Healthcare has no shortage of challenges and technologies for CIOs and other health IT leaders at hospitals and health systems to wrap their arms around. And 2025 will be a year with all kinds of change and trends that come with the ongoing evolution of healthcare and health IT.

Russ Graney is founder and CEO of Aidin, a care management platform vendor. Healthcare IT News decided to tap his deep health IT expertise and ask him for trends and technologies healthcare executives should be on the lookout for next year.

He identified the "real" AI revolution, what he called the "great tech reckoning" and the emergence of care management tech as a supply chain powerhouse.

Q. You suggest the "real" AI revolution in healthcare will continue to take place behind the scenes in 2025. Please elaborate. 

A. The much-anticipated AI revolution in healthcare has often centered on clinical advancements – AI-powered diagnostics, predictive analytics, and even AI "doctors" assisting in life-or-death decision-making.

Yet, despite the buzz, 2025 will mark another year where AI's true transformative power operates quietly in the background, reshaping the operational backbone of health systems. This "real" AI revolution is not flashy but foundational, addressing the complex operational challenges that underpin patient care and system efficiency.

Healthcare operations, unlike clinical decision-making, offer an immediate and measurable return on investment for AI adoption. Tools that automate administrative, error-prone processes – like managing payer-provider transactions or optimizing patient transitions – are gaining traction and delivering tangible outcomes. 

For example, systems like St. Luke's University Health Network already use AI to streamline patient discharges to post-acute care. These tools eliminate manual inefficiencies, reducing delays and helping to ensure patients receive the right care at the right time. Health systems that adopt this technology will have smoother workflows, enhanced patient outcomes, and be better equipped to navigate growing financial and operational pressures.

This quiet revolution may lack the drama of AI diagnosing rare diseases, but it is no less impactful. It enables healthcare to work better for everyone – patients, providers and payers alike – by addressing the systemic inefficiencies that have long plagued the industry. In 2025, AI's true value will lie not in transforming medicine but in transforming the mechanics of care delivery.

Q. You say there will be a "great tech reckoning" in healthcare in 2025. What do you mean? And what will be the implications for hospitals and health systems?

A. Hospitals and health systems will face mounting pressure to reassess their digital investments in 2025 in what could be considered a "great tech reckoning." This reckoning stems from two converging forces: the relentless demand for cost reduction and a new wave of forward-thinking leaders determined to modernize healthcare operations.

While digital transformation has been a healthcare buzzword for years, 2025 will separate the winners from the rest as organizations are forced to double down on technology that delivers measurable outcomes and abandon systems that fail to meet the mark.

This shift will redefine how healthcare organizations approach technology. Hospitals will no longer tolerate tools that complicate workflows or fail to demonstrate a clear ROI. Instead, the focus will be on platforms that enable consistent, reportable and efficient processes across departments – from care management to finance to compliance.

This means eliminating fragmented systems in favor of interoperable systems that reduce labor costs and enhance staff efficiency. The implications are significant: organizations that embrace this technology-driven pragmatism will emerge stronger, more resilient and better positioned to navigate future challenges.

This reckoning is both a challenge and an opportunity for hospitals and health systems. It's a chance to shed outdated, underperforming technologies and invest in platforms that truly drive operational and financial success.

Partnering with trusted, innovative vendors will be critical, as will embracing change management as a core competency. Ultimately, the great tech reckoning of 2025 will reward health systems that prioritize agility, efficiency and impact.

Q. Care management will emerge as healthcare's supply chain powerhouse in 2025, you predict. How so?

A. Care management, long viewed as a behind-the-scenes function, is poised to emerge as healthcare's supply chain powerhouse in 2025. Often underestimated, these teams are critical in coordinating patient care transitions, securing necessary resources and managing billions of dollars in annual spending. Yet, their potential has been hamstrung by fragmented processes and inefficient workflows.

That is about to change.

In 2025, care management has the opportunity to transition from its current "hunt-and-peck" approach to a marketplace-driven model enabled by advanced technology. Platforms facilitating real-time connections between care teams and high-quality providers will streamline patient transitions and reduce delays.

By leveraging these tools, hospitals can achieve faster discharges, lower readmissions and shorter lengths of stay – key metrics that directly impact both patient outcomes and financial performance. For example, incentivizing providers with transparent, quality-based metrics will create a more competitive ecosystem, ensuring patients receive the best possible care while reducing the administrative burden on care teams.

This transformation positions care management as more than just a logistical function – it becomes the linchpin of healthcare efficiency. By acting as the "supply chain" for patient care, these teams will drive operational excellence and improve the overall patient experience. As health systems embrace this shift, care management will cement its rightful role as a strategic driver of both clinical and financial success in 2025 and beyond.

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