Rural healthcare leaders prioritize cybersecurity, revenue optimization and investments in digital and AI tools
Wipfli’s “State of rural healthcare” report for 2025 shows that leaders of rural hospitals and clinics are optimistic, with the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind them. While organizations are coping better with the workforce shortage, labor costs have increased, causing leaders to focus on revenue optimization. Many are beginning to implement AI tools to offset a shrinking labor pool.
Cybersecurity rose to the forefront of leaders’ concerns, fueled by a twofold increase in network breaches over the past year. Investments in network security protections, digital applications and AI tools topped the list of planned purchase activities and intentions for the next 12 months.
Wipfli gathered the data by surveying C-level executives at rural healthcare organizations across the United States. This is the third year Wipfli has taken the pulse of rural healthcare executives through a national survey.