2026 patient services insights and innovation survey

Benchmarking the priorities, performance, and innovation shaping patient services in 2026

How are pharmaceutical manufacturers balancing operational excellence, AI, and direct-to-patient innovation?

As organizations face increasing pressure to improve patient access, reduce time-to-therapy, and deliver measurable outcomes, leaders are reevaluating everything from Hub and specialty pharmacy performance to AI-enabled workflows and emerging direct-to-patient models.

To better understand where the industry is headed, Acumetis surveyed more than 150 pharmaceutical patient services leaders and Hub vendors across specialty, rare disease, oncology, gene therapy, immunology, orphan, and retail therapies.

The findings reveal where organizations are investing, where performance gaps remain, and what may define the next generation of patient services.

The industry remains focused on operational performance

Despite growing attention around AI and new access models, Hub and specialty pharmacy performance remains the industry’s leading priority.

Nearly 80% of respondents identified Hub and specialty pharmacy performance as a primary focus for 2026, significantly outpacing all other priorities. Improving patient enrollment and turnaround times followed closely behind, while organizations also reported growing interest in embedding AI within Hub and specialty pharmacy workflows to improve efficiency and patient support.

Time-to-therapy remains one of the greatest opportunities

Survey findings show that turnaround time reduction, competitive patient services, and case action efficiency are viewed as the leading opportunities for improvement in 2026. As organizations seek to improve speed-to-therapy, many are reevaluating the operational barriers that continue to delay patient access.

Benchmarking data reveals significant variation in time-to-fill across therapeutic areas, while referral journey analysis highlights common challenges including a 20% cancellation rate, missing enrollment information, incomplete patient consent, and delays across Hub and specialty pharmacy workflows.

The report explores where these inefficiencies occur across the patient journey, how they impact speed-to-therapy and adherence, and what leading organizations are doing to improve operational performance and patient outcomes.

AI is advancing, but adoption remains early

AI remains one of the most discussed topics in patient services, yet only 14% of organizations report having solutions in production today. With 86% still in the exploration phase, the industry is actively evaluating where AI can create measurable value across benefits verification, prior authorization automation, enrollment workflows, patient engagement, and predictive insights.

Direct-to-patient models continue to evolve

Direct-to-patient programs continue to gain momentum across the industry. Among organizations already investing in DTP, 50% reported fully operational and optimized programs, while an additional 25% are actively scaling and integrating capabilities into broader patient services strategies.

For organizations still evaluating adoption, budget and ROI considerations, internal alignment, and partner readiness remain key barriers. The report explores how organizations are approaching DTP today and where leaders see the greatest opportunity for future growth and patient impact.

Manufacturers and vendors are not investing in the same future

One of the most notable findings is the difference between manufacturer priorities and vendor investments. While manufacturers overwhelmingly identified Hub and specialty pharmacy performance as their top priority for 2026, vendors placed greater emphasis on AI-enabled workflows and direct-to-patient capabilities. The survey highlights where these priorities align, where expectations differ, and how those differences may influence future patient services partnerships, technology investments, and operating models.

Download the report to:

• Identify opportunities to improve Hub and specialty pharmacy partnerships
• Benchmark your patient services strategy against industry peers
• Align internal investment priorities across AI, direct-to-patient, and patient services innovation initiatives
• Understand where operational performance gaps continue to impact patient access
• Uncover the differentiators among service partners driving stronger outcomes
• Explore the trends shaping the future of patient services

Download the report

Access exclusive benchmarking data, industry priorities, vendor performance insights, AI adoption trends, direct-to-patient findings, and strategic recommendations from leaders across the patient services ecosystem.

Our patient access and support services team

Our team helps organizations reveal the real barriers to access, uncover the true drivers of decisions, and facilitate faster, smarter decisions. We bring practical experience and steady judgment to help navigate complexity and remove barriers, ensuring access needs, prescriber realities, and patient support are aligned from early strategy through delivery.

With experience across patient support optimization programs, product launches, and healthcare decision-makers, we create strategies and solutions that are innovative, practical, and built for real-world patient journeys, helping improve uptake, speed-to-therapy, adherence, and ultimately, patient outcomes.

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