A new year brings with it opportunity, change and sometimes apprehension. The healthcare industry approaches 2025 with cautious optimism — approximately 60 percent of industry leaders have a favorable outlook.
Many healthcare executives are focusing on enhancing patient engagement, trust and experience. Half of health plan executives and 55 percent of those at health systems recognize the need to build stronger patient relationships. Roughly 53 percent of healthcare executives have prioritized improving efficiencies and productivity, while 65 percent want to develop growth strategies amid rising costs and a focus on patient access to affordable care.
With these new goals and initiatives, however, come many of the same problematic issues that plagued the healthcare industry in 2024, including staffing shortages and the risk of cybercrime. That’s why balancing cost management with quality patient care is crucial as we look at the top five trends shaping the healthcare industry in 2025.
1. Combating Rising Healthcare Costs
Rising healthcare costs have persisted over the past decade, and 2025 is not projected to be any different. The healthcare system is experiencing one of the highest levels of medical cost growth, projected to reach its peak in 13 years. This surge is driven by multiple factors, such as inflation for supplies and labor, increased drug spending and a growing demand for mental health services.
Embracing automation through AI tools enables healthcare practices to lower expenses by streamlining tasks and enhancing operational efficiency. And, automating routine tasks allows healthcare providers to reduce their administrative burdens and focus more on patient care, leading to cost-effective care delivery. Integrating AI into healthcare has already been shown to lead to better, faster and lower-cost healthcare, with nearly half of health systems seeing increased revenue from AI tools.
2. Increasing Access to Care
Access to quality healthcare remains a big obstacle for many individuals, with about one in four consumers stating that they skipped or postponed getting the care they needed in the past year because of cost. More than 77 percent of healthcare leaders report delays in care due to increased waiting lists for appointments, longer waiting times for treatments or procedures and limited access to screening, diagnosis and preventive care.
To address these challenges, the healthcare industry is shifting toward more AI-powered tools and strategies that enhance patients’ access and convenience. Many patients prefer these resources, with 70 percent of healthcare consumers citing access, which includes convenience, digital interaction and customer service, as a top factor in selecting a new provider.
According to the American Hospital Association (AHA), a top reason for patients to switch providers is ease of navigation within the healthcare system. The AI solutions that promote improved navigation also allow healthcare providers to target hard-to-reach demographic groups to enhance engagement and improve overall access to care.
3. Continued Staffing Shortages
Staffing shortages continue to plague the healthcare industry, with experts predicting a shortage of about 100,000 critical healthcare workers by 2028. This shortage impacts patient care, as two out of three nurses report being assigned too many patients and 88 percent of these healthcare professionals express concern about the detrimental effects on patient care.
The 2024 Philips Future Health Index report showed that 92 percent of surveyed healthcare leaders think automation is critical for addressing staff shortages by automating repetitive tasks and processes. Agentic AI, for example, can handle many common patient inbound and outbound calls, reducing the administrative burden on staff. This allows healthcare providers to spend more time on direct patient care, improving both efficiency and patient outcomes.
4. Expanding Mental Health Services
The demand for mental health services has surged, especially post-COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for accessible care. One in five adults in the United States lives with a mental illness, yet fewer than half receive treatment.
Even those open to going to therapy face a shortage of mental health professionals — there are 350 individuals for every one such provider. Approximately 122 million people in the United States live in areas lacking sufficient mental health providers, exacerbating access issues, which lead to longer wait times.
Agentic AI is emerging as a powerful tool to alleviate pressures on mental health services. By automating routine administrative tasks, such as appointment scheduling and addressing commonly asked questions, agentic AI enables mental health practitioners to focus more on direct patient care. This not only improves efficiency but also enhances the overall quality of care provided.
Agentic AI can also provide timely reminders for medication adherence and upcoming appointments, ensuring patients stay on track with their treatment plans. These AI tools support mental health professionals in delivering effective care while managing the increasing demand for services.
5. Enhancing Cybersecurity
In the digital age, enhancing cybersecurity in healthcare is paramount. In 2024, over 165 million individuals were affected by 557 large incidents, with the average cost of a healthcare data breach reaching $9.77 million.
Sixty percent of health system executives and 50 percent of those heading health plans report that their organizations are focusing on cybersecurity enhancements for 2025. To mitigate the risk of cybercrime, healthcare practices must adopt rigorous access control measures and ensure patient data is encrypted during storage and transmission. Regular staff training on data protection protocols is also essential to minimize human error risks.
AI’s Impact on the Healthcare Industry
As these five trends indicate, AI is expected to markedly enhance operational efficiency in 2025 within the healthcare industry. The technology has the potential to make substantial progress toward making healthcare more personalized, preventative, and interactive. Almost 85 percent of top executives believe it will give their organizations a competitive edge.
A Becker’s Healthcare survey among healthcare leaders points to AI’s popularity in the industry: five out of 10 survey participants on average indicated their patients are using AI-based tools for patient engagement; roughly two-thirds said their organizations have experienced greater patient satisfaction; half have seen higher levels of staff satisfaction; and nearly half have seen increased revenue.
Implementing AI in healthcare operations can lead to an approximate 30 percent boost in productivity. Agentic AI specifically helps reduce the administrative burden on physicians’ staff by offering 24/7 support to patients, handling common patient interactions and conducting automated patient outreach, thereby allowing them to focus on more complex inquiries and spend more time on patient care.
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