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Commentary

Equitable Health Care in 2025: Experts Share a Vision for Inclusive and Accessible Care

In this exclusive commentary for First Report Managed Care, experts weigh in on how advancements in AI, smart technology, and innovative care models will drive equitable health care in 2025 by improving access, reducing disparities, and enhancing patient outcomes across underserved populations.


 

Lahr Headshot"The transformation of specialty care delivery in rural communities will accelerate through smart technology adoption. By 2025, we'll see artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled virtual care platforms become the standard for extending specialist expertise across geographical boundaries, creating a more equitable health care landscape. The focus will shift from basic telemedicine to sophisticated remote presence solutions that truly replicate the in-person care experience."

—Stephanie Lahr, MD, CHCIO, president of Artisight, developer of a Smart Hospital Platform powered by AI to enable virtual care models, quality improvement, and care coordination solutions

Poku Headshot"In 2024, a striking gap emerged between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the intensity of patient needs, largely stemming from the post-Public Health Emergency era and the complexities of Medicaid unwinding. Entering 2025, health inequities are even more stark, and addressing this challenge will be pivotal for the value-based care movement, particularly for Medicaid populations. The care models that will thrive in this new reality will be those that embrace innovative biopsychosocial approaches, integrating data science, technology enablement, and social determinants of health (SDoH) services to ensure the success of value-based care. As these models emerge, evolve, and mature, they will accelerate the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care, ensuring all patients—including those who are most complex and historically underserved—receive high-quality, whole-person care."

—Michael Poku, MD, chief clinical officer at Equality Health, a value-based care enabler with a distinct and proven Medicaid-first care model enabling 4100 independent primary care providers and 725 000 people across 5 states

Bury"We're living through a pivotal time in health care where key stakeholders, including regulators, providers, health plans, telemedicine companies, and society at large, agree that our health care system must no longer serve only a select few. In 2025 and beyond, leveraging AI—from predictive analytics to machine learning to natural language processing and more—will be central to advancing health equity and filling critical care gaps, especially in underserved areas. AI-driven solutions for patient triage and personalized care have untapped potential for opening new care channels that not only remove barriers to care and improve access, but also create better patient experiences and more equitable health outcomes across diverse populations."

—Amanda Bury, chief commercial officer, Infermedica, a global digital health company specializing in AI-powered solutions for symptom analysis and patient triage

Shoemaker"Much like in 2024, patient engagement will be central to health care in 2025, with AI-driven technology as the defining factor for health systems seeking a competitive advantage. Health systems will increasingly highlight solutions prioritizing access and health equity, positioning interoperability, automation, and AI as keys to streamlined care coordination and better financial performance. Partnerships between technology providers and health systems will deepen, demonstrating these solutions’ value across care networks, leading to improved patient experiences and outcomes."

—Jonathan Shoemaker, CEO of ABOUT Healthcare, a provider of SaaS-based hospital operations solutions for admission management and postacute placement

Hamilton"In 2025, health care organizations will continue to prioritize health equity initiatives to reduce disparities in access and outcomes, with patient engagement serving as a key driver. AI-powered technology will be a key differentiator, enabling providers to use digital tools and personalized outreach to empower patients and their families with timely, relevant support tailored to their unique needs. As technology providers and health systems collaborate to leverage AI, interoperability, and automation, they will enhance care coordination and streamline clinical workflows, creating a more inclusive and equitable health care experience that improves outcomes and strengthens financial performance across networks."

—Gary Hamilton, CEO of InteliChart, a provider of patient engagement technology that streamline communication, scheduling, and data management between providers and patients

Harris"Revenue cycle management (RCM) has the potential to play a more prominent role in advancing health equity in 2025 by prioritizing tools that enhance access to care for underserved populations. RCM systems will integrate socioeconomic data and patient access analytics to identify disparities, streamline eligibility for financial assistance programs, and support alternative payment models. These capabilities will enable providers to proactively address barriers to care, reduce patient debt, and create more equitable billing practices. Additionally, regulatory pressures and payer incentives tied to health equity will encourage RCM platforms to embed these tools as essential components of financial and operational workflows."

