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Fitness operators have grown revenue by selling premium amenities and memberships, but a new industry report argues that measurable health outcomes could become another source of income. Consumer interest and healthcare payment models point to an opportunity, though the evidence, costs and business arrangements needed to make it work remain uncertain.
Fitness operators are exploring whether they can turn measurable health outcomes into a revenue stream, as members seek evidence that services improve their health and healthcare buyers increasingly tie payments to results. An Athletech News report frames this as a possible next step for an industry that has already grown revenue through premium memberships and recovery amenities.
The report points to financial and membership data as evidence that consumers already pay for expanded fitness experiences. Life Time reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $866 million, up 13.7%, while membership grew 1.2%, according to the report. It says Planet Fitness’s Black Card share rose from 62.6% in 2021 to 68% today. YMCA operators have also signed up members for paid recovery add-ons.
Rony Sellam, CEO of health technology company InsideTracker, says the next challenge is showing that services deliver results beyond fitness and performance. The report says growing interest in health data may create an opening: wearable ownership has risen from 13% in 2015 to 46% today, and Quest Diagnostics expects its consumer testing business to grow 20% to 30% in 2027, reaching $250 million.
InsideTracker’s Terra platform is presented in the report as one way to combine biological, physiological, genetic and fitness data into individualized guidance. That is a company’s description of its offering; the material provided does not independently establish the platform’s effectiveness or show that gyms using such tools have generated healthcare revenue from measured outcomes.
From Membership Fees to Health Contracts
If fitness operators can demonstrate health improvements with credible measures, they may be able to sell services to employers, insurers or healthcare providers, as well as to individual members. That would broaden the business beyond facility access, classes and optional amenities. Healthcare buyers could also create new expectations: attendance and satisfaction data may show that a service is being used, while buyers may ask for clinical measures such as blood pressure or HbA1c.
The stakes include both a possible new market and a higher bar for evidence. A gym has recurring contact with members and may already collect activity data, but connecting those services to health changes requires reliable measurement and a clear account of what caused the change. A service that supports a member’s wellbeing does not, by itself, prove a clinical outcome or qualify for a performance-based payment.
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A Growing Push for Measurable Care
The report places the opportunity against a strong participation backdrop. It says 81 million Americans belonged to a gym, studio or fitness facility in 2025, equal to 26.1% of the population aged six and older. Members made nearly 7 billion visits, and the reported rate of never-shows fell to an all-time low of 4.6%.
Healthcare purchasing is also shifting toward results-based arrangements. The report says 44.9% of U.S. healthcare payments flow through arrangements tied to results rather than services. It cites CMS’s ACCESS model, which ties payments for technology-supported chronic care to measurable outcomes, and MAHA ELEVATE, which is testing evidence-based preventive care approaches that include physical activity. These developments suggest potential routes into prevention and chronic disease management, but the report does not establish that fitness operators are already participating at scale.
For operators, the proposed shift follows a period of investment in amenities such as cold plunges, red light therapy and recovery lounges. Sellam argues these features can be copied by competitors, while evidence of individualized results could offer a different form of differentiation. That is his assessment of the market, not a demonstrated guarantee that outcomes programs will outperform amenity sales.
“The industry has already answered the question of whether consumers will pay more for a better experience. The next question is how they show the next generation of services is moving the needle beyond better fitness and performance, and delivering measurable results in other areas of health and wellbeing.”
— Rony Sellam, CEO of InsideTracker
Evidence and Business Models Still Unsettled
The report describes an opportunity, not an established fitness industry revenue model. It does not provide examples of operators earning payments from insurers or employers specifically for clinical outcomes, nor does it quantify the cost of collecting and validating the necessary data. Which outcomes buyers will accept, how long they will take to measure and who will pay for testing and technology are still unclear.
It is also uncertain how operators would protect sensitive health information, integrate it with existing member systems and distinguish the effects of fitness services from other factors such as medication, diet or clinical care. The source material describes InsideTracker’s platform and its approach, but does not include independent evidence sufficient to assess the platform’s results or commercial performance.
Watch for Pilot Results and Contracts
The next signs of progress would be specific partnerships or pilot programs that disclose their measures, payment terms and results. Fitness operators and healthcare buyers would need to show how they define an outcome, verify it over time and handle member data. Further details about CMS’s ACCESS model and MAHA ELEVATE may clarify whether and how physical activity providers can take part.
Until those details emerge, the near-term question is whether operators can turn rising interest in health testing and data into paid services while providing evidence that buyers consider credible. The report identifies that possibility; it does not show that the revenue stream has been proven.
Key Questions
What is the proposed new revenue source for fitness operators?
The report says operators may be able to sell or support services tied to measurable health outcomes, potentially for members, employers or healthcare buyers. It presents this as an opportunity, not an established revenue stream.
Why might healthcare buyers be interested?
The report says more healthcare payments are tied to results and cites federal initiatives focused on measurable outcomes and preventive care. Buyers may want evidence beyond attendance or satisfaction, including clinical measures such as blood pressure or HbA1c.
Are fitness companies already being paid for clinical results?
The source material does not establish that fitness operators are receiving such payments at scale. It describes possible routes into healthcare contracts and the evidence requirements those arrangements may involve.
What remains uncertain about this approach?
It is not yet clear which measures buyers will accept, how programs will attribute changes to fitness services, what data protections will be used or whether the revenue will cover the cost of testing and technology.
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