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Health IT Conference Season Fall 2025: Insights, Themes and Tech Progress

November 10, 2025

TL;DR

Fall is a busy season for health IT conferences and events. This article summarizes one health IT expert's observations of important technology advancements in 2025 across hospitals, health systems and physician practices as discussed during three key health industry events: Becker's Healthcare, Georgia HIMSS, and AHIMA.

A Dynamic Health IT Conference Season

As a health technology industry veteran and communications leader, the fall conference circuit is always a rapid-fire series of events. Fall 2025, which included the Becker's 10th Annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Conference, Georgia HIMSS 2025 Annual Conference, and the AHIMA25 Conference, was no exception.

While each event caters to different healthcare stakeholders, the core themes driving health IT today were remarkably consistent, and the energy and investment behind these trends were palpable.

This moment reminds me of the 2010s surge in EHR adoption, but this new wave of technology feels fundamentally different. It is characterized by a coordinated, responsible effort to relieve clinician and administrative burdens. 2025 technology investments also directly align with organizational missions and must demonstrate a clear return on investment (ROI). Practical advice-how to achieve results and how to "fail fast" when AI solutions fail to scale-was an essential component of every discussion.

Here is my summary of the three dominant trends and two critical conversations that took place largely behind the scenes.

Three Consistent Themes Driving Health IT Progress

1. The Immediate and Growing Impact of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was undoubtedly the dominant theme across the fall lineup. The focus has moved past the question of 'if' or 'when' AI will arrive, settling firmly on rapid, proven progress and 'proof of value.' Nearly every educational session featured a provider sharing verifiable outcomes from AI and other emerging technologies.

• Operational Optimization: AI is now integral in operational areas like prior authorization, claims management, and clinical coding. The revenue cycle is clearly identified as a "gold mine" for AI and Large Language Model (LLM) use cases, with automated coding and medical records retrieval delivering measurable improvements in efficiency and revenue capture.
• Shifting Clinician Dynamics: For AI adoption to succeed, it must be embraced by physicians. Where EHRs were often considered a mandated burden, AI is increasingly a desired tool (especially ambient clinical documentation). Successful deployment relies on relieving administrative tasks and reducing cognitive burden for physicians through intelligent, digitized workflows.

2. The Ongoing Challenge of Data Management and Governance

The value of AI is only as strong as the data it's built upon, which places a renewed and urgent emphasis on strategic data management. Every AI session reiterated the need for clean, accurate, and relevant clinical data.

• The Data Foundation: Implementing new health IT requires urgent and strategic attention to legacy data. Data quality is not optional; it is the essential fuel for both go-forward EHRs and new AI applications.
• Governing Access and Privacy: A persistent tension remains in balancing patient privacy (guided by HIPAA guardrails) with the necessity of data exchange and access. Data silos are universally seen as the "enemy of progress," and leaders must continuously refine governance models to enable necessary sharing without compromising patient security.
• Eliminating Manual Workflows: Despite the advancements in AI, process digitization remains a vital focus. Laborious, manual workflows (such as digitizing faxes) still degrade operational efficiency, underscoring that significant progress is still needed in core administrative areas.

3. EHR Investments Continue to Evolve Strategically

Health system CIOs continue to focus on maximizing their existing EHR investment, positioning it as the foundation for the next generation of tools.

• Strategic Role of the EHR: A key challenge is the strategic decision of which legacy data to integrate or archive-a choice that now directly impacts the viability of advanced analytics and downstream AI applications.
• Adaptive Workflows and Governance: Clinical workflows-both within and outside the EHR-must evolve dynamically, driven by rising digital maturity and AI integration. Consequently, governance strategies must also expand beyond traditional IT security to encompass the ethical and responsible use of these new automation tools.

Two Critical Conversations Happening Behind the Scenes

While the three themes above consistently dominated the main stage, I noted two conversations that often played out in private meetings or smaller, off-schedule sessions.

Reimbursement Uncertainty

Reimbursement challenges were top of mind for most senior-level attendees. From rural hospitals to large academic institutions, the current risks facing Medicaid and Exchange programs are having a significant impact on technology buying trends and new organizational investments. This financial pressure forces leaders to scrutinize every dollar spent while strengthening financial protections in areas such as purchasing, patient engagement, and payer denial prevention and management.

The Long Slog of Interoperability

Interoperability was also a subdued conversation this fall. This quiet tone persists despite the launch of new administration initiatives, such as the Digital Health Ecosystem initiative in July 2025, where over 60 companies and providers pledged to work towards better clinical data sharing.

The new Interoperability Framework represents the current administration's push for progress, but it feels more like a reminder to continue a decades-long journey rather than a completely new roadmap for health IT.

With several critical deadlines for industry participants expected in the first quarter of 2026, perhaps this topic has become an industry "given" rather than a new, shiny object to chase. Most health IT vendors have been engaged in the long slog of interoperability work for years, making it foundational, not fashionable.

The Forward March of Health IT

My time at these three events left a clear and unified takeaway: The future of health technology is here, powered by intelligent data and AI. We've collectively moved past the 'potential' of AI and are fully focused on proven progress with tangible use cases.

The key message from Fall 2025 is clear: Digital maturity is no longer optional-it's the engine of modern healthcare delivery.

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POSTED BY: Beth Friedman