As health systems close out the year and plan for what comes next, CIOs are sharpening their focus on the AI governance and data practices they believe will matter most in the year ahead.
While AI adoption accelerated across healthcare in 2025, CIOs say 2026’s success will depend less on launching new tools and more on doubling down on the right guardrails, from how AI enters the organization to how data is secured, governed and shared.
For Robert Eardley, CIO of Cleveland-based University Hospitals, that means refining how AI tools are reviewed before they are deployed. The health system is doubling down on a more structured AI intake process designed to match governance oversight with risk.
“Our AI governance efforts will double down on stratifying our AI intake process to create various tiers for approvals,” Mr. Eardley told Becker’s.
Under the approach, lower-risk AI use cases can move forward quickly.
“Some AI usage will be ‘auto-approved’ when no material risk is present,” he said.
Applications from known and trusted vendors will receive “a timely and efficient review,” while higher-risk tools will move through a third channel that allows for comprehensive evaluation “to appropriately manage the potential risk involved.”
A national survey analysis published Dec. 12 in JAMA Network Open found that nearly one in three nonfederal acute care hospitals had integrated generative AI into their EHRs by 2024. Another 24.7% said they planned to adopt the technology within a year, suggesting about half of U.S. hospitals could be using generative AI in the EHR by the end of 2025.
At Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health, CIO Jason Joseph is taking a complementary approach by continuing to strengthen the health system’s data foundation that underpins AI across the enterprise.
Corewell Health is emphasizing efforts to ensure its enterprise data is organized, secure and well-governed by limiting access to core databases and tightly controlling how data moves throughout the organization, Mr. Joseph said.
“The health system is actively leveraging cloud data warehouse technology, furthering our investments in this area,” he told Becker’s.
In addition to infrastructure investments, Corewell Health is deepening relationships with major technology partners to support its data strategy.
“We are also deepening our alignments and partnerships with vendors like Epic and Workday to optimize their cloud data investments,” Mr. Joseph said.
