21 Jul Health Data News Roundup: AI and a Healthier World; UnitedHealthcare Provider Search Tool; and Shifting Costs to Employees

Welcome to the Health Data Weekly News Round Up from IMAT Solutions. As the power of data continues to grow in the healthcare arena, today’s care organizations need to be on the forefront of all news and trends to help ensure that their data analytics efforts deliver accountable and informed care. Each week, we will provide you with the actionable news you need to meet these goals.

How We Can Harness AI for a Healthier, More Equitable World
When AI adoption matches a country’s evolving capacity and when multilateral funders share risk and build shared infrastructure, we unlock smarter, more equitable health systems that can end major diseases and endure, according to the World Economic Forum.

Payers Buy More Primary Care Practices, Boost MA Penetration
A new study shows that payers have significantly integrated with primary care practices, especially in markets with higher Medicare Advantage penetration, according to xtelligent Healthcare Payers.

ONC: Health Information Exchange Happening More Via Direct
Hospitals are using network-based methods for health information exchange now more than ever, leading to some, albeit modest, decreases in fax-based data exchange, according to recent data from the ONC as covered in xtelligent Health IT and EHR.

UnitedHealthcare’s Provider Search Tool Hinges on Consumerism
With the launch of Smart Choice, a provider search tool that leverages various data points to help members select high-quality providers who meet their personal needs, UnitedHealthcare says it’s on the road to total consumer-centric transformation, according to xtelligent Healthcare Payers.

ASTP/ONC Highlights Progress on Electronic Public Health Reporting
Although the pandemic highlighted serious public health data infrastructure gaps, a newly released data brief from the ASTP/ONC shows hospitals making considerable progress in electronic public health reporting, although results varied by hospital characteristics, according to Healthcare Innovation.

Employers Plan to Shift More Healthcare Costs to Employees 2026
According to a recent study, more than half of employers plan to shift more healthcare costs to employees in 2026 due to employers expecting their costs to rise by 5.8 percent on average in 2025, as highlighted by Becker’s Payer Issues.

Why Interoperability Plays a Key Role in Improving Care, Efficiency
Achieving the Quintuple Aim requires seamless communication among technologies, streamlined processes and cross-industry collaboration to enhance health data interoperability, according to Health Data Management.