In much of the country, the snow is melting, daffodils are poking through the turf, and the days are getting longer. Meanwhile in Vegas, the HIMSS25 exhibitors’ booths have been packed up and shipped home. Time to sort those leads and file those expense reports!
Now, with healthcare’s major winter conferences concluded, we take a look back and review what’s on the minds of healthcare industry pundits at HIMSS25.
(Spoiler Alert: Yes, incredibly, there was some discussion of AI.)
In this “from the HIMSS25 show floor” episode of Tell Me Where IT Hurts, host Dr. Jay Anders catches up with:
- Sandra Johnson, SVP of Client Services at Clinicomp
- Ben Scharfe, EVP of Artificial Intelligence at Altera Digital Health
- Tim O’Connell, CEO at Emtelligent
- Steven Lane, Chief Medical Officer at Health Gorilla
- Greg Miller, VP of Marketing & Business Development at Carta Healthcare
Together, they take short, deep dives into emerging and evolving industry trends, conference takeaways, and what’s happening in healthcare technology today, including:
- AI has shifted from the “year of education” (2024) to the “year of implementation” (2025)
- Current AI accuracy levels (~80%) are insufficient for critical healthcare decisions, prompting emphasis on “human in the loop” designs
- Healthcare organizations are focusing on lower-risk AI applications first to build organizational capability before tackling higher-risk use cases
- Ambient listening for automated documentation is emerging as one of the first widely accepted AI applications in clinical settings
- The average hospital generates approximately 6.5 petabytes of data daily—nearly as much as Netflix’s global operations
- 78% of healthcare data exists as unstructured notes, with AI showing promise in extracting and structuring this information
- HTI-1 regulations treat all AI applications with the same level of scrutiny regardless of risk level, creating implementation challenges
- Interoperability networks are now exchanging over a billion medical records monthly, yet clinicians still struggle to find relevant information within them
- TEFCA is accelerating nationwide interoperability but faces challenges with trust, consent management, and privacy concerns
- Healthcare executives are primarily focused on cost reduction as the main ROI driver, with less emphasis on quality improvements
- AI solutions for “augmentation not replacement” are gaining traction as the most realistic approach to clinical AI implementation
- Clinicians express concerns about AI systems coming between providers and patients, particularly with patient-facing chatbots
- Data privacy is sometimes used as a barrier to progress, with experts calling for a shift from retrospective to proactive management
- The movement from document-based exchange to FHIR-based exchange represents the next major evolution in healthcare interoperability
- Experts note tension between rapid AI innovation and the healthcare industry’s necessary caution regarding patient safety and privacy
- Liability questions around AI failures remain largely unresolved, with vendors and healthcare systems both reluctant to accept responsibility
- And more…
Show Links
- Sandra Johnson on LinkedIn
- Ben Scharfe on LinkedIn
- Tim O’Connell on LinkedIn
- Dr. Steven Lane on LinkedIn
- Greg Miller on LinkedIn
- Dr. Jay Anders on LinkedIn
- Tell Me Where IT Hurts on Healthcare NOW Radio