For the third consecutive year, Fortune has named Sanford Health to its list of “America’s Most Innovative Companies.” The 2025 list honors 300 companies who do business in the United States.
Sanford Health is the only South Dakota or North Dakota-based company recognized on the list, which includes businesses from a multitude of sectors. Out of the 300 companies honored by Fortune, 63 are in health care — more than any other sector — 35 of which are health systems. Other health care companies and organizations named to the list include Johnson & Johnson, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Pfizer and Henry Ford Health System, among others.
“Sanford Health is grateful to once again be included among the most innovative companies in the United States — an honor that is only made possible by our dedicated caregivers and employees,” said Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health. “Our teams have embraced a culture of innovation — this idea that we need to be open to reimagining how we deliver care and how we get our work done if we truly want to solve some of the most pressing issues facing health care today, including access, quality and sustainability. By harnessing the full promise of technology, we are enhancing the patient experience, supporting the well-being of our people and strengthening recruitment and retention.”
Innovative in virtual care
Last fall, Sanford Health opened the Sanford Virtual Care Center in Sioux Falls, the hub of its $350 million virtual care initiative. The initiative includes an education institute with a simulation center, an innovation center with accelerator spaces to co-develop solutions for the future of care delivery, as well as a patient and family experience lab designed like a living room to test new tools and technologies.
Sanford Health plans to expand an ambient AI documentation tool to an additional 200 clinicians after a successful pilot that began last July with 100 clinicians. Among users, the tool has helped increase clinician satisfaction to 90%, with 95% reporting reduced mental strain. It has also played a key role in retention with 80% reporting they are more than likely to continue practicing in the field.
Sanford Health leaders have been at the forefront of the industry effort to develop voluntary standards for the use of AI tools in health care. Gassen was one of 28 initial health care executives to voluntarily sign a pledge that emphasizes the need to ensure AI is safe and responsible.
The ranking by Fortune is informed by scores based on three dimensions, each weighted equally: product innovation, process innovation and innovation culture. Each of these categories accounts for a third of a company’s total score. Fortune partnered with Statista for the development of the ranking.
Learn more
- Sanford opens virtual care center as rural health hub
- Physician leader passionate about tech, AI and transformation
- Doctor predicts AI’s transition ‘from hype to help’
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Posted In Awards & Recognition, Company News, Innovations, News, Virtual Care
