What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open-source standard for integrating AI applications to external systems. With AI use cases getting traction more and more, it becomes evident that AI applications tend to connect to multiple data sources to provide intelligent and relevant responses.

Earlier AI systems interacted with users through Large language Models (LLM) that leveraged pre-trained datasets. Then, in larger organizations, business users work with AI applications/agents expect more relevant responses from enterprise dataset, from where Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) came into play.

Now, AI applications/agents are expected to produce more accurate responses leveraging latest data, that requires AI systems to interact with multiple data sources and fetch accurate information. When multi-system interactions are established, it requires the communication protocol to be more standardized and scalable. That is where MCP enables a standardized way to connect AI applications to external systems.

Architecture

Using MCP, AI applications can connect to data source (ex; local files, databases), tools and workflows – enabling them to access key information and perform tasks. In enterprises scenario, AI applications/agents can connect to multiple databases across organization, empowering users to analyze data using natural language chat.

Benefits

MCP serves a wide range of benefits

• Development: MCP reduces development time and complexity when building, or integrating with AI application/agent. It makes integrating MCP host with multiple MCP servers simple by leveraging built-in capability discovery feature.
• AI applications or agents: MCP provides access to an ecosystem of data sources, tools and apps which will enhance capabilities and improve the end-user experience.
• End-users: MCP results in more capable AI applications or agents which can access your data and take actions on user behalf when necessary.

MCP – Concepts

At the top level of MCP concepts, there are three entities,

• Participants
• Layers
• Data Layer Protocol

Participants

MCP follows a client-server architecture where an MCP host – an AI application like enterprise chatbot establishes connections to one or more MCP servers. The MCP host accomplishes this by creating a MCP client for each MCP server. Each MCP client maintains a dedicated connection with its MCP server.

The key participants of MCP architecture are:

• MCP Host: AI application that coordinates and manages one or more MCP clients
• MCP Client: A component that maintains a dedicated connection to an MCP server and obtains context from an MCP server for MCP host to interact
• MCP Server: A program that provides context to MCP clients (i.e. generate responses or perform actions on user behalf)

Layers

MCP consists of two layers:

• Data layer – Defines JSON-RPC based protocol for client-server communication including,
  • lifecycle management – initiate connection, capability discovery & negotiation, connection termination
  • Core primitives – enabling server features like tools for AI actions, resources for context data, prompt templates for client-server interaction and client features like ask client to sample from host LLM, log messages to client
  • Utility features – Additional capabilities like real-time notifications, track progress for long-running operations
• Transport Layer – Manages communication channels and authentication between clients and servers. It handles connection establishment, message framing and secure communication between MCP participants

Data Layer Protocol

The core part of MCP is defining the schema and semantics between MCP clients and MCP servers. It is the part of MCP that defines the ways developers can share context from MCP servers to MCP clients.

MCP uses JSON-RPC 2.0 as its underlying RPC protocol. Client and servers send requests to each other and respond accordingly. Notifications can be used when no response is required.

Life Cycle Management

MCP is a stateful protocol that requires lifecycle management. The purpose of lifecycle management is to negotiate the capabilities (i.e. functionalities) that both client and server support.

Primitives

Primitives define what clients and servers can offer each other. These primitives specify the types of contextual information that can be shared with AI applications and the range of actions that can be performed. MCP defines three core primitives that servers can expose:

• Tools: Executable functions that AI applications can invoke to perform actions (e.g., API calls, database queries)
• Resources: Data sources that provide contextual information to AI applications (e.g., file contents, API responses, database records)
• Prompts: Reusable templates that help structure interactions with language models (e.g., system prompts, few-shot examples)

Notifications

The protocol supports real-time notifications to enable dynamic updates between servers and clients. For example, when a server’s available tools change – such as when new functionalities are added or existing functionality is updated – the server can send tool update notifications to all its connected clients about these changes.

Security in Data Accessing

While AI applications communicate with multiple enterprise data sources thgrouch MCP and fetch real-time sensitive data like customer information, financial data to serve the users, data security becomes absolutely critical factor to be addressed.

MCP ensures secure access

Authentication and Authorization

MCP implements server-side authentication where each MCP server validates who is making the request. The enterprise system controls access through:

• User-specific credentials – Each user connecting through MCP has their own authentication tokens
• Role-based access control (RBAC) – Users only access data that the role permits
• Session management – Time-limited sessions that expire automatically

Data Access Controls

MCP server acts as a security gateway that enforces the same access policies as direct system access:

• Users can only query data that they are authroized to access
• The server validates every request against permission rules
• Sensitive information can be masked or filtered based on user privileges

Secure Communication

• Encrypted connections – All data transmissions uses TLS/HTTPS encryption
• No data storage in AI – AI systems do not store the financial data it accesses; it only process it during the conversation session

Audit and Monitoring

MCP implementations in enterprise ecosystem should include:

• Complete audit logs – Every data access request is logged with user, timestamp and data accessed
• Anomaly detection – Engage mechanisms that monitor unusual access patterns and trigger alerts
• Compliance tracking – All interactions meet regulatory requirements like GDPR, PCI-DSS

Architecture Isolation

Enterprises typically deploy MCP using:

• Private network deployment – MCP servers stay within the enterprise secure firewall boundary
• API gateway integration – Requests go through existing security infrastructure
• No direct database access – MCP connects and access data through secure APIs, not direct access to database

The key principle is that MCP does not bypass existing security – it operates within the same security framework as other enterprise applications, just proving a more intelligent interface layer.

MCP Implementation & Demonstration

In this section, I will demonstrate a simple use case where MCP client (Claude Desktop) interacts with “Finance Manager” MCP server that can fetch financial information from the database.

Financial data is maintained in Postgres database tables. MCP client (Claude Desktop app) will request information about customer account, MCP host will discover appropriate capability based on user prompt and invoke respective MCP tool function that can fetch data from the database table.

To make MCP client-server in action, there are three parts to be configured

• Backend Database
• MCP server implementation
• MCP server registration in MCP Host

Backend Database

Postgres table “accounts” maintains accounts data with below information, “transactions” table maintains the transaction performed on the accounts

MCP server implementation

FastMCP class implements MCP server components and creating an object of it initialize and enables access to those components to create enterprise MCP server capabilities.

The annotation “@mcp.tool()” defines the capability and the respective function will be recognized as MCP capability. These functions will be exposed to AI applications and will be invoked from MCP Host to perform designated actions.

In order to invoke MCP capabilities from client, MCP server should be up & running. In this example, there are two functions defined as MCP tool capabilities,

• get_account_details – The function accept account number as input parameter, query “accounts” table and returns account information
• add_transaction – The function accepts account number and transaction amount as parameters, make entry into “transactions” table

MCP server registration in MCP Host

For AI applications to invoke MCP server capability, MCP server should be registered in MCP host at client end. For this demonstration, I am using Claude Desktop as MCP client from where I interact with MCP server.

