Your 2025 guide to building a winning healthcare AI action plan

Most healthcare organizations already use artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily operations. They just don’t know it.

Built-in components power their infrastructure, streamline patient scheduling, enhance diagnostic accuracy, and enable ambient listening technologies that passively capture and document patient-clinician interactions to reduce administrative tasks and improve clinical documentation.

Currently, 29% of healthcare leaders actively invest in AI technology, and another 56% plan to invest within three years. Healthcare AI investments will surge to roughly $208 billion by 2030. Yet many organizations still struggle to build an intentional strategy. It doesn’t have to be that way.

A successful healthcare AI action plan starts with understanding what you already have — and then cultivating a deliberate path forward.

AI already powers your healthcare

Large health systems deploy cloud infrastructure, modernize data centers, and update medical devices. Community hospitals invest in patient scheduling and electronic health records. Small practices purchase practice management software. Each organization makes these investments to solve specific problems while reducing administrative burdens.

Few realize they’re also creating an AI foundation.

This blind spot creates two distinct challenges. First, organizations miss opportunities to maximize their current AI capabilities. A medical imaging system’s AI analysis goes unused. A scheduling system’s predictive tools remain untapped. Second, future AI investments happen without strategic context, leading to fragmented solutions and wasted resources.

The size of your organization shapes these challenges. Large health systems often have AI capabilities spread across disconnected systems. Smaller providers might concentrate their AI power in just a few key platforms. But both face the same imperative: to turn accidental AI into intentional advantage.

Build your AI foundation

Start with the question: What AI capabilities exist in your current systems?

Focus on core technologies. Examine diagnostic equipment, medical devices, and clinical software. Document where AI already enhances performance, speeds up workflows, or improves accuracy. Then, assess your infrastructure — data centers, cloud services, and network systems often contain powerful AI tools waiting for activation.

This inventory doesn’t just reveal capabilities. It exposes patterns in how your organization naturally adopts and uses AI. Large health systems might find AI clustering in radiology, pathology, and patient management. Smaller providers often see it concentrated in practice management and electronic health records. These patterns point toward your organization’s AI strengths.

They also highlight gaps. Your imaging systems may use AI, but your scheduling doesn’t. Perhaps your clinical systems leverage AI while administrative ones lag. Understanding these gaps helps prioritize investments and prevent redundant spending. With AI applications potentially reducing annual U.S. healthcare costs by $150 billion in 2026, smart implementation begins with knowing where you stand and taking action.

Turn your AI vision into a reality

However, healthcare organizations can’t deploy AI all at once. And they shouldn’t try.

Start with quick wins. Activate dormant AI features in your current systems. Train staff on AI-powered tools they already have. Enhance workflows by connecting AI capabilities across platforms. These steps create immediate value while building organizational confidence.

Large health systems should prioritize connecting AI capabilities across departments with chatbots and other efficiency-driven tools. Smaller providers might focus on maximizing AI in core systems like electronic health records and practice management platforms.

Prioritize investments that amplify existing strengths. If your diagnostic systems already use AI effectively, explore expanding those capabilities. When your scheduling system proves its AI value, consider upgrading to more advanced features. Implementing strong AI governance frameworks is equally important. Clear policies and oversight ensure that AI tools are used safely, ethically, and in compliance with healthcare regulations.

In the end, each success builds momentum for the next step.

Power your healthcare AI action plan — with the right partner

The path to successful AI implementation goes beyond technology. It requires the right expertise, infrastructure, and support to turn potential into real-world impact.

That’s where SHI comes in.

Our IT asset management (ITAM) services help healthcare organizations discover and optimize their existing AI capabilities — many of which are built into their current infrastructure. This foundational understanding ensures organizations can maximize their technology investments while avoiding redundant spending. By knowing what AI tools they already possess, providers can make smarter decisions about where to focus their innovation efforts.

SHI’s Gen AI Labs give healthcare organizations a controlled environment to experiment with AI use cases and validate solutions before deployment. This hands-on approach means providers can see exactly how AI will enhance patient care, streamline operations, and improve outcomes — all without disrupting existing services.

Through our comprehensive suite of AI services, we help organizations build and execute strategies that make sense for their specific needs. Our team of experts guides providers through every phase — from initial assessment to full deployment — ensuring AI investments deliver measurable value. We can also make sure that your data is clean and accessible — a critical part of utilizing AI. And with access to thousands of technology partners, you can be certain the solutions you choose fit your unique requirements and goals.

Worried that budget constraints might hinder progress? Don’t be. SHI’s Grant Support Program can help you secure funding for AI initiatives. Our specialists work directly with providers to identify opportunities and navigate the funding landscape. This ensures financial barriers don’t stand between you and the AI technology your organization needs.

The future of healthcare AI is now

The accelerating pace of AI adoption in healthcare isn’t slowing down, and organizations are quickly discovering that the path to AI success often starts right where they are — with the systems and capabilities they already possess.

This means looking closely at existing systems, recognizing built-in AI capabilities, and building thoughtfully from there. With proper planning and the right expertise, healthcare providers can transform their operations without disrupting critical services or overstretching resources.

Ready to enhance patient care and streamline operations? Contact SHI’s healthcare experts to maximize your existing technology investments and transform healthcare delivery for your organization.