Why Buyers Stopped Believing Your ROI Story and Other Big Issues in 2026

If you skipped every healthtech conference this year, this episode is your catch-up call.

My guest is Colin Hung, Editor-in-Chief at Swaay.Health and Healthcare IT Today, who is on pace to attend 50 conferences in 2026, roughly one a week, which means he sees more vendor pitches and more buyer conversations than almost anyone else in this industry. I asked him what has actually changed on the show floor this year, and his answer should worry anyone still pitching a five-year ROI story.

Colin walks me through why buyers have no patience for long payback periods. The standard or many, is three to six months. And, why AI has quietly moved from a standalone purchase to something baked into every backend system you already own. That shift is making it harder than ever for vendors to stand out.

We get into the one unglamorous AI use case that is actually winning deals right now (hint: it involves faxes), why security transparency and AI governance are becoming the next competitive edge, and what he thinks marketers need to stop saying if they want their message to break through the noise.

We close with his predictions for 2027, including a call on patient experience investment that you may not want to hear, and his take on what you are missing every single time you decide to stay home instead of showing up.

Key Topics Covered

• “(00:00)” – Introduction
• “(06:00)” – The economy takes center stage in conversations
• “(08:00)” – Budget cuts, paused projects, and stripped down requirements
• “(09:00)” – Buyers now demand proof of value in three to six months
• “(10:00)” – Operational efficiency becomes the new buzzword
• “(12:00)” – A maturing conversation around generative versus agentic AI
• “(17:00)” – Fax triage and other unglamorous, high impact AI deployments
• “(19:00)” – The gap between what vendors promote and what buyers want
• “(23:00)” – Security transparency and AI governance are becoming competitive advantages
• “(24:00)” – The standout technology of the year
• “(26:00)” – Predictions for 2027
• “(29:00)” – What healthtech marketers miss by skipping conferences entirely
• “(30:00)” – What's next for Swaay.Health

If you are interested in discussing this or any other topic, let's have a chat.  Reach out to me directly to schedule a no-obligation discussion. This isn't a sales call, but rather an opportunity to talk through your questions and challenges.

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