Measuring clinical return on investment: Lessons from REBA’s Health and Wellbeing Research 2026

How quickly and effectively are employees receiving care? REBA’s content editor Dawn Lewis breaks down new insights from the Health and Wellbeing Research 2026 to show why tracking diagnosis and treatment quality has become a top priority.

In a climate of rising costs, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively and that private medical insurance (PMI) is delivering real value, both in terms of cost and service, is paramount.

Yet a lack of data can obscure the impact and return on investment (ROI) of health initiatives.

A mix of regulatory, technical, and commercial hurdles drives this gap. Strict privacy laws naturally restrict how sensitive health data is handled, while legacy platforms can trap critical information in isolated silos.

Compounding the issue, health and benefit providers often guard their performance metrics, while many organisations simply lack the technology required to aggregate scattered data into actionable insights.

REBA’s Health and Wellbeing Research 2026 found that a third of employers want to access data relating to clinical outcomes linked to claims but cannot access the data.

Just two in 10 respondents to the research (20%) currently use data relating to clinical outcomes.

Measuring clinical return on investment graph.jpg — _{Health and Wellbeing Research 2026}

Why this data matters

REBA’s research found that most employers have a strong handle on the level of claims costs (82% currently, or plan to, use this data) and claims data such as the conditions claimed for (79% currently, or plan to, use this data).

However, much less is known about the outcomes and experiences of those receiving treatment.

Although this data can be challenging to obtain due to privacy reasons, understanding what employees experienced can help to inform return on value (ROV) assessments. This can assess the longer-term, strategic impact, through ‘softer’ data such as employee engagement, talent retention, presenteeism reduction and brand reputation.

Cost will always be a significant driving factor when selecting a PMI provider. However, ensuring good outcomes and experiences should also be considered from an ROV perspective.

How to improve data insights

To address this, employers should identify where data gaps lie and address the causes directly. This may involve working with providers to share clearer, standardised performance metrics; adopting aggregated trend reporting to balance privacy with insight; improving internal communications; or prioritising platforms that facilitate timely feedback and reporting.