First, MCP server is registered with MCP host in Claude Desktop as below,

Claude Desktop -> Settings -> Developer -> Local MCP Servers -> Click “Edit Config”

Open “claude_desktop_config” JSON file in Notepad. Add configurations in the JSON as below. The configurations define the path where MCP server implementation is located and instruct command to MCP host to run. Save the file and close.

Restart “Claude Desktop” application, go to Settings -> Developer -> Local MCP servers tab. The newly added MCP server (finance-manager) will be in running state as below,

Go to chat window in Claude Desktop. Issue a prompt to fetch details of an account in “accounts” table and review the response,

User Prompt: User issues a prompt to fetch details of an account.

MCP Discovery & Invoke: The client (Claude Desktop) processes the prompt, interacts with MCP host, automatically discover the relevant capability – get_account_details function in this case – without explicitly mention the function name and invoke the function with necessary parameter.

Response: MCP server process the request, fetch account details from the table and respond details to the client. The client formats the response and present it to the user.

Another example to add a transaction in the backend table for an account,

Here, “add_transaction” capability has been invoked to add a transaction record in “transactions” table. In the chat window, you could notice that what MCP function is being invoked along with request & response body.

The record has been successfully added into the table,

Impressive, isn’t it..!!

There are a wide range of use cases implementing MCP servers and integrate with enterprise AI systems that bring in intelligent layer to interact with enterprise data sources.

Here, you may also develop a thought that in what ways MCP (Model Context Protocol) is different from RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation), as I did so. Based on my research, I just curated a comparison matrix of the features that would add more clarity,

Perficient is recognized in Forrester’s Salesforce Consulting Services Landscape, Q4 2025, which notes our North America geographic focus and industry focus in Financial Services, Healthcare, and Manufacturing. Forrester asked each provider included in the Landscape to select the top business scenarios for which clients select them and from there determined which are the extended business scenarios that highlight differentiation among the providers. Perficient is shown in the report for having selected Agentforce, Data 360 (Data Cloud), and Industry Clouds as top reasons clients work with us out of those extended business scenarios. Our proven capabilities across Agentforce, Data 360 (Data Cloud), and Industry Clouds help clients achieve measurable outcomes from their Salesforce investments.

We believe this recognition underscores what leading analysts and buyers already know: the next phase of Salesforce is not about bigger projects—it’s about faster proof of value. The partners that win are the ones who shorten time to outcomes, orchestrate across your stack, and help you spend smarter.

How Perficient Turns Insight into Action: Our Outcomes Playbook

Outcome‑first framing becomes practical when the first milestone is small and meaningful. For revenue teams, that might be a lift in qualified pipeline from cleaner data and guided selling. For service teams, it could be faster resolution through better case routing and knowledge. For operations, it may be a reliable view of performance from harmonized data. Each path is sized to prove value quickly, then expanded as results compound.

“In this cycle, leaders want outcomes they can measure, not more complexity. The fastest path is built on proven accelerators, orchestrated workflows, and responsible AI that aligns to business goals.”
— Megan Glasow, Managing Director, Perficient’s Salesforce Practice

The Uncomfortable Truth

Most teams already “have Salesforce,” yet value stalls in the maze of customizations, parallel orgs, and integrations that never quite talk to each other. The market itself has moved from first deployments to modernization and multi-cloud expansion, which is why traditional, effort‑heavy engagements are delivering diminishing returns. Buyers are asking for partners who can deliver outcomes in increments, with industry IP and operating‑model rigor, not just more bodies.

What Changed, Practically Speaking

Two forces converged. First, core implementation work is easier to standardize, which drives commoditization. Second, AI is now embedded across the platform, including agentic capabilities that can act on your data and processes. That combination rewards teams that fix foundations, make workflows interoperable, and apply AI with governance and observability. When those pieces are in place, outcomes compound quickly.

Three Moves to Make this Quarter

1) Pick one outcome, not five

Choose a business metric that executives care about and design a sprint around it. Example outcomes: faster case resolution in Service, higher conversion in Sales, or lower cost to serve in Commerce. Anchor on a single use case, then use accelerators and standard patterns to get live in weeks. This approach mirrors how leading buyers evaluate providers today, with incremental value and industry use cases as selection criteria.

Quick start checklist:

• One KPI that is visible to the business
• A standard pattern or accelerator to reduce custom build time
• A simple adoption plan with role clarity and feedback loops

2) Orchestrate, do not bolt on

Real value shows up when workflows span systems. Map an end‑to‑end process across Salesforce and your adjacent platforms, then eliminate the handoffs that slow customers down. Expect your partner to bring reference architectures and integration patterns that make the process portable and resilient. Forrester’s guidance is explicit on this point: buyers want orchestrated workflows across tech stacks for true transformation.

3) Make ROI Repeatable

Set a cadence for license alignment, customization reduction, and tech debt cleanup. Consolidate orgs where the business case is clear. Replace custom objects with native capabilities when possible. Tie every change to operating cost, agility, or customer outcomes.

How to Choose a Partner without a 50‑page RFP

Ask three questions that cut through the noise:

• Can you show the intersection of your skills for my use case?
• What will you deliver first, and how will we measure it?
• What guardrails will be in place on day one?

Perficient’s POV: The Bottom Line

We show the intersection of our skills for your exact use case, deliver a working release tied to a single KPI in the initial increment, and put governance and auditability in place from day one. The result is measurable value, clarity on what to scale next, and confidence that outcomes will keep improving with each iteration.

If your 2026 goals include faster time to value, better orchestration, and disciplined ROI, book a modernization strategy session with our team. We will assess your current org, identify quick wins, and design an incremental plan aligned to your outcomes. Then move from strategy to proof in Outcome Over Effort, Part 2: Build, Govern, Measure, where we walk through a simple operating model to get one agent live, protect accuracy and access, and show measurable lift you can expand.

Next month’s webinar features insights from guest speakers, Forrester’s Kate Leggett and Salesforce’s Kaylin Voss, on outcomes, orchestration, and responsible AI. Bookmark this page and check back next month for details.

Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. For more information, read about Forrester’s objectivity  here .

At the Healthcare Interactive Conference (HCIC) last month, I got to talk to marketers who are very focused on results. They are also very focused on what will impact their marketing efforts and why. Every conversation came back to AI.

In my previous HCIC takeaway, I wrote about how AI is not a strategy—it’s a tool to solve real problems. Now I want to dig into a specific problem AI is creating for healthcare marketers: how we get found. We need to be thinking about all aspects of how AI can be used. In general, this breaks down into both impact and opportunity.

Impact: AI Search Is Transforming Healthcare Discovery

Several conference sessions alluded to this shift, but marketing experts Brittany Young and Gina Linville gave some deeper insight.

From a marketing perspective, the largest impact is one of being found. Think about how much time a typical hospital marketer puts into being found. I have had many conversations over the years about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and the importance of having valuable content that the search engines view as unique and relevant.

AI impacts that in ways that are not at first obvious.

