Elevate 2025 brought together over a thousand health care leaders, innovators, and operators to explore where the industry is heading. Tom Lawry, best-selling author of Hacking Healthcare and a globally recognized AI strategist, kicked off the day by grounding attendees in the promise of artificial intelligence.
“AI isn’t simply changing health care, it’s transforming it. The opportunity is to give clinicians back time, reduce waste, and reimagine how work gets done.” — Tom Lawry, Managing Director of Second Century Tech and Bestselling Author of Hacking Healthcare
He emphasized that AI’s greatest value lies not in replacing people but in augmenting human potential, creating space for deeper patient connections and higher-value work.
And, that was the ideal opening to a day filled with deep discussion across all panel sessions.
A few clear themes emerged throughout the event: AI’s promise is maturing, value-based care is gaining traction, patients expect consumer-grade experiences, financial resilience requires reinvention, and shared credentialing is becoming a critical driver of efficiency.
Here are the top five takeaways:
1. AI Is Moving from Pilots to Practical Impact
Generative AI and ambient technologies have moved beyond “is this real?” to “how do we scale responsibly?” In 2025, the focus is less on futuristic diagnostics and more on operational efficiency — reducing waste, accelerating documentation, and freeing up clinician time.
Dr. Robert Bart, Chief Medical Information Officer at UMPC, framed it perfectly:
“Health care systems probably did not have a Chief Telephone Officer when telephones became the way we connected with patients, nor did we have a Chief Email Officer. AI is the same — it’s a tool, and each of us has to own how to incorporate it into our daily work.”
The call to action: Start small, set clear governance, educate staff, and build AI into workflows where it can make an immediate difference.
2. Revenue Cycle Reinvention Is a Financial Imperative
Organizations are rethinking revenue cycle management by deploying automation, data-first strategies, and AI to minimize denials and optimize cash flow
Speakers highlighted the need for clear ROI communication with CFOs: setting expectations that improvements may take months, not weeks, and tracking before-and-after metrics to prove time savings and efficiency gains
3. Value-Based Care Is No Longer Optional
The transition from volume to value continues to accelerate, though challenges remain. Success requires clearly defining care models, aligning incentives, and using predictive analytics to drive outcomes.
Michael Ruiz de Somocurcio, IPA President at Vytalize Health, highlighted the opportunity for independent practices:
“It’s a tough discussion for an independent physician to go to a hospital and say, hey, what about value-based care? … I’d look to other independent physicians — orthopedics, gastro, freestanding ASCs, radiology. There’s probably more of an approach there.”
Panelists agreed: building the right partnerships is critical, and starting with achievable models helps organizations gain traction.
Patients expect the same convenience they experience with retail and tech. That means multichannel engagement, personalized communication, and navigation support to reduce the burden on patients managing complex care.
Dr. Adam Wolfberg, Chief Medical Officer at Virta Health underscored the importance of human connection:
“Sometimes it’s just a matter of setting up a phone call and figuring out what’s going on, in a way that a digital communication could never accomplish.”
Digital tools can enhance access, but the future lies in blending technology with authentic, human touchpoints.
5. Shared Credentialing Is the Future of Collaboration
One of the most energizing conversations focused on reimagining credentialing. Instead of each provider repeating the process with dozens of payers, panelists envisioned a shared credentialing model that reduces redundancy, cost, and frustration.
Robin Bradley, Chief Operating Officer at American Health Partners, captured it well:
“One provider is not credentialed by 50 health plans, but by one health plan and shared amongst everyone. That’s what revolutionized our partnership today.”
With 95% of credentialing data being identical across forms, a unified approach is one of the biggest efficiency opportunities for the industry.
Where we go from here
Elevate 2025 revealed both urgency and optimism: urgency to tackle inefficiency, and optimism about the solutions already within reach. Whether through AI, consumer-grade patient engagement, or shared credentialing, the conversations reinforced that the future of health care is smarter, more collaborative, and more human.
We’re grateful to all who joined us for Elevate 2025 and look forward to carrying these insights into action in the year ahead. View the sessions on-demand at https://medallion.co/