—Laurence Harris, senior vice president at R1, a provider of technology-driven solutions that transform the patient experience and financial performance of health care providers

Phung"Addressing SDoH is challenging; however, health care providers can promote health equity by demonstrating how they are actively changing systems to improve access to health care for underserved patient populations. This includes allowing patients to have access to their electronic health records for streamlined care and communication between providers, leveraging remote health monitoring, and improving overall health literacy as well as in condition-specific prevention programs."

—Dr Anita Phung, portfolio GP and medical monitor, Lindus Health, the "anti-CRO" running radically faster and more reliable clinical trials for life science pioneers

Sharma"This year, I am keeping a close eye on the impact of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) voluntary ACO Primary Care (PC) Flex Model, which launches on January 1, 2025. Designed to enable a more equitable, innovative, and team-based approach to care, the goal of this primary care reimbursement model is to promote health equity by directing more health care dollars toward underserved populations, such as rural Americans. Ideally, PC Flex will provide primary care practices with the flexible funding needed to identify and address people’s unmet health-related social needs and implement strategies to increase access to high-quality primary care and improve care coordination. No matter what reimbursement model is used, the key to reducing health inequities is leveraging digitized data. Applying AI and machine learning to digitized data allows health care organizations to build collaborative care networks that improve outcomes, reduce costs, and increase health equity by expanding access to quality care. I think we’ll see more of these efforts from health care organizations in 2025, but they will require a robust and scalable cloud-based data architecture to support these networks."

—Rahul Sharma, CEO of HSBlox, an Atlanta-based technology company empowering health care organizations with the tools and support to deliver value-based care (VBC) successfully and sustainably

Lareau"The health care industry's rush to deploy AI systems trained primarily on synthetic or limited patient datasets will emerge as a major health equity concern in 2025, as evidence mounts that these systems perform poorly for underserved populations. We will see a marked shift toward requiring diversity in training data and real-world validation across different patient populations before AI tools can be deployed in clinical settings."

—David Lareau, CEO, Medicomp Systems, which makes medical data relevant, usable, and actionable

Ritchey"As health care organizations continue to pursue health equity in 2025, they must deepen their understanding of patients and members through a comprehensive, multichannel perspective. Achieving true equity requires integrating data from diverse sources and care settings, creating a 360-degree view of each patient's journey—starting with combining accurate identity resolution, key attribute enrichment, and data governance. With this holistic insight, organizations can more accurately identify disparities and propensities for gaps in care, empowering them to proactively address these issues with confidence."

—Clay Ritchey, CEO of Verato, maker of a health care master data management (hMDM) solution that enables a complete and trusted 360-degree view of patients, consumers, members, providers, and communities

Nelson"Increasing telehealth coverage represents a valuable opportunity for providers to boost access to care, and, concurrently, health equity for vulnerable patient populations. Virtual care can be a vital lifeline for patients facing transportation barriers while also experiencing chronic diseases that require frequent monitoring. Virtual care services can play a key role in hospitals’ population health and health equity improvement efforts."

—Carrie Nelson, MD, chief medical officer, KeyCare, the nation’s first Epic-based virtual care company

Dover"There’s an emerging consensus that quality data is the key to attaining health equity in the US. Data can inform decision-making at the point of care, be organized by clinical registries, and be made accessible through analytics to improve quality of care. Fortunately, AI-based technologies are emerging that enable provider organizations to abstract data for clinical registries much faster, at a lower cost, and with higher quality—all while retaining a human in the loop. I expect more providers to implement these AI-based clinical data abstraction tools in the next year and beyond, freeing up data that can help move us closer to genuine health equity."