The New Reality of Patient Search

Think of how you typically use ChatGPT or how your search engine has evolved. AI now pulls the data and gives you a brief with information culled from multiple online sources. The good news is that the AI tool will typically reference a website it sources. The bad news is while AI typically credits source websites, patients get their answers without ever clicking through to your site.

The scale of this shift is staggering:

AI provides an overview for up to 84% of search queries when it comes to healthcare questions.

Healthcare leads nearly every sector in AI-powered search results—a trend that’s accelerating:

Strategic Response: Winning at AI Search in Healthcare

This shift demands a fundamental rethinking of content strategy. Two concepts are emerging as critical:

1) Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

• Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring and optimizing content so that AI-powered systems, such as Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, and voice assistants, can easily identify, extract, and cite it as a direct answer to user queries.

2) Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is a digital marketing technique designed to improve a brand’s visibility in results produced by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) platforms. It involves adapting digital content and online presence to ensure that AI systems can accurately interpret, cite, and use the content when generating responses to user queries.

The imperative is clear: Organizations that don’t optimize for AI-powered discovery won’t just lose rankings—they’ll lose visibility entirely.

If you are not already thinking about how to orient your content to this then be aware that you will soon feel an impact.

Opportunity: Agentic AI and Productivity

On the flip side of the coin is the opportunity. While the impact above provides you with an opportunity provided you react appropriately, I want to focus on the productivity part of this. Specifically, think of what Agentic AI can do for your organization.

What Traditional Campaign Development Looks Like

Let me give you a few examples of common tasks and how long they typically take:

• Create a campaign brief: up to two weeks
• Create copy across multiple channels: 8-16 hours
• Create digital assets related to the campaign which fit your brand standards and work in each individual channel. Web site may allow for larger images. Paid search or paid social may have limited space: 40 hours
• Creation of the segment and pushing it to marketing automation tools: several hours

Now imagine specialized AI agents handling each component—not replacing human strategy and judgment, but accelerating execution while maintaining brand standards and compliance. Just getting one campaign going across multiple channels become a multi-person engagement over several weeks. While focused on that, you won’t focus on additional campaign or in honing your craft.

The AI Agent Team Your Marketing Organization Needs

The answer lies with Agentic AI. We believe that AI can cut down on the time necessary to complete these tasks and still keep humans in the loop. Here are a few examples of agents you might need in your organization:

Most importantly, this frees your marketing team to focus on what AI can’t do: strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and understanding the nuanced needs of your community. 

The Path Forward: Integration, Not Replacement

The organizations winning in this new landscape aren’t choosing between human expertise and AI capabilities. They’re strategically integrating both.

Success requires more than technology. It needs an integrated approach:

1. Rethinking discoverability through AEO and GEO optimization
2. Deploying specialized AI agents for productivity acceleration
3. Maintaining human oversight for strategy, creativity, and judgment
4. Ensuring compliance at every step, particularly in heavily regulated healthcare
5. Measuring impact against business outcomes, not just operational metrics

Enabling Healthcare Organizations To Lead This Shift

HCIC reminded us that success in healthcare marketing isn’t about chasing technology for its own sake. As I shared in my first HCIC takeaway, AI is not a strategy—it’s a tool to solve real challenges that impact your organization’s ability to connect patients to care.

The search revolution is here. The productivity opportunity is real. The organizations that move quickly to optimize for AI-powered discovery while deploying strategic AI agents will gain a competitive advantage that compounds over time.

Start a conversation with our experts today.

As healthcare organizations accelerate toward value-based care, the ability to turn massive data volumes into actionable insights is no longer optional—it’s mission-critical.

In a recent webinar, Improve Healthcare Quality with Data + AI, experts from Databricks, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, and Perficient shared how leading organizations are using unified data and AI to improve outcomes, enhance experiences, and reduce operational costs.

Below are the key themes and insights you need to know.

1. Build a Unified, AI-Ready Data Foundation

Fragmented data ecosystems are the biggest barrier to scaling AI. Claims, clinical records, social determinants of health (SDOH), and engagement data often live in silos. This creates inefficiencies and incomplete views of your consumers (e.g, members, patients, providers, brokers, etc.).

What leaders are doing:

• Unify all data sources—structured and unstructured—into a single, secure platform.
• Adopt open formats and governance by design (e.g., Unity Catalog) to ensure compliance and interoperability.
• Move beyond piecemeal integrations to an enterprise data strategy that supports real-time insights.

Why it matters: A unified foundation enables predictive models, personalized engagement, and operational efficiency—all essential for success in value-based care.

2. Shift from Reactive to Proactive Care

Healthcare is moving from anecdotal, reactive interactions to data-driven, proactive engagement. This evolution requires prioritizing interventions based on risk, cost, and consumer preferences.

Key capabilities:

• Predict risk and close gaps in care before they escalate.
• Use AI to prioritize next-best actions, balancing population-level insights with individual needs.
• Incorporate feedback loops to refine outreach strategies and improve satisfaction.

North Star: Deliver care that is timely, personalized, and measurable, improving both individual outcomes and population health.

3. Personalize Engagement at Scale

Consumers expect the “Amazon experience”—personalized, seamless, and proactive. Achieving this requires flexible activation strategies.

Best practices:

• Decouple message, channel, and recommendation for modular outreach.
• Use AI-driven segmentation to tailor interventions across email, SMS, phone, PCP coordination, and more.
• Continuously optimize based on response and engagement data.

Result: Higher quality scores, improved retention, and stronger consumer trust.

4. Operationalize AI for Measurable Impact

AI has moved beyond experimentation and is now delivering tangible ROI. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s AI-powered call summarization is a prime example:

• Reduced call handle time by one to two minutes, saving thousands of hours annually
• Improved audit quality scores from ~85% to 95–100%
• Achieved real-time summarization in under seven seconds, enhancing advocate productivity and member experience

Lesson: Start with high-impact workflows, not isolated tasks. Quick wins build confidence and pave the way for enterprise-scale transformation.

5. Scale Strategically—Treat AI as Business Transformation

Perficient emphasized that scaling AI is not a tech project—it’s a business transformation. Success depends on:

• Clear KPIs tied to business outcomes (e.g., CMS Stars, HEDIS measures)
• Governed, explainable, and continuously monitored data
• Change management and workforce enablement to drive adoption
• Modular, composable architecture for flexibility and speed

Pro tip: Begin with an MVP approach—prioritize workflows, prove value quickly, and expand iteratively.

Final Thought: Data and AI are Redefining Health Care Delivery

Healthcare leaders face mounting pressure to deliver better outcomes, lower costs, and exceptional experiences. The insights shared in this webinar make one thing clear: success starts with a unified, AI-ready data foundation and a strategic approach to scaling AI across workflows—not just isolated tasks.

Organizations that act now will be positioned to move from reactive care to proactive engagement, personalize experiences at scale, and unlock measurable ROI. The opportunity is here. How you act on it will define your competitive edge.

