The RISE conferences in Scottsdale last week showcased promising healthcare innovations alongside the realities of an industry grappling with policy uncertainty and implementation challenges. Just as leaders and technologists met to discuss the future of value-based care (VBC), home health, and quality measurement, the "big beautiful bill" was winding its way through Congress. Five key themes emerged that could reshape healthcare—though their ultimate impact remains to be seen.
AI Seeks Its Healthcare Role
While AI's potential in healthcare is significant, organizations are still working through fundamental challenges around implementation. The many AI-focused conversations at RISE centered around identifying practical applications that can actually improve patient outcomes while navigating complex security requirements, data cleanup and provider resistance. Promising developments in predictive analytics and diagnostic tools are emerging, such as those provided by Accorded Health, but meaningful adoption across healthcare systems will likely take years as organizations work through workflow integration and trust-building with clinical staff. Some key leaders at the conference included Parakeet Health and Confido.
Value-Based Care Lingers in Experimentation Mode
The transition to value-based care continues to challenge healthcare organizations as they restructure around new payment models. Independent Practice Associations (IPAs) such as Yuvo Health, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and Management Services Organizations (MSOs) are experimenting with new approaches, often leveraging technology like Arbital Health for contracting and collaboration, but many are struggling with the complexity of adoption and the funding environment. While the theory of prioritizing outcomes over volume is compelling, the practical implementation often reveals gaps that take considerable resources to address. Interoperability between systems continues to be one of the greatest challenges.
Home Care Shows Promise with Limitations
The expansion of home-based healthcare services represents both opportunity and challenge. Hospital-at-home programs, hospice care, and primary care services are demonstrating the potential to deliver care in patients' homes, supported by advancing technology like portable diagnostics, remote monitoring, and even mileage tracking (e.g. provided by Everlance). However, significant barriers remain around reimbursement complexity, regulatory hurdles, and the infrastructure needed to support clinical care outside traditional settings. Experts from organizations such as Medically Home, myLaurel Health, and HCCI, shared their thoughts of the present opportunities and challenges, and a vision for the future.
Prevention Technologies Seek Market Fit
New screening technologies are emerging that could shift healthcare toward prevention, including at-home EEG screenings, dementia detection tools, and comprehensive disease profile tests. Examples at RISE included Caption Care for heart disease and Neurotrak for Alzheimer’s. While these innovations show promise for early detection and intervention, questions remain about their payment models and integration into existing care pathways. The shift from reactive treatment to proactive prevention aligns well with value-based care principles, but widespread adoption will depend on proving real-world outcomes and navigating complex reimbursement landscapes.
Policy Uncertainty Creates Winners and Losers
The conference occurred against the backdrop of the ongoing Congressional debate over the "big beautiful bill" that could substantially reduce Medicaid enrollment and impact hospital economics nationwide. While some attendees saw this as creating opportunities for innovation, such as enabling Medicaid adoption, the reality is that reduced coverage will strain healthcare businesses that serve vulnerable populations. Payors face the challenge of maintaining services with reduced funding, and many smaller healthcare organizations may struggle to survive the transition.
The Reality of Transformation
The RISE conference highlighted how these themes are interconnected, with AI supporting value-based contracts, VBC creating incentives for home care, and policy pressures accelerating innovation. However, the transformation of healthcare is complex and slow. While the vision of integrated care networks that blend virtual and physical care is compelling, the practical challenges of implementation—from regulatory compliance to provider adoption to patient engagement—suggest that meaningful change will be measured in years, not months. We can still believe in a healthcare future that looks dramatically different: integrated care networks that blend virtual and physical care, leverage AI for prediction and prevention, and keep patients healthy in comfortable settings. As usual, working in health tech requires patience and persistence.