure internal alignment around care access, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

Health systems are investing in care models that can scale, and most respondents are investing in high-growth or underserved markets. Common areas of focus are multispecialty clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and virtual care platforms. This shift beyond hospital walls not only benefits patients but also supports staffing and resource challenges.

A key theme of this research shows the importance of partnerships to help expand accessibility of health systems to provide more care options. These partnerships can take many forms from independent physician groups and technology companies to urgent care sites and specialty clinics, or third-party providers providing telehealth and behavioral health services.

For example, UPMC’s recently formed Community and Ambulatory Services division is expanding access across UPMC’s footprint through a strategic partnership with GoHealth Urgent Care. The partnership this year began operating more than 80 urgent care centers in Pennsylvania and West Virgina.

Shifting care to outpatient settings helps reduce strain on hospitals and inpatient facilities, marking a broader transformation in health systems’ care delivery. Ambulatory, virtual, and home-based care are no longer supplemental; they are core care-delivery channels that facilitate efficiency, access, and patient satisfaction.

Next Steps

• Dive into an expert conversation on ambulatory strategies from the 2025 Top of Mind Summit: Digital Health.