Ready to reimagine healthcare with data and AI?

If you’re exploring how to modernize care delivery and consumer engagement, start with a strategic assessment. Align your goals, evaluate your data readiness, and identify workflows that deliver the greatest business and health impact. That first step sets the stage for meaningful transformation, and it’s where the right partner can accelerate progress from strategy to measurable impact.

Our healthcare expertise equips leaders to modernize, personalize, and scale care. We drive resilient, AI-powered transformation to shape the experiences and engagement of healthcare consumers, streamline operations, and improve the cost, quality, and equity of care.

• Business Transformation: Activate strategy for transformative outcomes and health experiences.
• Modernization: Maximize technology to drive health innovation, efficiency, and interoperability.
• Data + Analytics: Power enterprise agility and accelerate healthcare insights.
• Consumer Experience: Connect, ease, and elevate impactful health journeys.

We understand that every organization is on a unique AI journey. Whether you’re starting from scratch, experimenting with pilots, or scaling AI across your enterprise, we meet you where you are. Our structured approach delivers value at every stage, helping you turn AI from an idea into a business advantage. Plus, as a Databricks Elite consulting partner, we build end-to-end solutions that empower you to drive more value from your data.

Discover why we have been trusted by the 10 largest health systems and the 10 largest health insurers in the U.S.  Explore our healthcare expertise and contact us to get started today.

Watch the on-demand webinar now:

Perficient is proud to be named a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Experience Build Services 2025 Vendor Assessment (Doc #US52973125, October 2025) and IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Experience Design Services 2025 Vendor Assessment (Doc #US52973225, October 2025). These IDC MarketScapes assessed providers, offering a comprehensive framework including product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current/future market success factors.

“We believe being recognized by IDC for Experience Design and Experience Build reinforces the impact we have on behalf of clients creating personalized, seamless interactions that accelerate growth. In today’s experience-driven economy, that’s the competitive advantage that matters,” says Erin Rushman, general manager of digital marketing and experience design operations at Perficient.

What This Inclusion Means for Perficient

Being named a Major Player, we believe, underscores our dedication to transforming customer experiences and empowering businesses through personalized, seamless, and impactful interactions. Perficient combines strategy and research with human-centered design to help organizations craft agile, customer-focused solutions that thrive in dynamic markets. By leveraging data-driven insights, personalization, AI, and more, we deliver end-to-end experiences that deepen engagement and drive measurable business impact.

According to the IDC MarketScape for Experience Design Services, “Perficient has strong capabilities in digital offering design and offers leading-edge experience design services backed by a global innovation network.” The report also notes, “In conversations with Perficient’s reference clients, the three areas where experience design services buyers commended the vendor highly were for the quality of its professionals, for its industry specific capabilities, and differentiation as a vendor.”

The IDC MarketScape for Experience Build Services states, “As an independent digital experience agency, Perficient combines business and technology transformation capabilities, including a robust collection of supporting assets and tools, with a focus on the design and build of customer experiences. Perficient has strong personalization capabilities.”

Additionally, Perficient was named a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape for Customer Experience Strategy Consulting Services 2025 Vendor Assessment (Doc #US52973025, September 2025). We believe this inclusion reflects our commitment to delivering AI-first solutions that transform customer experiences through scalable, high-impact innovations. It establishes Perficient as a trusted partner, driving unmatched success in the experience-driven market of tomorrow.

Read the News Release: Perficient Named a Major Player in Three IDC MarketScapes For AI-First Approach to Customer Experience

What This Inclusion Means for Our Clients

Perficient continues to be a leader in experience strategy and design, helping clients align vision, accelerate innovation, and achieve lasting transformation. We enable businesses to embed AI into processes and deliver personalized customer experiences at scale. By expanding and strengthening alliances with partners, we ensure our solutions remain innovative and leading-edge, empowering clients to stay ahead in a dynamic market.

Exceptional CX is essential for growth and loyalty. Our expertise across platforms and global delivery ensures brands can quickly adapt, innovate, and meet rising customer expectations. Explore our expertise to see how we can be a partner in your experience journey.

A health insurance model built for yesterday won’t meet the demands of today’s consumers. Expectations for seamless, intuitive experiences are accelerating, while fragmented systems continue to drive up costs, create blind spots, and erode trust.

Addressing these challenges takes more than incremental fixes. The path forward requires breaking down silos and creating synergy across plans, while aligning technology, strategy, and teams to deliver human-centered experiences at scale. This is more than operational; it’s strategic. It’s how health insurers build resilience, move with speed and purpose, and stay ahead of evolving demands.

Reflecting on recent industry conversations, we’re proud to have sponsored LeadersIgnite and the 2025 Inter-Plan Solutions Forum. As Hari Madamalla shared:

“When insurers share insights, build solutions together, and scale what works, they can cut costs, streamline prior authorization and pricing, and deliver the experiences members expect.”– Hari Madamalla, Senior Vice President, Healthcare + Life Sciences

To dig deeper into these challenges, we spoke with healthcare leaders Hari Madamalla, senior vice president, and directors Pavan Madhira and Priyal Patel about how health insurers can create a competitive edge by leveraging digital innovation with inter-plan collaboration.

The Complexity Challenge Health Insurers Can’t Ignore

Health insurance faces strain from every angle: slow authorizations, confusing pricing, fragmented data, and widening care gaps. The reality is, manual fixes won’t solve these challenges. Plans need smarter systems that deliver clarity and speed at scale. AI and automation make it possible to turn data into insight, reduce fragmentation, and meet mandates without adding complexity.

“Healthcare has long struggled with inefficiencies and slow tech adoption—but the AI revolution is changing that. We’re at a pivotal moment, similar to the digital shift of the 1990s, where AI is poised to disrupt outdated processes and drive real transformation.” – Pavan Madhira, Director, Healthcare + Life Sciences

But healthcare organizations face unique constraints, including HIPAA, PHI, and PII regulations that limit the utility of plug-and-play AI solutions. To meet these challenges, we apply our PACE framework—Policies, Advocacy, Controls, and Enablement—to ensure AI is not only innovative but also rooted in trust. This approach ensures AI is deployed with purpose, aligned to business goals, and embedded with safeguards that protect consumers and organizations.

Still, technology alone isn’t enough though. Staying relevant means designing human-centered experiences that reduce friction and build trust. Perficient’s award-winning Access to Care research study reveals that friction in the care journey directly impacts consumer loyalty and revenue.

More than 45% of consumers aged 18–64 have used digital-first care instead of their regular provider, and 92% of them believe the quality is equal to—or better.

That’s a signal healthcare leaders can’t afford to ignore. It tells us when experiences fall short, consumers go elsewhere, and they won’t always come back.

For health insurers, that shift creates issues. When members seek care outside your ecosystem, you risk losing visibility into care journeys, creating gaps in data and blind spots in member health management. The result? Higher costs, duplicative services, and missed opportunities for proactive coordination. Fragmented care journeys also undermine efforts to deliver a true 360-degree view of the member. The solution lies in intuitive digital transformation that turns complexity into clarity.

