2025 Environmental Scan

Implications for the coming year and beyond

The 2025 AHA Environmental Scan offers invaluable insights into the latest data and emerging trends, empowering the health care field to plan strategically for the future. The scan gives us the chance to reflect on the challenges we face and the opportunities that await us. By understanding where we are, we can more clearly see where we can go and why it matters. This annual publication serves as a catalyst for meaningful conversations among hospital and health system leaders, boards, staff and community stakeholders as we collectively shape the future of health care.

Topics include:

• Hospital and health system landscape: Financial challenges, supply chain shortages, cybersecurity and the impact of commercial insurer claim denials.
• Workforce: Vacancy rates, remote work trends and technology advancements.
• Better care and greater value: Improvements in patient safety and quality measures, value-based payment models, strategies to address social needs and maternal health.
• Consumerism: The impact of GLP-1 drugs, consumers’ views on GenAI, digital patient engagement and health care affordability.
• Trend snapshots: Public trust, aging in the U.S., coverage, behavioral health, rural health, hospital-based violence intervention programs and vaccines.

The 2025 Environmental Scan is sponsored by B.E. Smith, an AMN Healthcare company.

Also Available:

The 2025 Environmental Scan Leadership Discussion Guide helps hospitals and other stakeholders use the scan to strategize and think about key issues.

An AHA member-only PowerPoint presentation is designed to help share 2025 Environmental Scan insights with various stakeholders and your community.

The 2025 AHA Health Care Workforce Scan will help you better understand the latest forces and trends affecting health care human resources. This resource provides workforce insights to guide your organization forward during this time of continued transformation.

The AHA’s Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) offers a deep dive into key forces that are transforming the future of health care through Futurescan.