Reflections from ViVE 2025: Where Healthcare Tech is Headed

ViVE 2025 in Nashville was a great opportunity to step back and think about where healthcare technology is going. The weather may have kept some folks away, but the conversations that did happen were insightful and reinforced some key themes that are shaping the industry.

Making Enterprise Visibility Solutions More Useful

One of the conversations I kept coming back to was around Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) — a technology that’s been around for years but is still evolving. Traditionally, it’s been all about tracking equipment, but more and more, we’re seeing hospitals look at how location data can improve efficiency and even support staff well-being. There’s growing interest in using this data for things like workflow optimization—not just knowing where something is, but understanding how movement patterns impact patient care and operations.

That being said, the big challenge remains integration with existing touch points (e.g. EMR). No hospital wants another system that operates in a silo. There’s a clear push for standardization and interoperability to make these solutions easier to adopt without adding complexity.

AI in Healthcare: What’s Actually Useful?

Of course, AI was everywhere at ViVE—but what struck me was how the conversation has changed. It’s no longer about the broad, futuristic potential of AI; instead, people are asking, “Where is this actually helping today?”

One area that stood out to me was AI’s potential role in workforce support and burnout prevention. Healthcare is facing some serious staffing challenges, and while AI can’t fix everything, it can help spot inefficiencies that add unnecessary strain. There’s a lot of interest in using AI-driven insights—especially when combined with real-time location data—to better understand workload distribution and staff movement patterns. It’s not about replacing people; it’s about making sure their time is spent where it matters most.

Of course, trust is key. AI solutions have to be transparent and actually useful to the people on the front lines—not just another layer of data that no one has time to interpret.

Wayfinding: A Simple Fix with Big Impact

One of the more down-to-earth but important conversations I had was about wayfinding. It’s something that often gets overlooked, but the reality is, large hospitals are hard to navigate, and that has real consequences. Missed appointments, lost visitors, frustrated staff—it all adds up.

What’s interesting is that wayfinding is becoming an expectation, not a nice-to-have. More hospitals are seeing digital wayfinding as part of the overall patient experience strategy, and it makes sense. For all the complex problems in healthcare, sometimes a simple fix—like helping people find their way—can have a big impact.

Where Do We Go from Here?

What stood out to me most at ViVE was the shift in mindset. The industry is moving past the phase of adopting technology just because it’s new and exciting. Now, the focus is on what actually works—what delivers clear value to patients, staff, and operations.

As we move forward, I think the biggest opportunities will come from finding the balance between AI-driven innovation and practical, everyday improvements that make healthcare work better. There’s a lot of potential ahead, and I’m looking forward to seeing how these conversations continue to evolve.

If you were at ViVE (or just following along), I’d love to hear your thoughts. What trends are you seeing? Where do you think healthcare tech is headed next?