LBMC, one of the Southeast’s largest accounting and business consulting firms, has officially announced key healthcare trends that will shape the industry’s trajectory in 2025.
According to certain reports, these trends go on to touch upon a wide spectrum of things, including AI’s expanding role in diagnostics, an anticipated surge in mergers and acquisitions, and the increasing pressure on healthcare organizations to integrate technology, while simultaneously safeguarding sensitive data.
Talk about these trends on a slightly deeper level, we begin by expanding upon AI’s expanding role in personalized care and diagnostics. Here, you can come expecting AI-driven technologies that will be well-equipped to dramatically improve healthcare procedures, customized treatment regimens, and diagnostics.
Furthermore, with AI-assisted imaging, the healthcare industry should be able to enhance decision-making, efficiency, and predictive analytics. Going alongside that is a bid to leverage automation for the purpose of transforming administrative duties and responsibilities.
The next trend which LBMC is tipping to materialize in 2025 would be of mergers and acquisitions. We say so because digital health, biotech, and provider groups are seeing more M&A activity than ever before, as companies seek scale, data integration, and new care models.
Having said so, private equity-backed consolidations in healthcare services remain under close watch.
Then, there we have substantial movement projected for GLP-1s, SGLT-2s, as well as consumer-focused healthcare. So far, even with all their advantages, these medications have struggled against worries in the context of supply shortages, insurance coverage, and price. The same, however, is now likely to experience alternative access models and weight-loss platforms that place a greater emphasis on appearance and makeup. This means, throughout the course of 2025, access and costs will be impacted by coverage for these from all payors, including the government.
“The anticipated resurgence in healthcare M&A for 2025 is driven by declining interest rates, significant PE investor ‘dry powder,’ and a more lenient regulatory environment, paving the way for transformative deals that could redefine patient care and industry standards,” said Lisa Nix, LBMC Shareholder and Practice Leader, Transaction Advisory Services.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in the growing prevalence for multi-function decision support tools, including solutions related to text, imaging, genomic data, patient history, as well as the ones focused on enhancing diagnostic capability and efficiency.
Joining that would be the expected effects of new administration on healthcare policy. The stated effects translate to key discussions being held on Medicare and Medicaid policy, AI regulation, and medication pricing negotiations. On top that, leaders are also observing how healthcare economics will be affected by CMS, HHS, and FTC decisions.
There is also an AI integration planned to address staffing and continued workforce challenges. You see, AI-powered scheduling, clinical documentation tools, and virtual assistants are already in use, with further expansion likely in nursing, radiology, and primary care.
Alongside that, LBMC’s report envisions an improvement in the standing of healthcare cybersecurity as AI adoption rises and firms continue their digital transformations.
“With growing reliance on AI, data architecture is changing, data repositories are multiplying, new identities are being created, and our overall threat surface is expanding. Healthcare organizations must embed cybersecurity into digital transformation efforts to harness AI’s potential while also protecting critical data,” said Van Steel, LBMC Shareholder and Healthcare Cybersecurity Leader.
Turning our attention towards some key considerations that the healthcare industry will have to make moving forward, they include risk and opportunities related to AI, This means that healthcare data must be protected by GenAI policies, and at the same time, vendors must disclose AI’s role in handling PHI and ensure HIPAA compliance.
Beyond that, there is a consideration of supplier contracts. While many SaaS systems now use AI, contracts signed before late 2022 may not safeguard AI. Hence, leaders must reevaluate agreements for accountability.
Founded in 1984, LBMC’s rise up the ranks stems from deploying advanced business intelligence and AI technologies to drive growth, efficiency, and strategic insights. The company’s present stature can be gauged once you consider its clientele stretches across a wide horizon, covering privately-owned and private-equity-backed middle market companies across healthcare, manufacturing/distribution, real estate, and technology spaces.