—Brent Dover, CEO of Carta Healthcare, which applies the power of AI combined with expert clinical data abstractors to harness data and insights as catalysts for health care transformation

Hayward"With a new administration entering Washington in 2025, the landscape surrounding health equity initiatives will likely shift. The new administration has signaled they will focus on execution, accountability, and transparency in the major federally backed programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. They have run on a platform of reducing wasteful federal spending overall, and with health care spending at $4.5 trillion annually and rising, it’s very possible that those programs will see increased scrutiny. In that context of efficiency and transparency, the health equity programs that show real results and financial accountability in delivering better care and lowering costs will be the ones that succeed."

—Patty Hayward, general manager of health care and life sciences at Talkdesk, a global provider of AI-powered customer experience (CX) technology that serves enterprises of all sizes

Natzke"SDoH can include factors such as the ability to afford care, making it more difficult for patients to access care. Although providers can’t make their patients’ SDoH struggles disappear, they can take a few concrete steps to help patients pay for important care to make things more accessible, such as offering patients flexible payment plans, preservice cost estimates, and accepting new types of payment methods."

—Ryne Natzke, chief revenue officer, TrustCommerce, a Sphere company providing of end-to-end integrated health care payments and security software

Kent Dicks"The concerning trend of hospital and provider scarcity in rural areas will continue in 2025. Hospital and clinic closures will add to the travel and financial burdens already faced by vulnerable Americans as they access care. To help mitigate the safety and health risks to these underserved patients, I anticipate that leading health care provider organizations in rural areas will implement virtual-first care solutions focused on health crisis prevention, particularly postdischarge monitoring and chronic condition management. By utilizing cellular data networks with broad footprints in rural regions and easy-to-use automated wearable devices, providers will help these patients avoid unnecessary travel to medical facilities and achieve better outcomes. Other connectivity options growing in adoption, such as satellite internet, will play an integral role in bridging connectivity gaps in coverage, especially in rural areas."

—Kent Dicks, CEO and founder of Life365, which develops virtual care technology solutions that enable health care delivery at home

Althoff"In the coming year, I see AI playing a leading role in advancing health equity by enabling a more scalable, sustainable, and accessible health care system for all. Medically aligned AI that analyzes and integrates data across socioeconomic, geographic, and demographic lines—and incorporates models designed to account for inherent biases in training data—will deliver real-time, personalized insights to bridge critical care gaps. By supporting tailored interventions and optimizing resources, AI will empower care providers and payers to extend high-quality, evidence-based care to patients regardless of their location, income, race, gender, or religion. This level of inclusivity isn’t just a vision for the future; it’s the foundation of a health care system that leaves no one behind."

—Chris Althoff, former senior consulting partner and head of marketing, emtelligent, developer of AI-powered deep learning that structures medical text and unlocks hidden insights

Rodriguez"AI has the potential to bridge gaps in health care by predicting needs, personalizing treatment, and reducing disparities. When harnessed responsibly, AI can ensure every individual, regardless of background or location, receives the quality care they deserve."

—Ronald Rodriguez, MD, PhD, professor of medical education at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine; program director of the MD/MS in Artificial Intelligence (AI) dual degree at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio)

Patel Headshot"In 2025, we will see health equity technologies take center stage as they continue to break down barriers to care—such as location, socioeconomic status, and language. AI is playing a crucial role by analyzing large datasets to predict health risks and identify individual and population-specific needs, enabling more tailored and accessible care. Telehealth is revolutionizing access for remote and underserved populations, while mobile health apps with educational resources, symptom tracking, and medication reminders help patients manage chronic conditions and adhere to treatment plans regardless of health literacy. Wearable devices monitor vital signs in real-time, empowering users to take preventive actions and proactively manage diseases. Translation technologies and culturally sensitive health education resources address language and cultural barriers, ensuring diverse communities receive culturally competent care. Together, these technologies are paving the way for more equitable health care by addressing systemic gaps and ensuring a more inclusive approach to health and wellness."

