---
title: "Specialty Care Steerage: What’s Holding Employers Back?"
description: Explore findings from 121 benefits leaders on hospital costs, surgery, cancer care and infusion therapy, and what employers need to act on specialty care steerage.
---

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# Specialty Care Steerage: What’s Holding Employers Back?

Employers know specialty care costs too much, and they know better-value options exist. But fewer have moved from interest to action.

Lantern surveyed 121 benefits leaders at large employers, together with Health Growth Advisory Network (HGAN), to find out why.

The bottom line: Benefits buyers need proof that they can lower costs without compromising quality or the employee experience.

## Key Findings:

- **Hospital costs:** 65% of benefits leaders aren’t confident their plan gets the best hospital rates, though 93% call managing these costs a priority.
- **Surgery:** Evidence of quality outcomes (55%) and demonstrated cost savings (54%) would do the most to motivate ASC steerage.
- **Cancer care:** Improved clinical outcomes (59%) matter more than cost savings (44%) when leaders consider site-of-care steerage.
- **Infusion therapy:** Only 9% of employers have a point solution, and 31% couldn’t name a single vendor.

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