Explore More: Empathy, Resilience, Innovation, and Speed: The Blueprint for Intelligent Healthcare Transformation

Where Inter-Plan Collaboration Creates Real Momentum

When health plans work together, the payoff is significant. Collaboration moves the industry from silos to synergy, enabling human-centered experiences across networks that keep members engaged and revenue intact.

Building resilience is key to that success. Leaders need systems that anticipate member needs and remove barriers before they impact access to care. That means reducing friction in scheduling and follow-up, enabling seamless coordination across networks, and delivering digital experiences that feel as simple and intuitive as consumer platforms like Amazon or Uber. Resilience also means preparing for the unexpected and being able to pivot quickly.

When plans take this approach, the impact is clear:

• Higher Quality Scores and Star Ratings: Shared strategies for closing gaps and improving provider data can help lift HEDIS scores and Star Ratings, unlocking higher reimbursement and bonus pools.
• Faster Prior Authorizations: Coordinated rules and automation help reduce delays and meet new regulatory requirements like CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057-F).
• True Price Transparency: Consistent, easy-to-understand cost and quality information across plans helps consumers make confident choices and stay in-network.
• Stronger Member Loyalty: Unified digital experiences across plans help improve satisfaction and engagement.
• Lower Administrative Overhead: Cleaner member data means fewer errors, less duplication, and lower compliance risk.

“When plans work together, they can better serve their vulnerable populations, reduce disparities, and really drive to value based care. It’s about building trust, sharing responsibility, and innovating with empathy.” – Priyal Patel, Director, Healthcare + Life Sciences

Resilience and speed go hand in hand though. Our experts help health insurers deliver both by:

• Designing for agility with composable architectures, MVP+ delivery models, and intelligent automation that accelerates time-to-value while maintaining regulatory integrity.
• Aligning digital transformation with value-based care goals, enabling organizations to shift from volume to value through strategic investments that integrate cloud platforms, interoperable systems, and advanced analytics.
• Operationalizing AI responsibly to support equitable, secure, compliant, and scalable AI adoption.

This approach supports the Quintuple Aim: better outcomes, lower costs, improved experiences, clinician well-being, and health equity. It also ensures that innovation is not just fast, but focused, ethical, and sustainable.

You May Also Enjoy: Access to Care is Evolving: What Consumer Insights and Behavior Models Reveal

Accelerating Impact With Digital Innovation and Inter-Plan Collaboration

Beyond these outcomes, collaboration paired with digital innovation unlocks even greater opportunities to build a smarter, more connected future of healthcare. It starts with aligning consumer expectations, digital infrastructure, and data governance to strategic business goals.

Here’s how plans can accelerate impact:

• Real-Time Data Sharing and Interoperability: Shared learning ensures insights aren’t siloed. By pooling knowledge across plans, leaders can identify patterns, anticipate emerging trends, and act faster on what works. Real-time interoperability, like FHIR-enabled solutions, gives plans the visibility needed for accurate risk adjustment and timely quality reporting. AI enhances this by predicting gaps and surface actionable insights, helping plans act faster and reduce costs.
• Managing Coding Intensity in the AI Era: As provider AI tools capture more diagnoses, insurers can see risk scores and costs rise, creating audit risk and financial exposure. This challenge requires proactive oversight. Collaboration helps by establishing shared standards and applying predictive analytics to detect anomalies early, turning a potential cost driver into a managed risk.
• Prior Authorization Modernization: Prior authorization delays drive up costs and erode member experience. Aligning on streamlined processes and leveraging intelligent automation can help meet mandates like CMS-0057-F, while predicting approval likelihood, flagging exceptions early, and accelerating turnaround times.
• Joint Innovation Pilots: Co-development of innovation means plans can shape technology together. This approach balances unique needs with shared goals, creating solutions that cut costs, accelerate time to value, and ensure compliance stays front and center.
• Engaging Member Experience Frameworks: Scaling proven approaches across plans amplifies impact. When plans collaborate on digital experience standards and successful capabilities are replicated, members enjoy seamless interactions across networks. Building these experiences on solid foundations with purpose-driven AI is key to delivering stronger engagement and loyalty at scale.
• Shared Governance and Policy Alignment: Joint governance establishes accountability, aligns incentives for value-based care, and reduces compliance risk while protecting revenue.

Success in Action: Empowering Healthcare Consumers and Their Care Ecosystems With Interoperable Data

Make Inter-Plan Collaboration Your Strategic Advantage

Ready to move from insight to impact? Our healthcare expertise equips leaders to modernize, personalize, and scale care. We drive resilient, AI-powered transformation to shape the experiences and engagement of healthcare consumers, streamline operations, and improve the cost, quality, and equity of care.

• Business Transformation: Activate strategy for transformative outcomes and health experiences.
• Modernization: Maximize technology to drive health innovation, efficiency, and interoperability.
• Data + Analytics: Power enterprise agility and accelerate healthcare insights.
• Consumer Experience: Connect, ease, and elevate impactful health journeys.

We have been trusted by the 10 largest health systems and the 10 largest health insurers in the U.S., and Modern Healthcare consistently ranks us as one of the largest healthcare consulting firms.

Perficient was one of two vendors to receive above-average customer feedback.

We are proud to announce that Perficient was recognized among only 11 vendors included in The Forrester Wave: AI Technical Services, Q4 2025, and that we received above-average customer feedback relative to other evaluated vendors. Per Forrester’s report, Perficient was identified among “key significant consultancy AI system integrators” and was evaluated based on extensive criteria across two categories, current offering and strategy, along with customer feedback.

Differentiating With Our Outcomes-Focused Agentic Consulting Model

At Perficient, our vision is to be the premier global AI-first consultancy, delivering AI-powered solutions that drive client success. We’re transforming into an AI-native organization by embedding intelligent agents and generative tools across delivery, knowledge management, and decision making to amplify human expertise.

According to Forrester’s evaluation, “customers praise the skills and experience of Perficient’s personnel.” We believe this recognition underscores our unwavering commitment to delivering meaningful outcomes and reflects the trust our clients place in us to help them navigate the complex AI landscape.

What sets us apart, we believe, is our agentic consulting model that fuses human insight with AI agents to accelerate discovery, engineering, and measurable client outcomes. Backed by decades of proprietary benchmark data on platform engineering, digital business transformation, and journey science, we help clients make evidence-based, high-impact decisions.

“At Perficient, we’re obsessed with delivering outcomes that matter,” said Eric Walk, Perficient Principal, Data and AI. “In a market where achieving real results with AI is rare, our ability to move beyond the hype and deliver true ROI sets us apart. To us, earning above-average customer feedback is a testament to the trust our clients place in us. We don’t just implement AI, we help organizations create measurable value through scalable, ethical, and transformative solutions.”

