By: Lisa Bari and Jolie Ritzo, Civitas Networks for Health
As we step into 2025, the health improvement and health care landscapes are brimming with challenges and opportunities. From embracing local implementation efforts to grappling with the governance of health artificial intelligence (AI), the year ahead will require local partners in states and regions throughout the country to come together on solutions.
With a new–yet previously existing–administration soon entering the White House, these are some of the trends shaping the near future of health and health care improvement:
Trend #1: Local Implementation Driving National Progress
As we aim to improve health and health care, positive and lasting change is often born from grassroots efforts.
At Civitas Networks for Health, we often say: “nothing national works without local implementers – this saying holds relevance in 2025. As the new administration settles into Washington D.C., it will take time for federal directives to make their way to states. During this time local implementers working within states have an opportunity to champion continued progress. While there are times that we look to federal policymaking to set the tone, real change will likely continue to happen at the community level hinging on public-private partnerships in the year to come.
Civitas members—including All Payer Claims Databases (APCDs), Community Information Exchanges (CIEs), Health Data Utilities (HDUs), Health Information Exchanges (HIEs), Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), and Regional Health Improvement Collaboratives (RHICs)—are leading innovative efforts tailored to their community needs.
One of the key components that these entities rely on is trust.
From improving maternal health outcomes to advancing public health data infrastructure, these localized solutions offer scalable models that work across state lines and can bring about overall national progress. As the federal government braces for transition and reforms, supporting these local implementers will be key to ensuring that policy translates into meaningful progress for patients, underserved populations, and communities alike.
Trend #2: Increased Need for Multi-sector Data and Community Partnerships
As we work to address matters of access and quality and create opportunities for more coordinated care, the partnerships between CIEs and HIEs are proving critical. Having more comprehensive data to address individual’s health related social needs in the communities where they live is supporting improvements with access to care and services. There is increasing evidence that models which rely on whole-person data such as community care hubs are having an impact on quality outcomes. By integrating multisector data—including social determinants of health and clinical information— and partnering closely with community-based organizations these collaborative efforts help bridge gaps, improve resource coordination, and drive more equitable outcomes.
At Civitas, we’ve seen how this community-centric approach strengthens the public health and health care ecosystem by aligning stakeholders around shared goals and leveraging data to address pressing non-medical needs. In 2025, expanding these partnerships will be pivotal to fostering healthier communities and advancing collective health across the nation.
Looking to learn more about this topic? Check out our blog post, titled: “Aiming for Whole Health with Community-Centric Health Data Exchange.”
Trend #3: Greater AI Governance in Health and Health Care at the Local Level
The rapid proliferation of health AI is transforming everything from diagnostics to personalized care. However, this technological revolution comes with significant ethical and governance challenges.
Oversight requires public-private-patient partnerships. Ensuring equitable, safe, and effective use of health AI will require robust governance structures. Emerging themes in health AI governance include:
- Representative Data and Inclusive Decision-Making: Ensuring data sets and governing bodies reflect diverse populations, including historically underrepresented groups like black and brown communities and Native Americans.
- Protecting Patient Privacy: Balancing private sector innovation with privacy concerns, especially as data sharing and algorithm training introduce risks of unintentional privacy violations.
- Algorithm Bias and Local Context: Addressing biases in health AI systems and ensuring models are tailored to the needs of local populations.
- Nonprofit and State-Led Stewardship: Elevating nonprofit organizations and as trusted stewards of health AI data to support state-led efforts and to safeguard public interest.
- Practical Guidelines for Implementation: Bridging the gap between theory and practice requires actionable governance frameworks that ensure AI systems are equitable, ethical, and effective. By developing localized health AI policies tailored to community needs, organizations can create practical solutions that address disparities and reflect local health priorities. Initiatives like those under the Colorado Privacy Act provide a foundation for safeguarding data privacy while fostering innovation. These guidelines empower health systems to navigate the complexities of AI implementation, aligning technological advancements with legal requirements and ethical considerations. Additionally, localized approaches ensure that AI governance is inclusive, adaptable, and responsive to the unique challenges faced by diverse populations.
Health AI is both a powerful tool which can bring about important developments and yet it can also be a potential source of harm. Effective governance will ensure it serves as a force for good, advancing health outcomes while protecting vulnerable populations.
Want to learn more about this topic? We have a new blog post to dive deeper, titled: “A Public-Private Pathway to Health AI Governance with Health Data Utilities.”
Trend #4: Hubs for Best Practices and Creating Shared Resources for Implementation
Civitas Networks for Health serves as a national hub for best practices, shared resources, and data exchange, empowering organizations nationwide to implement transformative health and health care improvement strategies. By facilitating efforts that support data aggregation and interoperability, alongside initiatives in quality improvement and cross-sector collaboration, Civitas members are leading the charge in driving meaningful progress and advancing equitable health outcomes.
In 2025, this collaborative engagement will become even more essential. As the federal government works to stabilize through the transition, progress happening in states and local communities must continue. Having forums for exchanging solutions and problem solving is critical for implementers so they do not start work from scratch and so they have a sandbox for testing new ideas and solutions that have been vetted with their local partners.
Looking for more details on how we share resources and best practices across our network and the greater health and human services community? Check out our final Collaboratives in Action webinar of last year, where we worked with several Civitas members and partners to share information on “Localized Approaches to National Interoperability: How Public Health Agencies are Leveraging HIEs for Data Modernization.“
Trend #5: Testing the Promise of Improved Patient APIs and Data Access While Protecting Sensitive Data
As interoperability evolves, improving patient access to health data remains a cornerstone of equity and efficiency. With advancements in patient-facing Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and cross-sector interoperability initiatives, there is a growing focus on ensuring individuals can seamlessly access and share their health and social care information.
For our last predicted trend, in 2025, with the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) operational, there is an opportunity to test whether this vision can be fully realized. If successful, TEFCA could create the nationwide infrastructure needed to facilitate secure and easy data sharing for patients (and other key stakeholders), empowering them to make informed decisions and better coordinate their care across providers. This year will serve as a proving ground for whether these frameworks deliver on their promise to improve patient access and create a truly connected health ecosystem.
As mentioned earlier, a key word in all of this is trust.
With several large cybersecurity attacks last year and significant patient health data breaches, 2025 will bring about increased attention cybersecurity management and making sure that patient’s data is protected and being used appropriately. This highlights an opportunity for regional and state health data improvement networks to work comprehensively on this issue to be sure necessary safeguards are in place.
