ViVE 2025: The Crossroads of Digital Health Innovation and Realities

As healthcare leaders and stakeholders gathered in chilly Nashville for ViVE 2025, one theme dominated conversations across panels, networking events, and off-the-record discussions: it’s time to prove it.

From promise to proof – the demand for tangible ROI

Healthcare is no stranger to bold claims. We’ve been hearing promises of improved workflow, better outcomes, and enhanced efficiency in conversations for years. But recently, we’re seeing a shift — there’s a growing push for more than just the potential of a solution. Leaders are demanding evidence of real-world results that demonstrate ROI before they commit to new solutions, or, even just to consider renewing existing product contracts.

The message at ViVE was loud and clear: organizations aren’t making selections based on potential alone. They want to see things in action. They want more discussion on the impact on workflows and people. And they want to be able to check with their peers. Vendors that back their claims with documented, quantifiable outcomes will stand out in this new environment.

Pricing and policy headwinds

With evolving economic pressures and political dynamics, many health systems are adopting more conservative approaches to technology decisions. I’ve said before that there is a widening gap between health systems that can ‘fail fast’ and those that can’t afford to fail at all, and the uncertainty from both a revenue and expense side is going to shift more systems into the latter category. Increased scrutiny means buyers are extending the sales cycle and exercising more diligence, deeper evaluation processes, and more accountable contracts tied to outcomes.

The potential for changes in federal and state regulations, reimbursement models, and AI governance is creating some hesitancy. No matter how promising technologies are, many are weighing long-term implications and waiting for the dust to settle before closing the deal.

There is still some pressure to not miss the boat on emerging technologies, like ambient listening. A panelist from a session I moderated noted that significantly reduced rates could make these tools accessible for smaller, more cash-strapped organizations. With documentation being a number one issue for many clinicians, it’s no surprise to see ambient listening front and center this year.

Balancing bold ideas with pragmatism

Despite caution, the demand for innovation remains high and on full display on the show floor. Leaders recognize that standing still and letting this wave pass them by isn’t an option. And, they understand the very real possibility of being left behind by their competitors, particularly in the face of ongoing workforce shortages, operational inefficiencies, and rising costs.

This tension between the drive to innovate and an increasingly risk-averse environment forces vendors to balance bold ideas with practical implementation. The critical differentiators I heard from health system leaders at ViVE were interoperability, regulatory readiness, and workflow integrations that take things off the plates of care teams, not add more.

The next decade of AI

While ViVE presented immediate challenges and opportunities, nearly every panel found themselves asking the same question, “Where are we going with AI over the next few years?” There were a fair share of moral and ethical discussions that are sure to continue as the reliance on AI continues to grow. But perhaps the biggest shift was the recognition that AI isn’t a feature of a product (despite every product claiming to have AI features). Health systems are starting to recognize that point solutions leveraging AI are proliferating more technical debt across applications and data. More are starting to discuss basic infrastructure and data needs to support multiple AI applications.

And gaps in trust haven’t gone away. AI governance is a growing priority. As adoption accelerates, vendors must provide audit tools that offer transparency into decision-making processes and data sources. Embracing AI as a journey with iterations requires better monitoring, validation, and ongoing compliance, and these are the areas vendors will need to focus on to secure and maintain long-term relationships with health systems.

What’s next? Turning insight Into action

ViVE 2025 was a reality check for many. The conversations in Nashville reinforced the idea that while innovation remains essential, vendors must navigate the fine balance between bold ideas and real-world implementation, demonstrating not just promise but tangible outcomes.

As the industry moves forward, the themes from ViVE — interoperability, regulatory readiness, workflow integration, and AI governance — will continue to shape decision-making. The coming years will test whether digital health solutions can truly deliver on their potential, not just in theory but with a measurable, lasting impact.

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