AI Solutions Informed by Deep Industry and Function Expertise

We have found that one of the keys to real impact is to deeply understand the challenges and complexities of the industry and functional role for which the AI solutions are created. This approach is especially important for highly regulated industries and niche use cases in business departments where a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate. Our deep expertise across industries and business functions ensures solutions that are contextually relevant and transformative, and in every engagement, we work directly with the teams who will be the primary users of our solutions.

Proven Impact of AI Contact Center Solutions in Healthcare

We’ve transformed the contact center of a leading BCBS health insurer with a virtual assistant integrated in their member portal supporting self-service for routine functions like eligibility checks, claims, ID card replacements, and prior authorizations. In addition, we created a benefits assistant that would rapidly provide relevant benefits information to agents as they educated members on their plans and coverage.​

Read more about our AI expertise in healthcare or explore our Access to Care research.

Driving Safety Innovation with AI-Powered IoT Solutions in Automotive

We helped a leading provider of safety solutions for fleet vehicles build a comprehensive testing strategy for its AI-based computer vision system that connects to in-vehicle IoT devices to detect and respond to road hazards. Further, we’ve partnered with them to deploy an AI-powered computer vision system on city buses with IoT cameras that detect vehicles blocking bus lanes and illegally passing when STOP-arms are deployed, packaging and delivering evidence to integrated law enforcement systems for automatic violation notices.

Read more about our AI expertise in automotive or recognition as CRN 2025 IoT Innovator.

Trusted AI Partnerships and Scalable Global Delivery

Beyond our core offerings, we create broader market impact by orchestrating across multiple platforms and strategic partners, helping clients navigate an increasingly complex technology landscape with agility and confidence. We have refocused our alliances around an AI-first partner ecosystem and a 360 model of innovation where only ~1% of partners qualify. This elite group, including Writer and Salesforce (with more to come), meets rigorous criteria: strategic alignment, joint go-to-market planning, co-investment, and internal AI-first deployment. In addition, we are an AWS Advanced Service Partner and member of Microsoft’s AI Inner Circle, and we combine our strong partnerships with proven frameworks like PACE (Policy, Advocacy, Controls, Enablement) for responsible AI governance and rapid engagements to identify the most valuable AI use cases for businesses like our 4-8 week long AI AMP offering.

Finally, our strong representation across the U.S., LATAM, and India offers a unique ability to support diverse client needs. We believe our size, geographic representation, and approach provides us with the flexibility and resources that position us as a strategic partner capable of delivering scalable, cost-effective solutions tailored to each customer’s delivery strategy.

With deep expertise in generative AI, machine learning, and intelligent automation, along with the backing of a curated partner network and diversified global delivery, we empower organizations to make smarter decisions, reduce operational costs, and drive faster, higher-quality results.

Explore our AI services and capabilities.

Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. For more information, read about Forrester’s objectivity here .

I was at the Healthcare Interactive Conference (HCIC) this past week. I like this conference because it retains a “learning” approach to sessions. By that I mean, keynotes and the conference breakout sessions address interesting topics and help inform you about what has been successful and how healthcare organizations address ongoing trends. It’s less about, “AI will change your world. You need to do something now!” and more about, “AI has impacted us in this fashion and this is what we are doing to address it.”

In that theme, David Feinberg, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer of Mount Sinai Hospital, had some great and common-sense advice to give in the kickoff keynote of the conference.

Succeeding in Today’s Marketing World

Mr. Feinberg made a point that the most successful people have been fired multiple times. This includes Steve Jobs, Bill Maher, and even himself. It happens, especially when circumstances change. We should embrace it and be honest about why it happened and how we can move on. Embracing it means you are not afraid of failure.

I like this approach because modern digital marketing allows for companies to fail quickly and then move on to what is successful. It makes the old marketing adage of “I know half my marketing is misspent, I just don’t know which half” more addressable. You can more easily measure and see where you failed. Failure will occur. Even old approaches age out and you need to address the change and revise your approach.

Bottom Line: Don’t be afraid to fail. Set up your marketing to react to changing circumstances.

Digital Is Not a Strategy. AI Also Is Not a Strategy.

David commented that, at one point, books were considered high technology. They allowed the greatest dissemination of data the world had ever seen. In other words, while a technology might be new, the information or content is not.

So AI alone is not a strategy. The use of AI to address challenges is a strategy, or at least a tactic based on a strategy.

To his point, an AI like Sathya that does the entire intake for interventional cardiology is a perfect example of a good use. Sathya asks the same set of questions and captures the same information a human would. Sathya does it with a 90% adoption rate, where 90% of the patients and caregivers are pleased with the results.

Bottom line: Focus on pragmatic results of AI. Don’t try to “boil the ocean” or “shoot the moon.” Get to value where healthcare marketers and clinicians can focus on what truly makes a difference.

Dealing With Dr. Bigwig

Everyone — whether inside the healthcare industry or not — has a common pain point. A VIP comes to you and says, “I need you to do this now.” It could include creating a new section of the website based on that cool new thing or creating a campaign for a service line based on a flashy new diagnostic, even though that service line has a six month wait time for scheduling an appointment. This VIP probably has every credential and is very smart.

David has some key insights on addressing this type of circumstance:

• Don’t forget that the VIP wants a good outcome just like you do. They probably just skipped a couple of analysis steps before coming up with a solution.
• Focus on the benefits instead of the features. Ask about what this does for the patient. Ask about the benefit the patient (and caregivers) will gain from this.
• You may not be able to say no. You can, however, ask the questions and align towards a measurable result.

Often, this VIP is a physician leader — and that’s where the marketer–doctor dynamic comes into play. Physicians and marketers bring distinct professional mindsets to the table. Physicians are often rewarded for precision, consistency, and adherence to established protocols. Marketers, on the other hand, are encouraged to explore, iterate, and connect emotionally. These cultural contrasts can make it challenging to co-create a vision for AI—especially when one side is looking for proof and the other is looking for possibility.

Here are a few ways to bridge that gap:

• Recognize that visualization may not be a shared strength. Physicians are trained to think in terms of clinical pathways and outcomes, not abstract concepts or speculative futures. Marketers may need to invest more effort in translating ideas into tangible, outcome-oriented narratives.
• Avoid overwhelming with options. Present a clear, well-supported recommendation rather than a menu of possibilities. Decision fatigue is real, and clarity builds trust.
• Use data to build credibility. Show that you’ve done your homework. Frame your recommendation with relevant evidence, and make it easy for physician leaders to track how your proposal connects to patient outcomes, operational goals, or strategic priorities.

Finally, Remember That You Make a Difference, Too

Healthcare marketers typically enter this industry for the same reason clinicians do. You want to make a difference.

David told a great story about being at a wedding where a woman abruptly asked if he worked at Mount Sinai as a marketer. Hesitantly, he said yes and she said, “You saved my life. Yes the doctor did the work, but I would never have gone to him if your content didn’t get me to him.”

