Most medical professionals are excited by the possibility of Generating AI (Genai), but other organizations are not yet ready to fully implement it. Future Lady Healthcare Survey Report for 2025 From Wolters Kluwer Health and Ipsos.
IBM calls Genai “a deep learning model that can generate high-quality text, images, and other content based on trained data.”
The report is based on responses from a wide range of healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and administrators, revealing the big gap between Genai's promises and being ready to be effectively applied.
For example, 80% of respondents cited “Optimize Workflow” as their primary goal, but only 63% felt ready to use genai to achieve that.
The healthcare industry still lacks the critical infrastructure to support the implementation of Genai.
Greg Samios, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health, said in the report. “Now, as we enter the age of generator AI, healthcare institutions face a paradigm shift of magnitude that we have not seen for generations.”
The report shows a time when the healthcare industry continues to struggle with post-population breach challenges, including burnout, staffing shortages and financial uncertainty.
Many view genai as a possible solution to these systematic problems.
According to the survey, 85% of respondents prioritized recruiting and retaining nursing staff, prioritizing genai as a key area that could be useful, and 76% noted that it reduces clinician burnout.
Genai is also expected to play a role in addressing management effects such as pre-approval (67%) and electronic health record (EHR) management (62%).
Despite this optimism, the research authors suggest that the industry still lacks critical infrastructure to support the implementation of genai.
For example, only 18% of respondents reported implementing a formal genai policy, and only 20% needed to receive structured training.
Concerns about clinical sensitivity and transparency remained among the majority of respondents, with 57% expressing concern that Genai could negatively affect decision-making skills, and 55% worrying that it could blur the reasons behind the diagnosis.
“To successfully integrate Genai, organizations need to recognize current limitations and anticipate realistic evolution and regulatory environments,” said Peter Bonis, Chief Medical Officer at Wolters Kluwer Health, in a report. “It's also important to choose a Genai application that fits both clinical and financial goals while still adapting to your existing workflow.”
Research participants also expressed interest in Genai's more advanced applications, beyond administrative relief.
Many are looking for innovations such as ambienting, clinical decision support with genai, and tools to support communication and documentation.
Matthew G. Crowson, MD, director of AI/Genai Innovation at Wolters Kluwer Health shared examples Managed Healthcare Executive How can genai speed up the traditionally slow pre-certification process?
“The new federal regulations require insurance companies to respond to most prior permit requests within seven days,” Crowson said. “Instead of doctors faxing piles of notes and waits, hospitals and payers can use Genai “translators” who instantly translate lab results and visit the summary to the exact format needed by the insurance company's system.
This process could reduce treatment delays, prevent unnecessary testing and reduce overall costs, he added.
The report also highlights five key trends that are expected to shape healthcare over the next three years. It adapts to changing regulations, addresses labor shortages, reduces management burdens, strengthens organizational capabilities such as cybersecurity, and meets evolving expectations from both patients and healthcare leaders.
“Genai can be more than just a bandage to stop bleeding,” the report says. “It can support a truly visionary and holistic reinvention of the way organizations interact with data, patients, and the entire community.”
However, the paths that advance require caution and adjustments, the authors suggest.
Without an easy adaptation strategy, organizations can have a hard time catching up.
Leaders are encouraged to invest in tools that not only make immediate impacts, but also adapt to future needs.
“We hope that this research will build a genai strategy and provide actionable insights to industry and organizational leaders in preparation for this next leap in the technology history of the healthcare industry,” Samios said.
