Why US & European Healthcare Leaders Are Re-Validating Market Data Before 2026 Expansion
By Eminent Global Research Solutions
As healthcare companies plan their 2026 growth strategies, one trend is becoming unmistakably clear across the US and Europe:
leaders are no longer trusting legacy market data.
Market assumptions that worked even 2–3 years ago are now being actively questioned—sometimes halted—before capital is committed. From pharma and medical devices to digital health and diagnostics, organizations are re-validating demand, pricing, and adoption realities before expanding.
What’s driving this shift?
1. Post-Pandemic Demand Has Stabilized — But Not Uniformly
During and immediately after COVID-19, healthcare markets experienced:
Artificial demand spikes
Emergency-driven procurement
Accelerated digital adoption
By 2024–2025, many of these effects have normalized—but not consistently across regions.
In the US, private healthcare systems are reassessing ROI-driven purchases.
In Europe, public healthcare systems are tightening budgets and delaying adoption.
➡ Old demand forecasts now overestimate real opportunity, especially when copied across geographies.
What leaders are doing:
Re-checking actual purchase intent through fresh primary research instead of relying on historical growth curves.
2. Regulatory and Reimbursement Uncertainty Is Reshaping Forecasts
The FDA and EMA are diverging further in:
Approval timelines
Post-market evidence requirements
Real-world data expectations
At the same time:
European payers are increasing price negotiations
US payers are pushing value-based reimbursement models
This has a direct impact on:
Speed to revenue
Market access assumptions
Long-term profitability
➡ A market may look attractive on paper but be commercially delayed by 12–24 months.
What leaders are doing:
Validating market sizing after regulatory and reimbursement realities—not before.
3. Buyer Behavior Has Fundamentally Changed
Healthcare decision-making is no longer driven by innovation alone.
Across the US & Europe, buyers are asking:
Does this integrate with existing systems?
What evidence proves outcomes?
Who pays—and who benefits?
Key shifts:
CIOs and procurement teams now carry more influence
Physicians have less autonomy in adoption decisions
Digital fatigue is slowing new solution uptake
➡ Awareness no longer equals adoption.
What leaders are doing:
Conducting voice-of-customer research with:
Physicians
Hospital administrators
Payers and procurement heads
to understand real buying triggers and barriers.
4. Geographic Assumptions Are Proving Costly
A common mistake healthcare companies make is treating:
“The US” as one market
“Europe” as a unified block
In reality:
US adoption varies widely by state, payer mix, and hospital network
Europe differs dramatically between EU5, Nordics, and Eastern Europe
➡ Expansion plans based on aggregated data often fail at execution.
What leaders are doing:
Breaking markets into micro-geographies and validating:
Local demand
Channel readiness
Competitive intensity
5. Investor and Board Scrutiny Is Higher Than Ever
Healthcare investments are now facing:
Slower funding cycles
Higher evidence thresholds
Stronger pressure on profitability
Boards and investors increasingly ask:
“When was this data last validated?”
Outdated assumptions are now seen as risk, not speed.
What leaders are doing:
Commissioning independent, primary-led market validation before:
Market entry
M&A decisions
New product launches
Capacity expansion
How Eminent Global Research Solutions Supports This Shift
At Eminent Global Research Solutions, we work with healthcare companies across the US and Europe to replace assumption-based planning with decision-grade intelligence.
Our support includes:
Primary research with physicians, KOLs, payers, and hospital decision-makers
Market re-sizing based on current regulatory and reimbursement realities
Go-to-market feasibility studies by country and sub-region
Pricing and adoption validation before launch
Commercial due diligence for healthcare M&A and partnerships
We don’t sell reports—we deliver answers leaders can act on.
Final Thought
The healthcare companies that will win in 2026 are not the fastest movers—they are the most informed decision-makers.
Re-validating market data is no longer a delay tactic.
It is a strategic advantage.
Eminent Global Research Solutions helps healthcare leaders in the US and Europe move forward with confidence—backed by real market truth, not outdated assumptions.