Hospital chief information officers are keenly focused on maximizing the ROI of their technology buys, a new report shows, and are paying close attention to changes in Washington as they manage the many challenges facing health systems in 2025.
WHY IT MATTERS
The 12th annual Health IT Industry Outlook Report, published earlier this month by Stoltenberg Consulting shows 62% of the CIOs polled focused on “getting the most out of existing IT purchases” – the highest that particular imperative has ever scored on the annual survey.
That finding comes as more hospitals – CIOs at multi-hospital health systems, community hospitals, academic medical centers and ambulatory surgical facilities were contacted for this report – are laser focused on managing the challenges of limited resources, with IT leaders saying that strain is a key concern.
“Retaining and budgeting for qualified IT resources” for 39% of respondents, who say it’s a big noperational challenge for their facilities. Staffing and workforce are concerns for CIOs as well, with 35% citing “onboarding and/or lack of continuous technology training” as points of frustration.
Meanwhile, “clinician end-user education and knowledge transfer, including workflow optimization” are key priorities for IT investment.
Technology leaders are also keenly focused on reducing or ameliorating burnout for clinicians and other key frontline staff.
“With many clinical roles remaining unfilled, CIOs are prioritizing customized clinical support programs to prevent continued tech-related burnout and turnover,” according to Stoltenberg.
“IT leaders are working toward improving provider adoption, workflow, and satisfaction amongst converging technology solutions. This critical focus will allow for enhanced provider well-being and more positive patient experiences across the industry.”
Other main areas of investment, unsurprisingly, are AI/machine learning and cybersecurity.
Among the most valuable AI use cases cited by CIOs: data analytics; clinical task automation and decision support; patient engagement and experience; revenue cycle management, and reducing administrative burden. 10% of those polled say their organizations are uncertain and still having “difficulty narrowing down” options for AI use.
Finally, “cybersecurity, privacy, and risk management measures” represent the top area in which hospital IT departments are investing the most in 2025, according to the Stoltenberg report.
“While in previous years, IT investments were primarily focused on current system optimization, priorities have shifted based on worsening cyber threats,” researchers said. “CIOs will continue to invest more financial resources toward enhancing their cybersecurity strategy over the next several years.”
THE LARGER TREND
As the roles of health system IT decision-makers continue to evolve, CIOs – and increasingly, CAIOs – are called upon to juggle many competing imperatives.
On one hand, they’re told to “fix the boring stuff first,” while on the other, they’re tasked with taking the long view and charting a course for future-facing technologies such as advanced real-time analytics and remote patient monitoring.
Healthcare IT News’ ongoing “CIO Spotlight” series on HIMSS TV speaks regularly with IT leaders about what they’re prioritizing, both tactically and strategically. Here’s what one of them said he was focused on in 2025.
ON THE RECORD
“We’re continuing to see the ripple effect from funding cuts impacting the full provider landscape – from community health centers to health systems across the country,” said Kaitlyn Nelson, director of account solutions and development at Stoltenberg Consulting in a statement about the new report.
“As a result, healthcare facilities are actively seeking cost-effective support options to address resource gaps to maintain daily workflow and end-user needs, while driving greater value from IT systems.”
Mike Miliard is executive editor of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.
