After a year of staffing challenges and tech innovations, 2025 is gearing up to be a major year for the hospital sector.

Two experts talked with Healthcare Brew about possible upcoming trends in leadership development and health equity initiatives, and they’re also eyeing potential changes to federal regulations for drug discount programs as well as Medicare and Medicaid.

Here’s what providers are anticipating for 2025, according to industry experts.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Stephanie Dowart, CEO, Altius Healthcare Consulting Group

There’s still going to be a lot of focus on financial resiliency and focus on cost management. [Hospitals are] also focused on the staffing, which is retention, recruitment, leadership development. There hasn’t historically been a lot of focus on leadership within healthcare, and I think healthcare organizations are understanding that, in order to retain your staff, you need to give back to your employees.

Keep reading here.—CM

Medical devices and drugs have long accelerated diagnoses, improved lifespans, and helped people with disabilities to thrive.

This year was no different. In 2024, the FDA approved quite a few treatments and devices designed for patients living with everything from schizophrenia to osteoporosis.

Were you too busy to follow along? Honestly, we don’t blame you.

To help you out, we compiled a few interesting and potentially transformative healthcare developments. At the very least, it’ll help you bank some office holiday party conversation topics!

Schizophrenia

The FDA approved an antipsychotic drug in September that takes a new approach to treating schizophrenia—one of the 15 leading causes of disability worldwide, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

For decades, drugs for schizophrenia have targeted dopamine receptors. But Bristol-Myers Squibb’s twice-daily capsule Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride) is the first-ever schizophrenia drug that targets cholinergic receptors, which are activated by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

Keep reading here.—CC

New year, new goals.

As we kick off 2025, Healthcare Brew checked in with leaders from around the healthcare industry to see what they have brewing (ha, get it?) for 2025.

They each shared plans to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to make care smoother and more accessible.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Chris McKee, SVP and chief strategy and business development officer, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

In 2025, we will focus on responsibly executing our goals for new and improved clinical facilities to meet growing patient demand and for state-of-the-art research facilities that enable breakthrough research discoveries. We’ll work to ensure our plans stay at the leading edge, considering new enabling tools like AI and the latest transformational cancer therapies. Externally, we will continue to deepen the relationships we have with our national partners to provide the highest-quality cancer care and an increasing number of novel clinical trials for patients across the country.

Keep reading here.—MA