By Justin Barnes and Jake Reid
For years, conversations about AI in healthcare lived in a familiar rhythm: bold predictions, cautious optimism, and the occasional pilot project. But 2025 broke that pattern. This was the year AI stopped being a future concept and became part of the clinical environment, woven directly into workflows, decisions, documentation, and operations across health systems of every size.
From our vantage point on This Just In Radio Show (recording more than 40 episodes across HIMSS, ViVE, HLTH, and statewide conferences) one thing became unmistakably clear: AI is no longer on the sidelines. It’s at the bedside.
AI Became Operational, Not Aspirational
What stood out most this year was the speed of the shift. Leaders weren’t talking about AI as something they were “exploring.” They were describing systems that were already live, already delivering value, and already reshaping how teams work.
Across conversations with guests like Dr. Rasu Shrestha, Dr. John Halamka, Jeff Buda, Geoff Brown, and Chris Paravate, the message was the same:
AI has moved from pilot projects to measurable impact.
I respectfully ask you, the reader, what is your doctor, care team, and/or health system doing to optimize their AI opportunity in your care?
A New Clinical Reality: Ambient, Embedded, and Expected
One of the most transformative themes of 2025 was the arrival of ambient technologies and automated documentation tools at scale.
At Advocate Health, Dr. Rasu Shrestha described AI-powered automation that supports care teams in real time; not as a replacement for clinicians, but as a way to restore balance. He spoke about a new operational truth: when AI is designed responsibly and deployed thoughtfully, it becomes an extension of the care team.
Dr. John Halamka of Mayo Clinic outlined the magnitude of information physicians now face (thousands of new clinical papers published every day) and the necessity of AI to surface relevant evidence at the moment of care. His message was unmistakable: this isn’t optional anymore.
At Piedmont Healthcare, outgoing CIO Geoff Brown highlighted how ambient documentation is reducing cognitive burden and giving clinicians time back. He noted that this shift is as much about culture as technology: bringing teams along, building confidence, and creating shared wins.
Operational Wins Became Clear and Measurable
If the early years of AI in healthcare were defined by experimentation, 2025 was defined by execution.
Jeff Buda, CIO of Atrium Health Floyd, spoke about the practical operational improvements AI is unlocking, from predictive capacity planning to enhanced data integrity that strengthens decision-making.
Chris Paravate, CIO of Northeast Georgia Health System, described rolling out ambient voice technology to more than 500 physicians and seeing meaningful improvements in satisfaction, documentation quality, and patient experience. His team is now applying similar principles to nursing workflows, proving that the model is extensible beyond physicians.
Across all these episodes, the tone from leaders was confident, grounded, and evidence-based.
No one was asking: “Will AI work?”
They were now discussing: “Where else can we scale it?”
Health Systems Are Now Building Around AI
The lasting story of 2025 is that health systems reorganized their strategies to integrate AI.
Enterprise governance models matured.
Data integrity became a strategic priority.
Clinical, operational, and financial leaders aligned around a shared reality: AI is foundational infrastructure.
From oncology to operations to bedside documentation, the shift was universal.
The Road Ahead
If 2025 was the year AI went live, 2026 will be the year it becomes indispensable.
Every leader we spoke with reinforced the same truth: the organizations that thrive will be those that treat AI not as an initiative but as a capability: embedded, responsible, measurable, and aligned with mission-driven care.
Healthcare doesn’t need predictions anymore.
It needs playbooks, guardrails, and partners who know how to scale responsibly.
And based on what we saw across every episode, every panel, and every conference this year, the groundwork is already being built.
So, again, I respectfully ask, what is your doctor, care team, and/or health system doing to optimize their AI opportunity in your care?
