AI in Healthcare 2025: Trends, Adoption, and the Evolving Regulatory Landscape

March 11, 2025

AI in Healthcare 2025: Trends, Adoption, and the Evolving Regulatory Landscape

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, healthcare organizations are increasingly exploring its potential to enhance both clinical and administrative workflows.

In an article published in January 2025 in HealthTech Magazine, the authors give an overview of 2025 AI trends they expect to see in healthcare over the coming year.  The article suggests AI adoption will grow, with a focus on tools that deliver tangible value, such as:

  • Ambient listening technology for clinical documentation, and
  • machine vision (adding cameras, sensors and microphones) for patient monitoring.

Generative AI solutions (AI that creates new content such as images and text), particularly those utilizing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), are gaining traction as organizations seek to use chatbots that can access an organization’s information more accurately than in the past. Additionally, the article emphasizes the importance of data governance and IT infrastructure so that they can understand its own data and make it easier for IT teams to know how a solution will work in the organization’s environment. While AI presents transformative opportunities, its successful implementation depends on balancing innovation with regulatory compliance and strategic investment in technologies that address real-world challenges in patient care and operational efficiency.

With increased adoption comes greater scrutiny, prompting a rise in AI-related regulations. The healthcare sector is already seeing regulatory developments such as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s HTI-1 Final Rule, which governs health data and interoperability.

Additionally, organizations are seeking guidance on AI governance to mitigate risks and ensure responsible use. These concerns have driven recent legislative efforts at both the federal and state levels to regulate AI in healthcare. Legislation we have already seen on the federal level include S. 501, which would require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop strategies to address AI-related public health threats, while H.R. 193 directs guidance on Medicare payments for AI-powered devices like continuous glucose monitors.

State legislatures are also taking action.  Examples include Connecticut’s SB 10 and Montana’s HB 556 ensuring AI cannot replace clinical judgment in insurance determinations, and Maryland’s HB 1240 prohibiting AI tools that prioritize cost savings over patient care quality. These measures reflect a growing push to balance AI’s potential benefits with safeguards that maintain ethical and patient-centered healthcare.

For more information, read the full HealthTech Magazine article.

Upcoming Medicare Telehealth Changes: What You Need to Know

March 11, 2025

Upcoming Medicare Telehealth Changes: What You Need to Know

Recent confusion has spread on social media about Medicare’s telehealth coverage, with some falsely claiming that all coverage will end on April 1, 2025. While it is true that Medicare’s expanded telehealth waivers are set to expire on March 31, 2025, telehealth coverage will not disappear entirely.

Additionally, there is a chance that Congress passes a bill to further extend the telehealth waivers before the March 31, 2025, deadline. In fact, the draft Continuing Resolution released on March 8 includes an extension of the telehealth flexibilities through September 30, 2025. However, passage of the continuing resolution is not guaranteed so it is important for providers to be aware of the policy landscape they may face should the telehealth waivers not be extended.

Without Congressional action to extend these waivers, stricter geographic and site restrictions will return, meaning only patients in rural areas and certain medical facilities will qualify for Medicare-covered telehealth.

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Article: The Million-Dollar Question on CFO’s Minds in 2025

March 4, 2025

Article: The Million-Dollar Question on CFO’s Minds in 2025

As hospital and health systems continue to face challenges like rising costs, reimbursement, emerging from COVID-19 margins and potential policy changes, many CFOs are working to find strategies to ensure financial sustainability while maintaining patient care.

While no one has a crystal ball for answers, Becker’s connected with health system CFOs to discuss how solutions like leveraging automation and alternative payment models can help address certain pressures to ensure long-term industry success.

Click Here to Read Full Article

Article: The Other Physician Pipeline Problem

March 4, 2025

Article: The Other Physician Pipeline Problem

The Association of American Medical Colleges reported in 2021 that physicians aged 65 and older accounted for 20% of the active patient care workforce, and those between 55 and 64 years old made up 22%. In 2023, physicians 65 and older were 23.4% of the active clinical workforce.

These data show that more than a third of currently active physicians will reach retirement age within the next decade – if they have not already.

This spells a problem not only for patients but also hospitals, many of which are already operating within tight margins. Failing to replace a vacant physician role can heavily cost an organization.

Click Here to Read Full Article

New JRH Brief Report: “Everything cannot be handled virtually”

February 7, 2025

New JRH Brief Report: “Everything cannot be handled virtually”

This qualitative study assessed internet access and use, barriers, and facilitators to participating in digital health interventions or programs, and the engagement experience in virtual versus in-person health interventions among rural adults and rural cancer survivors.

Conclusions

Findings from this qualitative study provide an in-depth understanding of the intricate experiences of rural adults and rural cancer survivors when engaging with digital health technologies.

Integrating the experiences of rural adults and rural cancer survivors may aid in developing clinical and community-based interventions and policies that support increasing access to digital health services and programs for rural communities.

Click Here to read full report

New JRH Article on Digital Health Technology

February 7, 2025

New JRH Article on Digital Health Technology

The National Journal of Rural Health (JRH) recently published a new article on Medicare telehealth utilization by Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Why Travel Time is Better Indicator of Access than Zip Codes

February 5, 2025

Why Travel Time is Better Indicator of Access than Zip Codes

Patients who travel longer distances to emergency facilities are more likely to present with more severe medical conditions, highlighting travel time as a key indicator of health care access. Additionally, health care leaders look a how organizations can use social determinants of health to reduce disparities in underserved communities.

Click Here to Read “Travel time is better indicator of access than ZIP codes, study suggests”.

Click Here to Read “Reducing Disparities and Promoting Health Equity in Underserved Communities with Social Determinants of Health”.

New JRH Articles on Physical Therapy Utilization and More

February 5, 2025

New JRH Articles on Physical Therapy Utilization and More

The National Rural Health Association’s (NRHA’s) Journal of Rural Health (JRH) published articles on the following topics:

These are the Top 5 Policies to Transform Rural Health

February 5, 2025

These are the Top 5 Policies to Transform Rural Health

As a new administration takes the reins in Washington, the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) is mobilizing to work with policymakers to implement transformative policy changes to improve rural health care and other hospital leaders are also expressing their concerns.

Top 5 Policies to Transform Rural Health

  • Reduce regulator burden on small rural providers.
  • Secure key rural health care programs.
  • Make Medicare Advantage work for rural health care.
  • Stop implementation of payment policies harmful to rural providers.
  • Sustain rural health care infrastructure.

NRHA CEO Alan Morgan has released a statement as a rebuttal to the troublesome findings in a recent OIC report on CAH swing bed reimbursement. We can address the needs of rural communities and their hospitals through direct advocacy.

Click Here to Read “The top 5 policies to transform rural health”.

Click Here to Read “What hospitals want from Donald Trump and the new Congress”.

Click Here to Read “NRHA statement on OIG swing bed report”.

Click Here to Read “Cut swing-bed pay rates to match skilled nursing reimbursement and save billions, OIG tells CMS”.

How Private Equity Reduces Patient Care, Enriches Investors

January 22, 2025

How Private Equity Reduces Patient Care, Enriches Investors

A yearlong bipartisan congressional investigation into two private equity-backed hospital systems found that patient care deteriorated at both operations as their private equity owners reaped significant payouts on their investments in the systems.

Additionally, analysts expect to see hospitals recording modest gains in their operating margins over the coming year. They see encouraging signs with labor pressures easing a bit and improved volumes.

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