The United States is a global leader in medical, biotech, and digital innovation, creating new advancements that impact health care around the world. But most conventional ways of measuring this progress fail to capture how much the U.S. shapes global health or how these new ideas are implemented at home.

To fully understand how well a country’s health system is performing, innovation must be seen as not just new products, but as an ongoing capability that shapes future health outcomes. That’s a central insight from a new analysis by Economist Impact, supported by The Cigna Group.
The paper titled, “From discovery to delivery: Examining U.S. health innovation and performance in a global context,” introduces the Health Systems Innovation-Integration Matrix, a first-of-its-kind framework for evaluating how different countries develop and put new health innovation into practice – and what that means for overall health system performance.

For decades, comparisons of national health systems have centered on static measures, such as activity levels, capacity, and clinical outcomes related to morbidity and mortality. While these indicators are important, they offer only a partial view. They do not fully capture how health systems evolve, respond to emerging challenges, or how these dynamics shape the patient experience.

A new lens on U.S. innovation

The study from Economist Impact highlights that the U.S. remains a global leader in medical and scientific innovation, ranking first in scientific advancement and launching 3,408 clinical trials in 2024 – more than the combined total of Germany, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland – while investing 3.5% of its GDP in research and development. But it also makes clear that many Americans don’t feel the full benefit of those advances due to challenges such as limited access, fragmented data systems, and misaligned incentives.

“American research and development continue to set the global pace,” said Amanda Stucke, a principal at Economist Impact. “But realizing the full value of this innovation requires stronger pathways to adoption – particularly for patients, employers, and communities who stand to benefit most.”

The analysis shows that countries that produce significant medical innovation see the greatest improvements when they also make it easy to put those innovations into action. That means having data systems that work together, payment models that support better outcomes, and structures that enable widespread adoption.

A first-of-its-kind model for comparing health systems

To move beyond traditional measurement systems, Economist Impact developed a new archetype model that categorizes countries based on how well they generate and put health innovations into practice. These four archetypes – Trailblazers, Value Seekers, Opportunity Knocking, and Momentum Needed – offer a simple way to understand strengths and constraints, and identify where additional investment could make the biggest difference.

The U.S. emerges as an innovation-rich system with significant potential to create even more value at home and around the world by improving how new ideas get implemented. Strengthening these connections, the report suggests, can lead to better health outcomes, improve equity, and reinforce the U.S.’s position as a global leader in health system performance.

The employer advantage: A unique U.S. opportunity

A key takeaway for the U.S. is the powerful role employers play across health care access, coverage, and innovation adoption. Unlike many countries, the U.S. has a deeply established employer-based system – one that is both motivated and positioned to accelerate the distribution of new technologies and care models.

Employers can serve as critical connectors between breakthrough science and real-world implementation, helping ensure innovations reach people where they live and work.

Advancing the global dialogue on health innovation

This research provides a clear, balanced view of the U.S. health system – one that accounts for the country’s global scientific influence while identifying opportunities to strengthen domestic impact. The findings equip leaders across sectors with evidence-based insights to support better decision-making, smarter investment, and more equitable health outcomes.