What will AI do for telemedicine in 2025? More than you might think
Dr. Stephanie Lahr is president of Artisight, a virtual care technology and services company with an unusual play: robust use of artificial intelligence in its telemedicine platform.
The company offers an AI-powered smart hospital platform designed to enable virtual care models, quality improvement and care coordination. The platform is built on a foundation of AI-enabled sensors that enable computer vision, voice recognition, vital signs monitoring and indoor positioning.
We asked Lahr to think about where virtual care and AI are today, and then look to 2025 to see what might happen in the coming year. Not surprisingly, she has a lot to say about AI.
Q. So you’re saying that AI will transcend the hype cycle by 2025. What do you think technology and its use will look like in healthcare?
A. 2025 will mark the moment when AI in healthcare transcends the hype cycle and demonstrates measurable value through practical applications that improve clinical workflows. Healthcare organizations will embrace a more advanced vision of AI that combines virtual nursing capabilities with environmental sensing technologies, creating an intelligent healthcare environment that anticipates patient needs while supporting – not replacing – clinical decision makers.
This evolution will first manifest in routine patient monitoring and workflow optimization, where AI systems will demonstrate a clear ROI by reducing nurses’ administrative burden and increasing their ability to focus on direct patient care. Virtual nursing platforms will move beyond simple task automation to become intelligent assistants that proactively identify potential patient deterioration and support real-time clinical decisions.
The healthcare industry will establish clear metrics for evaluating the impact of AI on clinical outcomes, operational efficiency and patient experience. Organizations will move beyond measuring basic utilization metrics and focus on tracking advanced indicators such as adverse event prevention, reduction of clinical burnout, and improvements in care coordination – creating a new standard for demonstrating the concrete value of AI in healthcare.
Q: You say that 2025 will see major developments in computer vision and sensor integration. Describe this evolution of its use.
A. The integration of computer vision and advanced sensor technologies into healthcare environments will evolve methodically, following a path of intentional, measured progress. Leading healthcare systems will strategically implement these technologies, starting with virtual observation and patient safety applications before expanding to more complex clinical scenarios.
This careful approach will increase trust through transparency while ensuring that systems adapt effectively to each unique healthcare environment.
Advanced sensor networks will transform patient rooms into intelligent spaces that continuously monitor vital signs, movement patterns and environmental conditions without the need for direct patient contact. This ambient intelligence will enable early detection of patient deterioration, fall prevention and automated documentation of patient status, creating a more comprehensive and accurate clinical record while reducing the documentation burden on nursing staff.
Healthcare organizations will develop advanced governance frameworks for these technologies, establishing clear protocols for data privacy, algorithmic transparency and clinical oversight. These frameworks will address not only technical performance, but also ethical considerations around patient consent, data ownership, and the appropriate balance between automation and human judgment in clinical care.
Q. You see even more evolution, this time in specialized care. How will this landscape change in 2025?
A. The impact will be especially evident in specialty care delivery by 2025, as AI-enabled virtual platforms evolve from basic telemedicine to advanced remote presence systems. The combination of virtual nursing support and ambient intelligence will enable specialists to meaningfully expand their expertise across geographic boundaries.
This evolution will fundamentally improve access to care in rural communities while maintaining high standards of clinical quality and patient experience.
Advanced virtual care platforms will mimic the nuanced aspects of in-person specialist consultations through high-fidelity sensors, real-time physiological data integration and AI-enhanced communication tools. These systems will enable specialists to conduct detailed patient assessments, guide local care teams through complex procedures and continuously monitor patient progress, effectively removing the barriers of physical distance in the delivery of specialist care.
The democratization of specialty expertise through these technologies will catalyze new care delivery models that combine virtual and in-person care based on clinical needs rather than geographic constraints. Healthcare organizations will develop hybrid care protocols that optimize the use of specialty resources while ensuring consistent quality across all care settings, creating a more equitable and efficient healthcare system.