That’s the power of what you do. Your work doesn’t just inform — it connects, guides, and sometimes even saves lives.

So keep asking the hard questions. Keep pushing for clarity. Keep advocating for the patient.

Whether you’re building a campaign, shaping a strategy, or navigating a tough conversation with a physician leader, remember: your voice matters. And your impact is real.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

HCIC reminded us that success in healthcare marketing isn’t about chasing the newest technology. It’s about using the right tools to solve real problems. Whether it’s AI, digital platforms, or content strategy, the goal is always the same: connect patients to care in meaningful, measurable ways.

David Feinberg’s keynote was a powerful reminder that marketers, clinicians, and business leaders don’t just coexist. They complement each other. When we understand each other’s mindsets, ask better questions, and stay focused on outcomes, we create space for innovation that works.

If you’re navigating the complexities of AI, physician alignment, or digital transformation in your organization, let’s talk. Our team of healthcare strategists, technologists, and marketers is here to help you move from idea to impact.

Start a conversation with our experts today.

Healthcare leaders face a critical mandate: deliver seamless, patient-centered experiences while boosting efficiency and measurable outcomes. Lasting transformation happens when strategy, data, technology, and experience converge—and Rochester Regional Health’s recent recognition proves what’s possible.

We’re proud to share that our work with Rochester Regional Health earned two 2025 eHealthcare Leadership Awards and the Sitecore Digital Impact Award for Business Impact, underscoring the power of strategic digital investments in healthcare.

Why This Matters for Healthcare Leaders

Patients expect frictionless access to care, personalized experiences, and real-time engagement. Our recent Access to Care research outlines how these priorities drive competitive advantage for healthcare organizations. More than 50% of respondents who encountered friction when scheduling an appointment took their care elsewhere. That’s not just lost revenue—it’s lost continuity, lost data, and lost trust. To deliver on consumers’ expectations, leaders need a unified digital strategy that connects systems, streamlines workflows, and gives consumers simple, reliable ways to find and schedule care.

Rochester Regional Health and Perficient embraced this challenge, consolidating dozens of disparate websites into one seamless experience and implementing a mobile-first design that mirrors the simplicity of modern commerce. The results speak volumes.

Business Impact

Sitecore Digital Impact Award: Business Impact | Recognized for removing friction and focusing on experience, this award demonstrates how digital transformation accelerates growth and improves care access. Sitecore shares, “The Business Impact winners remind us that digital transformation only matters when it delivers real results for people and the business. Rochester Regional Health and Perficient turned 24 disconnected websites into one seamless experience, helping patients get to the care they need faster.… These stories show what happens when great brands remove friction, focus on experience, and grow because of it.” | Learn more about this award

Best Mobile Experience

eHealthcare Leadership Award, Gold, Healthcare System | A mobile-first redesign delivers intuitive navigation, regional personalization, and real-time appointment scheduling, boosting accessibility, engagement, and conversions. This award recognizes the best examples of healthcare mobile experience, whether via installed app or mobile website via a browser. Judges evaluated usability, design, branding, quality of content, clarity of purpose and consumer ratings. | Learn more about this award

Best Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Marketing

eHealthcare Leadership Award, Distinction, Healthcare System | Rochester Regional’s new site offers smart search, dynamic filters, and real-time booking making it easy for patients and their caregivers to discover and schedule care that best supports patient needs. It drove a 26% boost in appointment scheduling and $79K+ monthly saving in call center costs. This category awarded the successful application of AI and Machine Learning (ML) to achieve marketing goals, including customer acquisition and retention, online content personalization, digital experience, understanding user intent, physician search, call center optimization, and more. | Learn more about this award

What This Signals for 2026

The next phase of digital priorities will focus on scalable personalization, AI-driven operational efficiency, and connected ecosystems that extend beyond the hospital walls. Leaders are investing in platforms that integrate clinical, financial, and consumer data to deliver proactive care and predictive insights. Digital-first models, intelligent scheduling, and automation will become standard. Organizations that build flexible, cloud-based architectures now and leverage AI for personalization and resource optimization position themselves to improve access, reduce costs, and strengthen patient loyalty in a competitive market.

Explore the full case study to see how Rochester Regional Health partnered with Perficient to make this vision a reality.

Reimagine Access to Care with Confidence

These awards validate the impact of our approach and reinforce the urgency of digital innovation as a strategic imperative for healthcare leaders.

More importantly, it reflects what we’re hearing across the industry: the need to prioritize consumer-centric transformation is accelerating. Leaders are looking for solutions that improve access, personalize engagement, and deliver measurable outcomes for both patients and the business.

From insight to impact, our healthcare expertise equips leaders to modernize, personalize, and scale care. We drive resilient, AI-powered transformation to shape the experiences and engagement of health care consumers, streamline operations, and improve the cost, quality, and equity of care.

• Business Transformation: Activate strategy for transformative outcomes and health experiences.
• Modernization: Maximize technology to drive health innovation, efficiency, and interoperability.
• Data + Analytics: Power enterprise agility and accelerate healthcare insights.
• Consumer Experience: Connect, ease, and elevate impactful health journeys.

We are trusted by leading technology partners, mentioned by analysts, and Modern Healthcare consistently ranks us as one of the largest healthcare consulting firms.

Discover why we’ve been trusted by the 10 largest health systems and the 10 largest health insurers in the U.S. Explore our healthcare expertise and contact us to learn more.

A second recognition underscores the urgency of consumer-centric transformation in healthcare.

Healthcare providers and insurers face mounting pressure to deliver affordable, convenient, and digitally enabled care. Our award-winning research reveals that digital front door strategies are now essential for meeting healthcare consumer experience expectations. Organizations that fail to adapt risk losing trust, loyalty, and revenue.

About the Award

The MarCom Awards honor excellence in marketing and communication, attracting more than 7,000 entries annually from dozens of countries. Winning a Platinum Award—the competition’s highest honor—signals global recognition for strategic insight and creative execution.

This achievement follows our earlier dotCOMM Award, further reinforcing the study’s impact and credibility.

Key Findings from Our Access to Care Research Study

Our proprietary study analyzed responses from 1,000+ U.S. healthcare consumers to uncover how digital experiences, affordability, and convenience shape patient expectations and influence provider choice.

Critical insights emerged for healthcare organizations (HCOs):

1. Digital-first access is non-negotiable. Health care consumers increasingly expect commerce-like experiences when traditional care options fall short.
2. Access is a journey, not a touchpoint. Interconnected decisions and barriers affect patient satisfaction, caregiver burnout, and Medicare star ratings.
3. Consumer-centric transformation drives outcomes. Organizations that prioritize digital access improve health outcomes, loyalty, and financial performance.

That means healthcare leaders must act now to:

• Reduce friction in care delivery through integrated digital experiences.
• Align investments with consumer expectations to protect market share.
• Improve quality metrics that directly impact reimbursement and reputation.

