The American Hospital Association is positioning technology — from EHRs to predictive analytics — as a central lever in hospitals’ push to lower healthcare costs.
AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack wrote in a June 5 column that EHRs and data-driven tools are helping clinicians identify problems earlier, eliminate duplicative testing and coordinate treatment more effectively. He added that predictive analytics and advanced screening are detecting disease sooner, while digital alerts are reducing preventable admissions, infections and complications — lowering costs for patients and the broader system.
He also pointed to hospital-at-home, telehealth and remote monitoring models that bring care directly to patients.
The technology investments come amid mounting financial pressure. Hospital expenses climbed 7.5% in 2025 — roughly twice the pace of reimbursement growth — and workforce costs account for about 60% of hospital spending, according to Mr. Pollack, who also cited payer administrative burdens and below-cost Medicare and Medicaid payments.
The column follows the AHA’s June 2 release of “Making Health Care More Affordable: A Blueprint to Lower Costs, Improve Access and Enhance Quality,” which outlines strategies spanning care delivery transformation, administrative waste reduction and innovation to improve outcomes.
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