5 Ways Automation is Shaping the Future of Healthcare

It’s 2025 and automation has officially established itself as a core component for modern healthcare organizations. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a proven foundational strategy tool for improving clinical outcomes, easing workforce shortages and driving financial sustainability. In fact, AI confidence among healthcare leaders appears to be booming in recent years. A 2024 McKinsey survey found that more than 70% of healthcare organizations—including payers, providers, and healthcare services and technology groups—are pursuing or have already implemented generative AI capabilities. (source) 

As funding models shift, administrative demands grow and clinical burnout intensifies, automation is stepping into the spotlight as a practical solution. In a recent webinar hosted in collaboration with OPEN MINDS, Scott Green, SVP and Managing Director of CareDimensions at Netsmart, discussed where automation is headed beyond 2025. Here are five key ways automation is expected to transform healthcare in the near and distant future. 

 

1. Enterprise-wide adoption will replace isolated solutions

Automation is moving beyond niche workflows and rapidly rewriting processes for clinicians and consumers alike. Forward-thinking organizations like MHMR of Tarrant County, Texas are applying AI across the entire enterprise — from intake and documentation to billing and care coordination. Instead of piecemeal tools, healthcare leaders are seeking unified platforms that streamline processes end-to-end, ensuring data flows smoothly organization-wide allowing for every opportunity to use AI and Automation to its fullest potential. 

Integrated AI strategies allow clinical and administrative teams to work more efficiently without duplicating tasks, freeing them to focus on high-value activities like direct patient care. 

 

“A platform approach to AI adoption is a virtual cycle that takes place from the start, from intake through service delivery all the way to reimbursement and alumni status as appropriate.” — Scott Green 

 

2. Ambient intelligence will reduce documentation burden 

One of the most impressive areas of healthcare automation is ambient intelligence tools. Solutions that include ambient listening tools can capture clinician-patient conversations in real time, automatically supporting the creation of tanscripts and session summaries while helping providers generate notes with clinical recommendations and more useful insights and prompts for.  

This approach addresses one of the leading causes of clinician burnout: overwhelming documentation demands. According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, physicians spend nearly twice as much time on documentation requirements as they do with patients (source). Ambient AI offers a path to reverse this trend while enhancing provider-patient interaction, compliance and data quality. And it allows clinicians to focus on the work they care about most: helping improve the lives of others. 

 

3. Revenue cycle management will become increasingly automated

Financial stability remains a top priority for healthcare organizations and recent market dynamics and increasing march toward value-based care, makes that unlikely to change in the years to come.   Automation in revenue cycle management (RCM) — specifically automating claim submissions, verifications and denials management — will continue to play a critical role in helping experts establish and maintain efficient claims submissions and financial fitness. 

It is well documented that organizations using AI in RCM workflows are already seeing gains in cash acceleration, fewer errors and better payer outcomes. Automating repetitive tasks means RCM teams can concentrate on more strategic work like payer negotiations and process improvements. 

As Brianna Sheridan, RCM Program Manager at Netsmart, aptly put it, “The future of collections lies in smart assistance.” Further emphasizing the point that collections will always be an uphill effort without the assistance of augmentation or AI tools, especially when payers are using those same technologies to review claims. 

 

4. Workforce support, not replacement, will drive AI initiatives 

A common misconception about healthcare automation is that it is designed to replace human workers. In reality, the most effective AI strategies are centered on workforce support. 

By handling repetitive, time-consuming administrative tasks, automation enables clinicians and staff to practice at the top of their licensure and focus on the work they were trained to do. It also reduces reliance on expensive temporary labor by making existing teams more productive. This human-centered approach is critical at a time when nearly half of healthcare workers are considering leaving the profession altogether (source). 

 

5. Governance and ethics will shape future adoption 

As automation tools grow in complexity, healthcare organizations will need clear governance strategies. Ethical AI practices — such as ensuring transparency, preventing bias, supporting staff oversight and maintaining patient trust — will be non-negotiable. 

Forward-looking organizations are establishing AI governance councils to oversee responsible deployment, ensuring that automation initiatives align with clinical standards, organizational values and regulatory expectations. 

 

Preparing for an Automated Future 

Automation in healthcare is no longer about "if" but "how well." Organizations that embrace enterprise-wide strategies, focus on augmenting their workforce and prioritize ethical governance will be best positioned to thrive. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, automation will not replace the human touch — it will enhance it, allowing clinicians and organizations to meet tomorrow’s challenges with resilience and innovation.