“With healthcare consumers setting higher expectations and becoming increasingly active in their care journeys, our research reveals a clear need for healthcare providers and insurers alike to embrace and adopt a digital-first mindset. Organizations that invest in technologies like AI and intuitive digital experiences that ease access to care are not only meeting patient and member demands but also positioning themselves for long-term growth and competitive advantage.” — Hari Madamalla, Senior Vice President, Perficient

Bottom line: Digital access must be viewed as a core business strategy that drives better health outcomes and ensures sustainable growth.

Reimagine Access to Care with Confidence

This dual recognition from MarCom and dotCOMM amplifies the visibility and credibility of our research on digital access to care. These awards validate the strength of our communication strategy and reinforce the relevance of our insights—helping elevate the conversation around digital access as a strategic imperative.

More importantly, it aligns with what we’re hearing directly from healthcare leaders: the urgency to prioritize consumer-centric transformation is real and growing.

From insight to impact, our healthcare expertise equips leaders to modernize, personalize, and scale care. We drive resilient, AI-powered transformation to shape the experiences and engagement of health care consumers, streamline operations, and improve the cost, quality, and equity of care.

• Business Transformation: Activate strategy for transformative outcomes and health experiences.
• Modernization: Maximize technology to drive health innovation, efficiency, and interoperability.
• Data + Analytics: Power enterprise agility and accelerate healthcare insights.
• Consumer Experience: Connect, ease, and elevate impactful health journeys.

We are trusted by leading technology partners, mentioned by analysts, and Modern Healthcare consistently ranks us as one of the largest healthcare consulting firms.

Discover why we’ve been trusted by the 10 largest health systems and the 10 largest health insurers in the U.S. Explore our healthcare expertise and contact us to learn more.

Perficient is proud to be included in The Organizational Change Management Services Landscape, Q4 2025 by Forrester. We believe this recognition reflects our continued momentum in helping enterprises navigate complexity, accelerate transformation, and deliver measurable outcomes through strategic change. 

In the report, Perficient is listed as a consultancy with a geographic focus across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, with an industry focus in financial services, healthcare, and utilities.  

Forrester asked each provider included in the Landscape to select the top business scenarios for which clients select them and from there determined which are the extended business scenarios that highlight differentiation among the providers.  Perficient is shown in the report for having selected extended business scenarios including Declining Performance, Process Improvement/Engineering, and Volatility as top reasons clients work with them out of those business scenarios. Perficient believes these are areas where change is not optional, but essential. 

Built to Lead with Change 

Forrester defines organizational change management (OCM) as: 

“A method that companies use to evolve their capabilities via people, process, and technology changes. OCM’s success rests on the organization’s ability to continuously sense and respond to changing requirements in order to generate the scale of change at strategic, operational, and leadership levels.” (The Organizational Change Management Landscape, Q4 2025, Forrester) 

This aligns with our approach at Perficient. We integrate strategy, execution, and innovation to help clients build adaptive organizations that thrive amid disruption. Our change strategies are designed to scale, sustain, and deliver impact across the enterprise. 

AI Is Reshaping Change—and How It’s Managed 

AI is transforming how work gets done and how change is delivered. At Perficient, we take an AI-first approach to change. We’ve helped clients launch AI-powered research platforms, deploy virtual assistants for over 30,000 employees, and define governance frameworks to accelerate the responsible adoption of AI. Our proprietary platform, Envision, connects strategy to execution. Using intelligent tools to assess readiness, identify capability gaps, and prioritize high-impact initiatives. 

We also use AI to streamline how we deliver change. From avatar-based training to multilingual narration, our team leverages AI to move faster and reach broader audiences with precision. 

Human-Centered, Outcome-Focused 

Change fatigue is real. So is the cost of poor execution. That’s why our approach is grounded in empathy, data, and measurable outcomes.  

We help leaders prepare their people to lead in an AI-powered world by: 

• Aligning change strategy with business ambition 

• Assessing impact and readiness across the organization 

• Designing enablement programs that drive adoption 

• Engaging stakeholders with clarity and purpose 

• Communicating change with precision and relevance 

Whether you’re facing declining performance, reengineering processes, or navigating volatility, Perficient is ready to help you lead through change, with purpose and precision. 

Explore the full report to see how we believe Perficient and other providers are shaping the future of organizational change: The Organizational Change Management Services Landscape, Q4 2025

Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. For more information, read about Forrester’s objectivity here . 

Perficient is proud to be included in the IDC ServiceScape: Worldwide and U.S. Microsoft Power Apps Low-Code/No-Code Custom Application Development Services, 2025 (Doc# US53748825 September 2025) report. We believe this inclusion highlights our commitment to helping enterprises accelerate innovation and streamline development through Microsoft Power Platform.

This IDC ServiceScape offers a comprehensive guide on the key capabilities of custom application development service providers using the Microsoft Power Apps low-code/no-code development platform, featuring services from companies including Perficient. The status of each service capability is categorized as fully supported, partially supported, partner provided, road map, or not supported, aiding services buyers in quickly identifying which vendors align with their changing requirements.

Powering Innovation with Microsoft Power Platform

As digital transformation accelerates, low-code/no-code platforms are becoming essential tools for agility and innovation. Perficient is proud to be included in this evolving landscape and remains committed to delivering solutions that drive real business outcomes.

“Our approach to Power Platform is rooted in strategy, scale, and speed. We’re not just building apps—we’re enabling transformation. By combining governance frameworks, multi-shore delivery, and AI-powered experiences, we help clients unlock the full potential of low-code development and drive meaningful business outcomes.” – Eric Schmitt, Director of Microsoft Business Applications.

Perficient offers a comprehensive suite of low-code/no-code services designed to accelerate transformation:

• App modernization programs to migrate legacy systems to Power Platform
• Intelligent automation and rapid RPA migration (e.g., UiPath to Power Automate Desktop)
• Custom Copilot envisioning workshops and enterprise app development
• Governance engagements including CoE setup and citizen developer enablement
• Process mining and lifecycle management
• Multi-shore delivery models with agile development pods and managed services

We’re also increasing investment in Copilot Studio Agents, helping clients build custom functionality and deploy agents within Power Platform environments. Our governance frameworks ensure scalable, secure adoption—whether you’re enabling citizen developers or launching enterprise-wide automation programs.

Learn more about our Power Platform capabilities: Power Platform / Perficient

Perficient is a global digital consultancy with over 7,000 colleagues worldwide, operating as one unified team across North America, LATAM, and India. With deep expertise in industries like Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, and Automotive, we deliver strategic technology solutions that drive measurable outcomes. Our Microsoft practice is backed by more than 25 years of experience and over 250 certified cloud consultants, with strong capabilities in Azure, M365, Dynamics CRM, and Power Platform.

Perficient differentiates through global delivery, scalability, and robust governance. With 95% of our business coming from repeat clients, we’re proud to be a trusted partner in building AI-first, low-code solutions that deliver real business value.

Ready to move from ambition to impact? Let’s define your low-code strategy and build the foundation to lead what’s next.