HRET's goal is to advance ideas and practices beneficial to health care practitioners, institutions, consumers, and society at large. Its principal activities focus on identifying, exploring, demonstrating, and evaluating key strategic health care issues affecting innovative health care delivery systems, educating the field about the implications of changing health policies and developing strategies for community health improvement.

Through its affiliation with the American Hospital Association, HRET accesses valuable resources, data and thought leadership, yet maintains the autonomy needed to examine issues independently and objectively. HRET's independent board and partners contribute significantly to the "brain trust" established at HRET.