3 Essential Trends that CMOs Must Follow in 2025

HealthLeaders convened more than two dozen CMOs and chief clinical officers last week for the annual CMO Exchange.

Key takeaways from the CMO Exchange include adoption trends for artificial intelligence tools in clinical care, advice for policy management and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reporting, and successful strategies for reducing physician burnout.

Adoption of AI tools in clinical care

Adoption of AI-powered ambient listening tools to record interactions between clinicians and patients then generating a clinical documentation note is the most common AI tool in clinical care, according to CMO Exchange participants. AI-powered ambient listening tools are becoming an essential capability, with many physicians making the use of these tools a requirement to join a health system’s or hospital’s staff.

While AI-powered ambient listening tools are the most common form of AI tools in clinical settings, health systems and hospitals are branching out to adopt new AI tools in other clinical areas, CMO Exchange participants said.

One health system has deployed an AI tool to boost patient throughput in the inpatient setting. The AI tool looks at factors that influence a patient’s schedule for discharge, then estimates discharge date and time.

Policy management and CMS reporting

CMOs and other top clinical leaders should work to have a common understanding with their physicians on policy issues to dispel policy misinformation that spreads on the Internet, the CMO Exchange participants explained. Clinical leaders should also seek to reach a common understanding about policy changes established by the Trump administration.

Avoiding mass communication about policy changes with patients is an effective strategy, according to the participants. Health systems and hospitals should seize opportunities to have one-on-one discussions with patients about policy changes.

Health systems and hospitals should have clear policies for advanced practice provider (APP) credentialing. Clinical leaders should consider having an APP credentialing subcommittee, the participants said.

Health systems and hospitals should consider hiring a chief quality officer or vice president of quality who can focus on CMS reporting requirements. Many clinical leaders take a reactive approach to CMS reporting.

Addressing physician burnout

One of the features of this year’s CMO Exchange was a presentation on addressing physician wellness by Jane Fogg, MD, MPH, director of organizational transformation, and professional satisfaction at the American Medical Association.

To address wellness at physician-practice level, CMOs should focus on continuous improvement embedded throughout a practice, attention to leadership and culture, and working in partnership with physicians, Fogg explained.

There are five primary ways CMOs can support physician well-being, according to Fogg.

• Empowering local work units to implement solutions for workplace inefficiency
• Engaging physicians such as involving them in improving operations at a physician practice with bidirectional communication and involving them in improving the practice
• Leading as dyads or triads to foster partnerships across clinicians and administrators to leverage their expertise and shared ownership
• Embracing systemic solutions such as improving management of in-basket messages to physicians in the electronic medical record, reducing barriers such as prior authorizations, or implementing documentation support

• Practicing “wellness centered leadership” that treats all staff members with respect, transparently shares what leaders know about wellness and burnout, solicits input, nurtures and supports professional development, and expresses appreciation and gratitude.