News and Insights
Progress, Partnerships and Patient Experience: Health Technology Predictions for 2025
December 19, 2024
Healthcare is a hard industry to disrupt. Many of the world’s biggest global brands have tried to improve clinical and financial outcomes from the inside-out. These brands wrongly hypothesized that a strategy working well for consumers would surely improve patient care.
But this approach has been largely unsuccessful. There are many examples of failure. Here’s why.
- The delivery and payment of health services is highly nuanced, deeply regulated and cemented in best practices.
- Patients are not products and attempts to treat them as such tend to fail spectacularly.
- Healthcare is lifesaving, not trendsetting.
- Our goal is to save lives versus sell consumer goods.
- Success is measured by health status improved, not orders placed.
There are many changes ahead for healthcare in 2025. Regulatory uncertainty is troubling while technology advancements offer promise to address the inefficiencies of our fragmented and imperfect healthcare system. Here are three health technology developments that could redefine the future.
Promise #1: Progress in Technology
Technological advancements in 2024 laid the groundwork for further innovation in 2025. Practical application of nascent technologies such as AI, machine learning (ML) and robotic process automation (RPA) yield demonstrable improvements in staff productivity, time to diagnosis, and administrative processes.
According to executives from TruBridge, a consultant and health IT services provider, there’s $9.8 billion in potential savings through AI-powered automation in the revenue cycle. In 2024 alone, the industry witnessed productivity improvements to eliminate costly manual processes and battle payer denials.
Another industry study by Sage Growth Partners adds that 67 percent of respondents will use AI for denials prevention, 65 percent to automate clinical coding and 51 percent to improve charge capture. Real-time dashboards and data visualization analytics will further enhance these capabilities.
But the business side of healthcare isn’t the only area planning for technology advancements in 2025. AI will continue to be a transformative force with clinical AI the next top priority for most healthcare executives.
One vendor, AdaptX, increased surgery capacity by 150,000 operating room minutes without changing staffing while cardiologists at UCSD used AI technology to identify previously undiagnosed cases of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the number one cause of cardiovascular disease in people under the age of 35.
Promise #2: Progress in Partnerships
Healthcare mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations are likely to rise in 2025, driven by a business-friendly administration and a growing realization among health IT vendors that no single company can do it all. Providers are expanding locations and services to grow market share, while vendors pursue partnerships to fill capability gaps. These dynamics suggest a surge in strategic alliances across the sector.
One illustration is a 2024 business partnership between CereCore, a health IT management services firm, and FinThrive, a revenue cycle technology platform company, to assess technology adoption in the healthcare revenue cycle. The partnership, in collaboration with the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), helps health systems evaluate their use of revenue cycle technology, identify investment needs and benchmark their performance. CereCore provides the consulting expertise while FinThrive navigates the complexities of revenue cycle technology selection and implementation.
Partnerships between large, global technology companies and rural healthcare providers also bring potential to solve traditional healthcare challenges. Microsoft and Google initiatives to help rural hospitals defend against cybersecurity attacks are valuable examples.
Promise #3: Progress in Patient Experience
In 2025, health systems remain focused on improving patient experiences by mirroring consumer expectations. Health systems are working diligently to mimic the consumer experience during every healthcare encounter. This includes front-end scheduling and registration, in-room conveniences and post-discharge online payment options.
The 2024 Digital Health Most Wired Trends Report released by the College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME) reiterated the importance of patient experience and engagement. This technology category averaged an 8.6 maturity score across the 48,000 U.S. healthcare facilities surveyed reflecting a strong industry focus on keeping patient digitally connected.
Ohio Health, which uses Vibe by eVideon, highlighted their patient-satisfaction gains in a recent discussion with Becker’s Healthcare.
- Smart room technology doesn’t just cover one thing. It’s patient experience and it’s a staff satisfier.
- Patients can stream content, video call family, and access educational materials, giving them more control over their stay.
– Virtual nurse support through Caregility, a Vibe Health business partner, ensures seamless, round-the-clock care.
Meanwhile, patient portals continue to evolve, offering better tools for engagement and empowerment. Patient engagement and empowerment solutions from TruBridge, MRO’s partnership with Banner Health, and CereCore’s patient portal support services provide a few salient examples. These type of success stories prove that patient experience maters and progress is being made.
Hope for 2025: Will Progress Promises Come True?
Over the past three decades in healthcare, I’ve seen major strides in cost reductions, operational efficiency and patient outcomes. Yet, whether 2025 delivers on today’s promises remains to be seen.
To track progress, check out the FINN Voices podcast, with regular episodes available on our website and Healthcare NOW Radio.
I’m proud to have spent my career supporting the professionals who make a difference every day in this vital industry.
POSTED BY: Beth Friedman
