Health Systems Cut Millions in IT Costs by Streamlining Applications

Hospitals and health systems are consolidating their IT portfolios to save money and improve user experience.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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Health systems across the country are saving millions of dollars by reducing the number of IT applications they use, with some organizations cutting over 30 applications in the past two years. Executives say the consolidation efforts have led to faster onboarding, fewer support tickets, and a more consistent experience for caregivers. While some health systems are just getting started on application rationalization, others like Emplify Health, Providence, and UVA Health have already seen significant cost savings and other benefits.

Why it matters

As healthcare organizations continue their digital transformation, many have accumulated numerous point solutions and specialized IT applications. By consolidating these applications onto larger enterprise platforms like their EHRs, health systems can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and provide a better experience for clinicians and staff.

The details

Health systems are finding that by carefully evaluating their IT application portfolios and eliminating redundant or unnecessary tools, they can achieve substantial cost savings. Emplify Health has cut $3 million in direct costs and another $1.3 million in 'soft' savings by eliminating over 30 applications in the past two years. Providence has saved millions by reducing its IT application portfolio by more than a third, focusing on clinical safety and revenue integrity solutions. UVA Health is scaling back its applications through a 'Smart Subtraction' initiative, while Sharp HealthCare is in the analysis phase to understand which apps can be replaced or consolidated.

  • Over the past 12-18 months, Providence has saved millions by reducing its IT application portfolio.
  • In the past two years, Emplify Health has cut $3 million in direct costs and $1.3 million in 'soft' savings by eliminating over 30 applications.

The players

Emplify Health

An 11-hospital health system headquartered in Green Bay and La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Providence

A 51-hospital health system based in Renton, Washington.

UVA Health

A four-hospital health system based in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Sharp HealthCare

A seven-hospital health system based in San Diego, California.

Praveen Chopra

Chief digital and information officer of Emplify Health.

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What they’re saying

“With the financial headwinds currently facing healthcare, we are well-positioned to elevate this program to the next level.”

— Praveen Chopra, Chief digital and information officer of Emplify Health (Becker's Hospital Review)

“It's really translated into faster onboarding, fewer support tickets coming to our team, and a more consistent caregiver experience. We want to lower the cognitive burden of our caregivers by eliminating having to have duplicate tools.”

— Adar Palis, Senior vice president of clinical and revenue cycle applications and technology at Providence (Becker's Hospital Review)

“What we do have is the most important ingredient for long‑term success: growing buy‑in from health system leadership and executive partners. Without that, no rationalization effort can survive its first difficult decision.”

— Sonney Sapra, CIO of UVA Health (Becker's Hospital Review)

“Once we start to execute against that roadmap, we expect to achieve meaningful savings over time through reduced licensing, support, infrastructure, and integration costs, while also lowering long‑term technical debt.”

— Terri Couts, Senior vice president and chief information and digital officer of Sharp HealthCare (Becker's Hospital Review)

What’s next

As health systems continue their application rationalization efforts, they will need to carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of migrating or retiring existing applications, manage the change for their staff, and ensure that their core enterprise platforms can handle the consolidated workloads.

The takeaway

By streamlining their IT application portfolios, health systems are not only saving millions of dollars but also improving the user experience for their clinicians and staff. This strategic approach to application rationalization is helping healthcare organizations become more efficient, secure, and responsive to the evolving digital needs of the industry.