Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in retail and healthcare is at a turning point. As we move into 2026, those of us leading IT, finance, and operations teams need to understand not only what’s changing with standards like UCC-128/SSCC and HL7 but also how these changes will impact business continuity, compliance, and EDI infrastructure costs. At Nexus VAN, we work with decision makers who are tired of unpredictable EDI fees and want to take advantage of both new technology and transparent pricing without the anxiety often associated with switching providers.
Retail and healthcare historically used very different EDI standards; retail favored UCC-128/SSCC for shipment verification and labeling, while healthcare was built on HL7 for clinical messaging. The pressure to increase data interoperability in both industries is causing these standards to converge and evolve. For IT and EDI leaders, this means that solutions need to support cross-functional integration, faster data exchange, and stricter compliance.
The healthcare sector is seeing broad adoption of FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) APIs, especially in response to regulatory developments like the 21st Century Cures Act and TEFCA. Where HL7 once provided periodic, batch-based data transfers, FHIR opens the door to real-time data sharing and more granular consent management. This move isn't optional. Organizations must be prepared to handle hybrid environments supporting both older HL7 transactions and new FHIR-based integrations during the transition.
Retail EDI standards like UCC-128/SSCC remain crucial for inventory and shipment traceability, but the expectation around these systems is far more demanding. Retailers now need integrated, real-time feeds into their inventory and logistics platforms. It is no longer enough to simply generate barcodes; partners expect shipment updates, exception alerts, and predictive analytics, all driven by accurate and timely EDI data.
As these standards converge, procurement processes have changed. Today, suppliers and providers are filtered out early if their EDI solutions lack native support for the required protocols or cannot be embedded into existing ERP or EHR workflows. We see health systems demanding SMART-on-FHIR modules built straight into their clinical interfaces, and retail partners requiring direct feeds into their demand planning and customer portals. Manual workarounds (like uploading files or awkward portal logins) are increasingly unacceptable.
Healthcare’s move to value-based care drives a need for real-time outcome tracking via EDI integrations that tie together EHRs, labs, pharmacies, and wearable apps. Batch files are giving way to event-driven workflows that react instantly as data arrives. Regulatory changes, especially those focusing on patient consent auditing, mean that your EDI system now needs to maintain a granular, verifiable audit trail for every transmission and consent event.
On the retail side, higher expectations surrounding fulfillment, drop-shipping, and omnichannel strategies put a premium on error-free, instantly available shipment and inventory data flowing through UCC-128/SSCC labels and related transactions.
In this shifting landscape, the true sticking point is economic. Traditional Value Added Network (VAN) providers often hide actual costs behind line items: setup fees, mailbox fees, per-message charges, migration fees, and overage penalties. For years, many of us have felt trapped by opaque pricing and bill shock, especially as volume grows or during busy cycles. These costs often add up to 40-80% more than what a modern, usage-based provider will charge. See also: Understanding EDI VAN Fees.
For many organizations, this means paying for capacity you never use or getting penalized every time your business grows. Our model at Nexus VAN is different: you are billed based on exactly how much data you transmit, counted at the kilo-character level, never rounded up. There are no mailbox, migration, or setup fees. As we discuss in detail here, this approach allows for both seasonal scalability and day-to-day predictability in billing.
If there’s one thing keeping leaders up at night, it’s the perceived risk of migration—lost messages, broken ERP/partner connections, or disruption to core business processes. The truth is, with the right EDI partner and the right technology, these risks can be mitigated through a staged approach:
We recommend breaking migration into distinct phases; this reduces risk and provides time to validate each step:
As described in our blog on demystifying EDI VAN pricing models, this staged approach ensures continuity while driving savings from day one.
To us, 2026 is an inflection point for EDI. New standards, higher expectations, and transparent pricing models mean organizations no longer need to settle for outdated systems or inflated fees. The only barrier left is inertia or fear of migration risk, both of which can be overcome by working with a provider that guarantees migration success and bills fairly, by actual data used.
If you are responsible for financial oversight, IT strategy, or EDI operations, take the next step. Start with an audit of your current costs, protocols, and partner requirements. Compare what you’re actually getting for your EDI spend with what’s possible using a platform designed for today’s retail and healthcare realities. The risk is not in switching, but in waiting until your legacy system becomes a bottleneck or fails to keep pace with compliance and operational demands.
For more granular advice on fees, migration, and regulatory changes, you might also find these resources helpful:
If you want to see firsthand how a risk-free, transparent migration is possible, you can always schedule a demo with our EDI specialists. We respond within one business day and provide a clear, no-nonsense plan tailored to your organization’s current setup and goals.
It’s time to move forward with confidence, reduce your EDI overhead, and prepare for what 2026 will require in both healthcare and retail data exchange. Switch to a solution built for professionals who know exactly what they need and pay only for what they use. Visit Nexus VAN to get started.
