Artificial intelligence has become essential for hospitals and health systems of every size across the U.S., with many top CEOs and CFOs embracing the opportunities and challenges it brings.
New Orleans-based Ochsner Health has implemented ambient listening and other AI-enabled technology to improve patient triage programs. CEO Pete November has championed these efforts, and heard from physicians the virtual visit tools and AI technology has helped them become more efficient. One physician said he was in the “golden age” of his practice because of AI.
“Transitioning to AI and other technology solutions isn’t a ‘nice to have’ feature, it’s a must have in healthcare today,” said Mr. November. “It’s about providing the tools needed to free up time, improve work-life balance, create ease of access and help us transform in the rapidly changing environment of healthcare, today and in the future.”
Wendy Horton, PharmD, CEO of UVA Health University Medical Center in Charlottesville, Va., is also strategically implementing ambient listening and other AI technologies to improve throughput and enhance revenue cycle functions. They are also using a homegrown continuous monitoring of event trajectories system with an algorithm to assess the risk of serious events for patients. One of the big areas she’s focused on is AI governance, which currently is a standalone process but UVA aims to integrate it into the standard IT governance framework.
“To support this transition, UVA Health is investing in AI training programs for leaders through the UVA Health Leadership Institute, fostering a culture of adaptability as new skills are needed and roles evolve,” she said. “The organization emphasizes a strategic and measured approach to AI deployment, balancing innovation with patient safety, ensuring a return on investment, preventing the accumulation of non-integrated tools, and focusing on effective problem-solving to maximize AI’s impact.”
University Hospitals in Cleveland has integrated AI into clinical workflows, tracking hospitalized patients’ vital signs to warn medical staff about sepsis risk. The health system also launched intelligent hospital rooms last year with support from the Veale Initiative for Health Care Innovation featuring remote nurse monitoring to anticipate falls and alerting bedside nurses of issues. The technology is trained to detect when patients may get out of bed or other risky bed configurations.
The health system is also using AI to identify patients with high heart disease risks and offer preventative therapies. For cancer patients, University Hospitals is using AI-based MRI to visualize how rectal tumors respond to therapy. Clinicians are also using technology with an AI-assisted organ mapping and treatment plan to identify precise targets for radiation therapy.
“AI is a powerful tool that augments – but never replaces – our capabilities as caregivers,” said Cliff Megerian, MD, CEO of University Hospitals. “We at University Hospitals are leveraging groundbreaking technology in a forward-looking, but thoughtful way, with the goal of always being more responsive, accurate, effective and timely in the care we provide for patients.”
St. Louis-based SSM Health launched a multi-year initiative chaired by the chief digital and information officer and chief clinical officer to strengthen foundations while ensuring a modern approach to governance systemwide.
“We believe that without a strong foundation below us, with our core systems like the EHR in an optimal and modern state, we will never be able to avail of new tech like gen-AI and intelligent automation,” said Kevin Smith, CFO of SSM Health. “Think of it this way: you can’t effectively leverage AI to improve workflows, clinical or otherwise, if your systems are not configured in an optimal way or the same standards do not carry through the enterprise and have major regional variations.”
Mr. Smith recognized the AI transformation is massive and can’t be the only focus for multiple years, so they’ve begun implementing select AI tools as “intelligent automation” across the health system, including ambient clinical documentation.
Nick Olson, executive vice president and CFO of Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford Health, is similarly moving forward with AI.
“At Sanford Health, we have embraced this idea that we cannot fear innovation,” he said. “We need to be open to reimagining how we deliver care and how we get our work done if we truly want to solve some of the most pressing issues facing healthcare today, including access, quality and sustainability. We’re still in the relatively early phases of AI adoption, but we’re excited about the potential impact, especially in rural America where workforce challenges are more acute.”
Last year, Sanford implemented technology to automate 80% of radiology coding. The system had 30 people dedicated to radiology coding at the time, and those individuals were redeployed to other roles with higher needs.
“We remain committed to fully leveraging the promise of technology to better serve our patients, communities and people,” said Mr. Olson.
