As hospitals confront historic workforce shortages and rising operational pressures, many health systems are shifting from short-term fixes to a longer-term reimagining of how care teams will function in an AI-enabled future. The question is no longer whether artificial intelligence will reshape clinical and operational work but how quickly organizations can adapt, upskill and redesign roles to meet that future.
Across the country, leaders are building strategies that balance immediate relief for burned-out clinicians with the foundational investments needed to create a sustainable, digitally empowered workforce. From deploying pragmatic AI tools that ease documentation burdens to embedding data literacy and workflow redesign into workforce development, these executives are laying the groundwork for a new era of care delivery.
Deepti Pandita, MD, vice president of clinical informatics and chief medical information officer of UCI Health in Orange, Calif., faces this tension every day.
“In the short term, we are addressing capacity and burnout by deploying pragmatic AI solutions that drive efficiency today: ambient documentation, clinical decision support and predictive analytics that reduce cognitive load and optimize workflows,” she said in a statement to Becker’s. “These interventions directly return time to the clinicians and help teams operate at the top of their license.”
But in discussions with her executive colleagues, Dr. Pandita is focused on planning the system’s “intentionally transformative” long-term strategy. AI is front and center.
“We are embedding AI literacy and workflow redesign into workforce development, training our teams not just to use AI, but to partner with it,” she said. “This means upskilling clinicians, nurses, and operational staff in data fluency, process redesign and ethical AI use, while building new hybrid roles that blend informatics, analytics and clinical expertise.”
UC Irvine Health in Orange, Calif., is also focused on AI and data literacy after a big expansion last year.
“UCI Health grew from a single hospital last year to a seven-hospital system now more than tripling its bed count, etc., and the need for data and analytics always seems to outpace what our current team can deliver,” said Mayil Dharmarajan, vice president of data and analytics at UC Irvine Health. “We’re focused on getting people up to speed with data literacy and our analytics platforms. The goal is to handle routine reporting in-house while our advanced analytics group tackles the tougher tasks that require deeper expertise.”
The senior leadership team is doubling down on self-service analytics so all team members have the tools and training they need to answer common data questions so they’re able to make more data-driven decisions.
“Getting that right has meant updates to our tech and tightening our governance protocols to make sure everything runs smoothly,” said Mr. Dharmarajan. “AI and new tech have changed the landscape this year and that’s pushed us to rethink how our own teams work for the future. We’re cross-training our analysts and building specialized groups that work directly with business units, acting almost like internal business analytics consultants to tackle operations and strategy using data.”
The system’s advanced analytics team, including data scientists and others, are focused on supporting big projects and complex analytics needs across the system.
“We’re not quite where we want to be yet, but these shifts are helping us cover more ground and keep pace with what the organization is transforming into,” said Mr. Dharmarajan.
Ramin Davidoff, MD, Co-CEO of The Permanente Federation in Oakland, Calif.; executive medical director and board chair of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group; board chair and CEO of The Southeast Permanente Medical Group; and board chair and CEO of Hawaii Permanente Medical Group reported using AI to draft responses to patient emails and manage in-box messages as well as building an infrastructure for all clinicians to work at the top of their licenses for a more sustainable future.
That future is “digital first.”
“Long-term, we are fully committed to our integrated, value-based care model which prioritizes preventative, high quality, coordinated care and positive health outcomes over the quantity of services provided in a fee-for-service organization,” said Dr. Davidoff. “Recognizing projected physician and healthcare worker shortages while the number of older patients with more complex, chronic conditions is increasing, we support a ‘digital-first’ approach that aligns with future healthcare demands while ensuring our organization’s structure allows for rapid adaptation to changing demands.”
Theresa McDonnell, DNP, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Health System, is similarly using technology to eliminate non-value-add administrative tasks so nurses can spend more time on the front lines and connecting with patients. The system has also expanded virtual care options and taken steps to support a better work-life balance, including more flexible scheduling.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Over the next few years, Dr. McDonnell sees larger changes brewing.
“Looking long-term, we’re focused on building a sustainable, future-ready workforce,” she said. “That includes strengthening our academic practice partnerships to create reliable talent pipelines and, most importantly, redesigning care delivery itself. We’re moving toward team-based models that integrate robotics, automation, AI and virtual care, creating a highly coordinated, technology-enabled care environment that supports our clinicians and enhances the experience for every patient.”
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