Deloitte Leads Among Large Integrators, KLAS Finds

In its first look at large system integrators serving U.S. health systems, KLAS reports that Deloitte leads on customer satisfaction while peers show mixed performance, with cost control the dominant driver of outsourcing. The market remains nascent and sample sizes are limited, according to the report.

Deloitte posts the highest overall performance score in the study, and every Deloitte client interviewed said the firm exceeded expectations, citing responsive leadership, breadth of expertise across ERP and integration work, and effective use of onshore/nearshore/offshore models, the report said.

Kyndryl—formed from IBM’s infrastructure services—draws split reviews: one client credits improvements in governance while others cite difficulty realizing value and gaps in healthcare depth; clients say the firm’s scale is an advantage when paired with strong structure.

Accenture receives varied feedback: some organizations find offshore resources cost-effective for non-clinical workloads such as revenue cycle, but others report challenges in complex clinical contexts and rework that erodes savings, the report said.

HCLTech shows the broadest adoption across application, infrastructure, and service desk services and wins praise for flexibility and pricing, yet most interviewed clients describe inconsistent delivery, turnover, and limited innovation that kept the relationship from becoming strategic, according to the report.

Cost Savings and Performance Gains Drive Deals

Reducing labor costs is the top rationale for hiring a large integrator: 78% of respondents report financial savings (23% significant, 46% moderate), and 78% report improved IT performance overall. Even so, the average performance score across measured firms is 72.4 on a 100-point scale, the report said.

Deals are big and complex – most respondents are >1,000-bed health systems, average spend hovers around $5 million annually, and some organizations spend more than $30 million per year. Engagements commonly span years and draw on global delivery for application management, infrastructure, cloud, security, AI/data & analytics, integration, engineering, and service desk support.

What It Takes to Make It Work

KLAS highlights pitfalls and practices familiar to CIOs who have pursued broad outsourcing. At the outset, organizations should align on SLAs, scope, delivery locations, accountability, and ROI expectations; plan for turnover with clear onboarding and documentation; and channel feedback through firm leadership to drive process-level fixes instead of one-off task corrections.

Take it Away

• Large SI outsourcing is chiefly a cost play; 78% report savings.
• Satisfaction varies: Deloitte leads; others are mixed and data are limited.
• Expect multi-year, multi-tower engagements spanning apps, infra, cloud, security, AI/data & analytics, and service desk.
• Lock in SLAs, governance, and turnover plans early to protect ROI.
• Push partners for automation and measurable performance gains beyond “keeping the lights on.”