—Nick Patel, MD, physician executive partner, Pivot Point Consulting, a health care IT consulting firm focused on managed services and technical services

Okuda"Virtual care technologies will continue to enable patients to connect with behavioral health providers and therapies. In 2025, we will continue to see innovative in-home digital health solutions enter the consumer market, further increasing access and closing health equity gaps. For example, neurofeedback—a treatment modality for mental health conditions—uses a consumer-friendly, comfortable, and easy-to-use electroencephalogram (EEG) device to measure brain activity and help people control their brain’s reactions to stimuli. The treatment has already proven effective in treating some forms of depression. It shows enormous potential to support the large population of patients who want to avoid psychiatric drugs, augment medication therapy, or haven’t found effective treatment for their condition."

—Kazu Okuda, MD, CEO and cofounder of Universal Brain, developer of a neuroscience-based identification and treatment platform for depression and other mental health conditions that advances precision psychiatry

Darland"In 2025, it’s crucial that we reduce health inequities through the deployment of technologies that make care dramatically less expensive and remote. Millions of rural Americans face access barriers that are making our nation sicker. Providers can help reduce health disparities by offering affordable, hospital-quality remote monitoring solutions to enable world-class clinical care to the communities that need it the most."

—Chris Darland, CEO, Peerbridge Health, developer of a hospital-grade, remote diagnostic platform that harnesses AI to detect early signs of heart failure.

Forte"In 2025, health equity will advance significantly, with the modernization of veterans’ care access and provider reimbursement as a strong example. As more veterans access care beyond VA facilities, providers must step up to serve them holistically by combining deep VA expertise with AI-enabled claims and payment management technologies. When paired with the right RCM partner, these solutions can seamlessly complement electronic medical record (EMR) workflows to both enhance care delivery and streamline operations. This commitment strengthens health equity for veterans, ensuring they have unfettered access to the care they deserve."

—Frank Forte, CEO of EnableComp, a specialty revenue cycle management company that leverages decades of industry-leading expertise and its E360 RCM™ intelligent automation platform to improve financial sustainability for hospitals, health systems, and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) nationwide

Schulz Headshot"The overwhelming demand for GLP-1 drugs will pose a real test for health equity in 2025. Prescribing these medications for those who do not need them for diabetes and other indicated uses deprives patients with the greatest need. In the interest of equity—and to control costs—health plans and employers will begin using laboratory test values, such as A1c, lipids, kidney and liver function, to determine who truly needs GLP-1 medications."

—Julie Schulz, MD, MPH, VP of product at Avalon Healthcare Solutions, the world's first lab insights company

Lee"In 2025, primary care physicians will continue to care for more patients who speak a language other than English at home—a trend that has more than doubled since 1980, according to the most recent US Census figures. To support this growing patient population and promote care equity, I expect more practices and pharmacies to leverage new AI tools to expand their patient education materials and medical instructions to languages most often spoken at home. Similarly, the new English language materials would also be easily understood through AI features for low health literacy. Offering this service helps patients of all languages and health literacy levels adhere to short- and long-term care plans, resulting in deeper patient engagement and better clinical outcomes."

—Charles Lee, MD, senior director of clinical knowledge, Meducation at FDB (First Databank), a provider of drug knowledge that helps health care professionals make precise decisions

Jannati"Research on Alzheimer disease and related dementias reveals that these conditions disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities, further exacerbating existing socioeconomic inequities and contributing to poorer health outcomes. Early identification of cognitive impairment is crucial, yet traditional assessments often fail to capture the full scope of brain health needs in these vulnerable populations. This underscores the importance of advancing care strategies. By 2025, I anticipate a growing adoption of AI-powered digital screening tools among health care organizations serving diverse communities. These tools can detect the earliest signs of impairment, enabling timely interventions—such as lifestyle modifications—that have the potential to delay or even prevent the development of dementia."

—Ali Jannati, MD, PhD, director of cognitive science at Linus Health, a digital health company enabling early detection of Alzheimer disease and other dementias

© 2025 HMP Global. All Rights Reserved. Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of First Report Managed Care or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates.