Population aging and data fragmentation are driving a redesign of the healthcare ecosystem. Stefano Novaresi, CEO of Knapp Italia: “Technology alone is not the solution.” Content taken from the July 2026 issue of Forbes Italia. The healthcare sector is undergoing a profound transformation: demographic pressures, budget constraints and technological acceleration demand a radical rethink of the value-creation model.

Optimizing individual processes is no longer enough; the entire ecosystem must be redesigned. As Stefano Novaresi, CEO of Knapp Italia and adjunct professor at Università Cattolica di Milano, points out, “the first true disruption is demographic in nature. Population aging and the surge in chronic diseases are generating structural growth in demand for care.

The most significant signals to emerge so far indicate competitive pressure and demand. For companies, the key issue is not merely volume growth: the quality of revenue, the resilience of the customer portfolio and the sustainability of net margins in the next quarter all matter. In the short term, the decisive lever remains commercial execution: market-entry timing, channels and market selection could make the difference between expansion and margin compression.

As Stefano Novaresi, CEO of Knapp Italia and adjunct professor at Università Cattolica di Milano, points out, “the first true disruption is demographic in nature. Population aging and the surge in chronic diseases are generating structural growth in demand for care. As a result, a system originally designed to manage acute phases must now meet continuous, complex and long-term needs.” In this scenario, prevention remains crucial, but it is still underfunded and poorly integrated into organizational models.

According to Novaresi, intervention still occurs too late far too often, when diseases are already advanced, resulting in higher economic and social costs. This is compounded by growing financial pressure: rising costs, the need to invest in technologies and infrastructure, and public spending constraints. Sustainability therefore requires structural choices and new priorities, not merely incremental adjustments. “Digital transformation can be a decisive lever,” Novaresi continues.