Unveiled: You'll Need to Know These Innovative Strategies Healthcare CIOs are Using

For the sixth consecutive year, healthcare executives who are members of CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives) participated in our online survey* examining IT priorities and pressures facing their health system. The results reflect the perspective of technology leaders navigating daily complex decisions in the evolving healthcare environment. 

AI Emerges as a Key Priority in 2025 

Cybersecurity continues to reign as the top IT initiative, but artificial intelligence is gaining significant traction as a strategic focus. As a result, AI has dropped patient and consumer engagement from the traditional top three, a surprising and cautionary shift, in fact, 20% agree it falls in a bottom three position. The emergence of AI as the third most critical initiative (14%) signals an important shift in healthcare IT priorities. This positioning of AI ahead of infrastructure modernization (10%) is particularly noteworthy. Healthcare CIOs appear to be looking beyond traditional technical refreshes and toward transformative technologies that can address the industry's budding challenges. This trend also indicates a stronger willingness to learn more about AI and explore its capabilities. As healthcare organizations continue to mature their digital capabilities, we expect AI adoption to accelerate further, possibly claiming an even higher position in next year's priority rankings.

CereCore Principal Advisor, Mark Aschenbeck, adds, “Articles and publications may indicate a lack of knowledge about AI and specific capabilities as another driver of higher prioritization. Said another way, respondents to this survey may have ranked AI high because it's a priority to close a knowledge gap around AI and to explore its capabilities. Actual knowledge of AI capabilities is a range of understanding even across the spectrum of healthcare executives who are seeking a higher tier of functional understanding to support their AI strategy decisions.” 

Key Takeaways 

• The emergence of AI in 2025 indicates that organizations are taking this technology trend seriously and are willing to learn more. AI has a new-found trust within the healthcare industry and leaders are now realizing its potential in making IT systems more efficient. Organizations must consider how to integrate AI into their hospitals to enhance operational efficiency and improve patient care. 
  
• EHR projects resurface after dropping off the priority list in 2024. Jumping back into EHR projects with a trusted partner can help your organization upgrade and implement these systems effectively and efficiently. 

Download the 2025 CHIME CIO Survey Results Infographic or read on for further explanation of the results. 

Top Priorities for CIOs Consistent Since 2021 

CIOs offered these as critical IT initiatives for their organizations. 

• 30%: Cybersecurity 
• 16%: EHR/EPR implementation 
• 14%: Artificial Intelligence (AI) 
• 10%: Infrastructure, technical refresh 

Trends in CIO Priorities  

Cybersecurity Reigns as Top Priority YOY 

In fact, these findings and a common narrative around cybersecurity challenges in conversations with CIOs prompted Principal Advisor, Ryan Finlay, to offer this thought, “Cyberattacks keep rising every year and even the best security tools can’t guarantee you won’t get hit. That’s why having a solid Cyber Response Plan and actually testing it is critical. When an attack happens, being prepared makes all the difference. CIOs know that and are prioritizing this work as evidenced by the CHIME survey responses and conversations on the event floors of professional conferences.” Cybersecurity as a broad topic continues to reign supreme on a list of priorities with specific concerns surrounding attacks. 

EHR Implementation Resurfaces 

In 2025, we see the resurfacing of EHR/EPR implementation. From 2021-2023, EHR/EPR implementation ranked among the top priorities for healthcare CIOs. However, our 2024 survey revealed an absence of EHR projects from the priority list. 

This year's strong resurgence of EHR implementation priorities (16%) suggests several possible explanations for the 2024 gap. In 2024, cybersecurity dominated CIO concerns at 41%, significantly higher than the 30% reported in 2025 and 29% reported in 2023. This heightened focus on security likely diverted attention and resources from other initiatives, even those that remain as a constant in healthcare. Organizations showed more focus on maximizing their existing systems rather than implementing new ones.  

Opex vs. Capex Findings 

Another question presented in this survey picked up on a similar shift. We asked respondents approximately what percentage of your IT budget was allocated to operational expenses and capital expenses in 2023 and 2024. When comparing results we found a significant increase from 2023 (40%: 75 to op ex, 25 to cap ex) to 2024 (52%: 75 to op ex, 25 to cap ex). The increased allocation toward operational expenses in 2024 coincides directly with EHR implementation falling from the top priorities list. With cybersecurity commanding 41% of priority focus and a limited capital expense budget available, healthcare organizations appear to have temporarily deprioritized major EHR projects. This pattern highlights the nature of healthcare IT investments and how priorities can shift as organizations balance immediate operational needs with longer-term strategic objectives. 

Healthcare organizations are constantly seeking new ways to address this opex vs. capex dilemma. Zach Grieshop, AVP of Technical Services, notes “there are areas that should be reviewed and audited routinely around cloud cost management practices, automation, and utilizing managed service providers to consolidate overall costs and mitigate operation risks.” These review strategies may help organizations maintain technological advancement despite budget limitations.

Technical Debt Concerns on the Rise 

When we asked if technical debt is a concern for your health system, almost 60% responded that they continued to be concerned about technical debt or are even more concerned about it than before. While almost 30% responded with no concern about technical debt.  

• 29%: No. Not concerned about technical debt 
• 29%: Yes. More concerned than in previous years 
• 29%: Yes. Same amount of concern as in previous years  
• 12%: Yes. Less concern than in previous years 

Technical debt continues to be an increasing concern for health IT leaders. However, some leaders have implemented strategies to mitigate the effects of technical debt. Top strategies include: 

• 64%: Mature upgrades and system maintenance processes 
• 55%: Ongoing professional development and certification programs 
• 55%: Establishing a roadmap for technical refresh and lifecycle maintenance 
• 55%: Routine monitoring and analysis to prevent downtimes and disruption 

For more on technical debt, head to our Technical Debt and the Patient eBook. 

Interested in more? 

• An upcoming blog will review additional findings from the 2025 survey. 
• Results of the survey in 2025: Part 1 and Part 2, and a summary infographic. 

About the CHIME Survey 

The respondent demographic was primarily made up of Chief Information Officers (53%). More than half of participants (55%) represented mid-to-large healthcare organizations with 250 beds or more. This audience profile allows us to see directly into the mind of those responsible for maintaining and implementing healthcare technology within seasoned organizations. 

Are you a CHIME member who didn't get a chance to respond to the survey, but would like to be a voice next year? Click here to get started. 

*The 2025 online survey and the data reported is based on responses from 46 healthcare executives, all CHIME members, sponsored by CereCore.