Interview with Borja Sangrador, Partner, EY-Parthenon Spain, Head of Healthcare & Life Sciences, Strategy and Transactions Coordinator for Europe-West
EY is actively involved in the organisation of the European Private Hospital Awards. What is EY’s involvement in Spain and Europe in the health sector?
Through our four integrated service lines: Assurance, Consulting, EY-Parthenon transactions, and Tax with a network of c.20.000 professionals, with deep sector knowledge, we help our clients capitalize on new opportunities and assess and manage risk to deliver responsible growth.
Our multidisciplinary teams bring deep expertise, digital and transformation capabilities, and proactive insight to unlock new value, ensuring that growth is both sustainable and inclusive through tech-enabled transformation.
EY has a long-standing commitment to supporting the transformation of the healthcare ecosystem in Spain and across Europe. Our teams are deeply embedded in the sector working side by side with hospital operators, healthcare investors, insurers, regulators and public authorities to improve the quality and efficiency of the system.
In Spain, EY has become a trusted partner for both the public and private sector, supporting them through strategic and operational transformations, digital innovation, efficiency improvement and achieving an optimized patient care model.
We work along the entire value chain: Payers, pharmaceutical companies, MedTech, outpatient and diagnostic networks, occupational health providers and long-term care organizations, helping them address challenges such as workforce shortages, increasing patient expectations, and the need for greater operational efficiency.
At the European level, EY collaborates with ministries of health, private hospital associations and pan-European providers to define new models of care, enhance efficiency through data and technology, and ensure that health systems remain financially viable while meeting rising expectations for quality and access.
EY supports healthcare establishments to ensure they are prepared for future challenges. What are the main issues affecting the healthcare industry today?
The healthcare sector is at a crossroads. Across Europe, providers are under unprecedented pressure to deliver more care to more people, with constrained resources. The main issues can be grouped into five structural themes:
- Demographic and epidemiological pressure.
Populations are ageing rapidly, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions are becoming dominant. This is driving up demand for long-term and complex care while reducing the available workforce. - Human capital and workforce sustainability.
Recruiting, training and retaining healthcare professionals has become one of the greatest challenges. Burnout, ageing staff, and competition from other sectors are creating critical shortages that affect service continuity and quality. - Financial and operational sustainability.
Hospitals are facing rising input costs —energy, pharmaceuticals, salaries— while reimbursement models often fail to reflect true cost structures. Investment needs for digitalisation, infrastructure renewal and ESG compliance further tighten margins. - Digital and data maturity gaps.
Despite the rapid acceleration of digital health during COVID-19, many institutions still struggle with fragmented systems, lack of interoperability, and data that cannot easily be translated into actionable insights. - Evolving patient expectations and societal responsibility.
Patients are more informed and more demanding than ever before. They expect transparency, convenience, and personalised care —while also calling for healthcare systems that are environmentally and socially responsible.
All these factors make it essential for healthcare organisations to rethink how they are governed, financed and operated. Preparing for the future means transforming traditional hospital-centric models into integrated, digitally-enabled ecosystems of care.
At EY we are fully committed to supporting this transformation. Our claim is “shaping the future with confidence”, that also applies to the healthcare sector
What are the key technological innovations, challenges and solutions likely to drive innovation that healthcare institutions should focus on today?
Technology is the cornerstone of the next era of healthcare. Yet innovation must be purpose-driven, focused on enabling more predictive, personalized and efficient care models, rather than adopting technology for its own sake.
Several transformative trends are reshaping the healthcare landscape:
- Artificial Intelligence and advanced analytics are enhancing clinical decision-making, diagnostic accuracy, and operational efficiency. AI-powered tools can detect patterns invisible to the human eye, support triage and resource allocation, and improve administrative productivity.
- Genomics and precision medicine are unlocking a new frontier of patient-specific care. Advances in genetic sequencing, molecular diagnostics, and bioinformatics are allowing physicians to tailor prevention, diagnosis and treatment to each individual’s genetic profile. This includes identifying genetic predispositions to disease, optimising pharmacological responses, and guiding oncology and rare disease management. The integration of genomics into clinical pathways will be a defining factor in the shift from reactive to predictive healthcare.
- Drug innovation and personalized therapeutics, where breakthroughs in genomics, cell and gene therapy, and AI-driven drug discovery are radically changing the pace and precision of pharmaceutical development. Hospitals and research networks are increasingly involved in adaptive clinical trials, companion diagnostics, and real-world evidence generation —creating a virtuous cycle between care delivery and scientific progress.
- Telemedicine and hybrid care pathways are extending access, reducing waiting times, and enabling continuous monitoring through connected devices and remote patient management.
- Automation and robotics are improving precision and safety in surgery, laboratory workflows, and hospital logistics —while also freeing up human resources for higher-value clinical activities.
- Interoperable data ecosystems and digital health records are essential to integrate genetic, clinical and behavioural data, enabling a holistic view of the patient and advancing research in population health.
- Sustainability and green hospital technologies are supporting the sector’s commitment to environmental responsibility, from energy-efficient infrastructures to smart materials and circular procurement models.
However, the true challenge is not only technological adoption, but strategic integration —embedding these capabilities into care models, governance structures and clinical culture. Successful institutions will be those that can:
- Build strong data governance frameworks ensuring security and ethical use of genetic and clinical data.
- Invest in digital and genomic literacy across their workforce.
- Foster partnerships between clinicians, data scientists and technology providers.
- Align innovation with patient trust and regulatory compliance.
Ultimately, the convergence of AI, data and genomics will define the future of healthcare —one where prevention, diagnosis and treatment are increasingly personalised, proactive and precise.
To conclude, how has EY’s experience been as a partner in the European Private Hospital Awards (EPHA), and what value do you see in supporting this initiative?
Our partnership with the European Private Hospital Awards has been an inspiring experience. The Awards represent a celebration of excellence and innovation within Europe’s private healthcare community, a community that plays an essential role in complementing public health systems, investing in innovation, and ensuring access and choice for patients.
Through the EPHA, EY has had the opportunity to engage with visionary leaders, share best practices, and recognise the organisations that are setting benchmarks for the sector’s future, from digital transformation and sustainability to patient experience and workforce engagement.
We see immense value in supporting initiatives like this because they reinforce a collective sense of purpose: to make healthcare more sustainable, more digital, and more human.
Ultimately, EY’s involvement reflects our broader ambition: to help build a healthier, more resilient Europe, where every organisation is equipped to deliver the highest quality of care in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
“Healthcare transformation is not just about technology or efficiency —it’s about people. At EY, we believe in empowering healthcare organisations to innovate while staying true to their mission: improving lives. Partnering with the European Private Hospital Awards allows us to celebrate and learn from those who are already leading this transformation to shape the future with confidence” — Borja Sangrador, Partner, EY-Parthenon – Health & Life Sciences, Spain
