Epic Systems and Oracle Health submitted letters to the Department of Health and Human Services in February outlining policy recommendations related to the adoption and use of AI in clinical care.  The letters respond to HHS’ request for information on accelerating the adoption and use of AI as part of clinical care.  Both letters state that AI-enabled technologies are intended to support clinical workflows and that clinicians and health systems retain decision-making authority over patient care. 

Patients with multiple chronic diseases are a looming threat to health systems' financials: Vizient

Health systems interested in preserving their operating margins will need to be proactive in addressing a growing minority population responsible for an outsized share of care utilization: patients with multiple chronic conditions.  In a newly released analysis of 2025 claims data, Vizient found that 11% of the U.S. population with multiple chronic conditions accounted for 52% of inpatient admissions. These patients also represented 35% of emergency department visits and 32% of office visits.

A structural shift in hospital labor strategy

The hospital staffing emergency has cooled from its pandemic peak, but labor pressure has not disappeared — it has shifted. Rather than trying to out-hire shortages or outbid competitors for scarce talent, more systems are treating workforce strain as a strategic pivot point: redesigning work, cutting contract labor and using technology to expand capacity.  The backdrop is a cost environment that remains tight, even as labor cost growth has slowed from pandemic-era peaks.