What is a Hospital Value Analysis Brief and How Does It Fit Into Procurement?
After a clinician shows interest in your product, the request usually moves to a supply chain or a value analysis team as a next step or part of a series of next steps. Their job is to vet new technologies before they reach a formal review committee. At this stage, they will almost always ask for a value analysis brief. Without it, your product might not even make the agenda.
A hospital value analysis brief is a short, evidence-based document that summarizes why a new product deserves consideration. Think of it as a one-page case for your technology — focused on clinical outcomes, financial impact, and operational fit. Unlike a glossy sales deck or a long clinical dossier, the brief is designed for quick review by busy committees.
A common mistake is sending a marketing brochure instead. Committees dismiss these quickly because they don’t answer the questions that matter for procurement decisions.
What Hospitals Look for in Value Analysis Briefs
Hospital Value Analysis Committees reviewing digital health products want clear, verifiable information. They need to understand whether your solution is safe, cost-effective, and workable in their environment. Here’s what stands out, and what gets dismissed:
- Quality and safety metrics. Can your platform reduce readmissions, prevent errors, or improve patient monitoring? A common mistake is skipping these metrics and relying only on testimonials. Committees want numbers, not stories.
- Engagement and adherence data. For digital tools, usage rates matter. Are patients logging in regularly? Are clinicians actually using the platform? Without this data, hospitals assume adoption will be low.
- Financial impact. Hospitals need to see the total cost of ownership: license fees, integration, training, and ongoing support. They also look for avoided costs, like fewer readmissions or reduced manual work. A mistake here is giving only a headline price without showing the broader budget impact.
- Workflow fit. Does the tool add steps or reduce them? Does it require staff training? Ignoring this is a red flag — committees assume extra burden unless you prove otherwise.
- IT and security compliance. Hospitals want proof of HIPAA, SOC 2, HITRUST, or other relevant certifications. They also check whether your solution integrates with their EHR and existing systems. Treating security as an afterthought can stall the deal for months.
How to Build a Strong Value Analysis Brief for Digital Health
A strong value analysis brief doesn’t need to be long, but it does need to be clear, structured, and evidence-based. The sweet spot is usually one page, with appendices only if the hospital asks for them. The aim is to answer the questions committees care about most, in their language, not yours.
Here’s a structure that works, and why each piece matters:
- Problem statement. Start with the hospital’s pain point in plain terms, not your product pitch. For example: “Heart failure readmissions remain above the national benchmark.” This shows committees you understand their challenges and frames your tool as a solution to their problem.
- Solution description. One sentence on what the product does. Skip buzzwords — committees want clarity, not slogans.
- Evidence snapshot. Include pilot outcomes, usage data, or benchmarks. Always compare against current workflows so reviewers can see the delta. A chart or table works better than text blocks. Without a comparator, committees can’t judge whether your product adds value.
- Financial model. Go beyond a price tag. Spell out license fees, integration, training, and ongoing support. Then balance that with avoided costs like fewer readmissions or reduced manual work. If relevant, add reimbursement codes such as RPM or telehealth billing. This helps finance teams see the full picture instead of dismissing your product as “expensive software.”
- Workflow before/after. Show how staff tasks or time change in practice. A simple diagram — “current vs. with product” — helps operations leaders spot benefits or trade-offs quickly.
- Security and compliance. Hospitals take this as seriously as clinical outcomes. List HIPAA, SOC 2, HITRUST, or other certifications, and outline EHR or IT integrations. For digital health, weak or vague answers here are deal-breakers.
- Implementation plan. Be practical about rollout: timeline, training, IT lift, and your support role. Committees want to know adoption won’t stall because of unrealistic expectations.
- The ask. End with a clear request — committee approval, pilot, or rollout. If you don’t state what you want, the process drags.
Keep the design professional but not flashy. The closer it feels to an internal hospital document, the more seriously reviewers will take it.
Working With Limited Data as a Startup
Most digital health startups don’t have years of peer-reviewed trials or multi-site studies to point to, and that’s okay. Hospitals don’t expect a new software platform to have the same evidence base as a mature medical device. What they do expect is transparency and proof that’s usable in their decision-making.
Here are ways to make your case without large studies:
- Pilot results. Even a small deployment can be powerful if it shows directionally positive outcomes. A 90-day pilot where no-show rates dropped 15% or patient log-ins doubled gives reviewers something concrete to hold onto. Frame pilots as “early evidence with promising signals” rather than over-selling them as definitive.
- Usage metrics. In digital health, adoption is half the battle. Show rates of log-ins, task completion, or time spent in the app. High engagement reassures committees that clinicians and patients won’t abandon the tool once it’s rolled out.
- Quality improvement data. Hospitals often value internal metrics as much as published papers. If your platform shortened discharge times, reduced manual errors, or freed up nurse hours, those results demonstrate operational value. Position them as aligned with the hospital’s own quality goals.
- Benchmarks. Compare your early outcomes to public datasets or published averages. If your pilot cut readmissions below the CMS benchmark, highlight that. It helps reviewers see your solution in a broader context.
- Roadmap for evidence. If larger studies are in progress, state that clearly. Outline timelines or partnerships. This shows you’re committed to building a stronger base and invites the hospital to become part of that journey.
Hospitals respect startups that are clear about where they are in the journey and invite committees to be part of testing and validation.
The Value Analysis Brief Is Your First Contract
Even if clinicians love your product, committees won’t advance it without a clear, evidence-based value analysis. For digital health startups, this document often contributes to whether your solution gets a chance or gets sidelined.
If your team is seeing early interest that keeps stalling downstream, it may not be the product that’s holding things up. It may be how the value is being packaged.
At Accretive Edge, we help digital health founders turn strong clinical ideas into business cases that actually move through procurement. Let’s talk.
