Health system adoption of AI outpaces internal governance and strategy
CHICAGO, Aug. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eighty-eight percent of health systems are using Artificial Intelligence internally, and 71% have identified and deployed pilot or full solutions in finance, revenue cycle management or clinical functional areas, according to a new report published by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and Eliciting Insights, a healthcare strategy and market research company.
Despite the adoption of AI, just 18% of health systems surveyed have a mature governance structure and fully formed AI strategy. Health systems realize the importance of governance — in 2025 nearly 70% of CFO respondents indicated there was some governance structure, whereas in 2024 only 40% of CFOs indicated there was some governance structure.
“Much like following accounting rules and regulations, healthcare executives understand that good governance around AI builds community trust and ensures responsible and ethical use of information,” said Todd Nelson, HFMA chief partnership executive.
When it comes to expectations for vendors around artificial intelligence, “most health systems are still in early stages of AI adoption,” says Eliciting Insights CEO Trish Rivard. “Those that are looking to start using AI are looking to do so with trusted vendor partners.”
In fact, nearly 80% of health systems say an existing vendor or firm partnered with an existing vendor would have a significant advantage over a new vendor looking to pilot AI, and 70% of health systems say they would be more comfortable sharing data to power AI models with existing vendor partners. The majority of health systems report they lack resources to identify opportunities to identify the areas for ROI with artificial intelligence providing a clear opportunity for vendors to help educate their health system clients.
While the market interest in AI is strong, HFMA Health System Readiness for Artificial Intelligence reveals that more than 80% of health systems do not have mature AI programs to adequately manage investments.
The report provides actionable insights into health system readiness for artificial intelligence, a deep dive on those health systems with mature infrastructure for artificial intelligence, current and planned areas of investment, expectations for vendor performance and barriers to adoption of AI tools. It also includes four persona profiles for vendors looking to better understand the decision-making dynamics within health system prospects. The survey is based on survey responses of 233 health systems and qualitative interviews with CFOs in the second quarter of 2025.
This 37-page report is available for purchase online from Eliciting Insights or HFMA. HFMA Peer Review customers will receive the report as a benefit.
About HFMA
The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) equips its more than 135,000 members to navigate a complex healthcare landscape. Finance professionals in the full range of work settings, including hospitals, health systems, physician practices and health plans, trust HFMA to provide the guidance and tools to help them lead their organizations, and the industry, forward. HFMA is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that advances healthcare by collaborating with other key stakeholders to address industry challenges and providing guidance, education, practical tools and solutions, and thought leadership. We lead the financial management of healthcare.
About Eliciting Insights
Eliciting Insights is a healthcare strategy and market research firm that leverages decades of experience in HCIT, digital health and RCM, and a proprietary panel of thousands of healthcare executives to deliver bespoke insights to help investors and technology firms make strategic business decisions.
Press inquiries should be directed to:
Brad Dennison
Healthcare Financial Management Association
630-386-2945
bdennison@hfma.org
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
