5 telemedicine trends for hospital leaders in 2025

The landscape of hospital care is undergoing a significant transformation, with telemedicine at the forefront. For all involved in the medical field, understanding and integrating these advancements is crucial to enhancing patient care, ensuring operational efficiency and keeping ahead of the competition. According to industry leaders at Eagle Telemedicine, here are five key trends that could shape the coming year for telemedicine in hospital settings.
 

1. Integration of hybrid care models

Hybrid care models, which blend traditional in-person treatments with telemedicine services, are increasingly central to hospital operations. This approach offers patients the flexibility of virtual consultations alongside conventional care, improving access and satisfaction. In the past year, 82 percent of patients voiced their preference for a hybrid model, and 83 percent of health care providers endorsed its use. Based on outside studies and our internal observations, we anticipate these figures will continue to rise in 2025.
 

2. Enhanced AI capabilities in hospital telemedicine systems

Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is revolutionizing every industry, including the medical field. The global AI market in health care was estimated at $19.27 billion in 2023, and it’s expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 38.5 percent from 2024 to 2030. We anticipate AI will significantly advance telemedicine by improving diagnostic accuracy while streamlining both clinical and administrative operations. AI-powered tools are already beginning to analyze patient data, predict health trajectories, and provide decision support for complex cases, and this impact is primed to expand.
 

3. Increased Interoperability between telemedicine platforms and EHR

Telemedicine integration is essential for achieving interoperability and scalable growth without exception. We predict that increased interoperability between telemedicine platforms and electronic health records (EHR) will ensure synchronized and accessible patient information, facilitate better communication between departments, and enhance care coordination through intelligent integrations. This transformation will support real-time updates and sharing of patient status, helping health care teams make informed decisions, provide cohesive care management, and offer patients increased transparency.
 

4. Growth of specialized telemedicine services within hospitals

Hospitals are expanding specialized telemedicine services to include disciplines such as cardiology, neurology, and post-surgical care. This expansion enables the delivery of expert consultations across a more comprehensive range of medical fields, improving access to specialized care in rural or underserved areas without the need for patient transfers. For acute inpatient care in the emergency department, for instance, specialized telemedicine will further support faster diagnosis and treatment, enhancing continuity of care for patients post-discharge while also delivering significant cost savings. Ultimately, specialized telemedicine services will play a valuable role in reducing patient burden and improving health outcomes.
 

5. Increased cybersecurity measures 

As telemedicine becomes a critical component of hospital operations, investing in advanced cybersecurity infrastructure is more important than ever to protect sensitive patient data and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. In 2024, the United States saw 550 health care-related hacks, affecting 166 million people. The increase pushed lawmakers to enact a notice of proposed rulemaking to modify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. These potential changes, as well the Healthcare Cybersecurity Improvement Act and other smaller bipartisan bills, have made implementing measures such as end-to-end encryption and secure access protocols mandatory to prevent data breaches and maintain the integrity and confidentiality of patient information.

The integration of telemedicine into hospital settings continues to shape health care delivery. In 2025, health care is primed to embrace hybrid care models, enhance AI capabilities, ensure seamless EHR integration, expand specialized services, and prioritize cybersecurity. With these transitions in mind, hospital leadership can position their institutions at the forefront of modern health care, ultimately improving patient outcomes, hospital leadership confidence, and employee relationships. To learn more about how to prepare for the future of telemedicine, contact Eagle Telemedicine.

NRHA adapted the above piece from Eagle Telemedicine, a trusted NRHA partner, for publication within the Association’s Rural Health Voices blog.

About the author:  Jason Povio serves as chief executive officer for Eagle Telemedicine. In this role, Jason has oversight over all aspects of the business including operations, program implementation, post-implementation support, credentialing, as well as marketing and business development. He has a diverse background in systems engineering along with broad experience in health care, working in large integrated health care systems in a number of operational excellence and executive positions.