As AI becomes embedded in more aspects of healthcare, health systems are at a crossroads: Should they rely on ambient documentation tools bundled with their EHRs or invest in more powerful third-party assistants?
At Becker’s 13th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, Christy Limbers, RN, vice president of ambulatory quality and digital health at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, and Roy Rosin, board partner at First Round Capital and former chief innovation officer at Penn Medicine, explored what really matters in this next phase of AI deployment.
Here are four key takeaways from the session:
1. More than automation
For many health systems, distinguishing between AI and advanced automation is the first step in making smart investments. Ms. Limbers explained that Franciscan evaluates AI tools based on their ability to incorporate machine learning, natural language processing and predictive analytics to support clinical decisions and reduce cognitive burden.
“The first thing we do is we take a look at what we consider real AI versus just repackaged automation,” said Ms. Limbers.. “We leverage pretty much every tool that you can imagine, but that’s not necessarily AI for us, that’s just automating a workflow.”
She contrasted this with the system’s experience using Suki’s ambient assistant, which listens to the patient-clinician conversation, generates structured notes and helps improve documentation and patient care.
2. Outcomes matter
Mr. Rosin emphasized that as AI evolves, success is no longer about features but delivering measurable results. He urged health systems to look beyond marketing claims and assess whether vendors truly “move the needle,” from documentation accuracy to revenue cycle performance.
“We’re moving past the phase where people focused on features and functionality and moving to outcomes,” Mr. Rosin said. “To go past good and get to the level of accuracy and impact that health systems need, it’s still hard. AI allows you to do something really good, much faster and much cheaper but it’s not magic.”
3. Built Vs. Bolt
While embedded AI tools from EHR vendors offer convenience and integration, Ms. Limbers and Mr. Rosin both warned against defaulting to these options without a clear value assessment.
“Epic is a big EMR, they’re not a rapidly changing electronic medical record,” Ms. Limbers said. “In this case, when we’re trying to improve the experience and retention of our providers, I don’t think we can afford to wait.” She added that third-party tools like Suki have been more agile and responsive to the system’s needs.
Mr. Rosin agreed, noting that while default tools may be “good enough” in some areas, health systems should be deliberate about where to seek best-in-class solutions.
“If the EHR solution adds $10,000 of value and the third party adds $10 million, the answer is obvious,” Mr. Rosin said.
4. Adoption and alignment
The success of any AI implementation hinges on clinician engagement. Ms. Limbers underscored the importance of partnering closely with providers and iterating quickly. Mr. Rosin added that understanding specialty-specific workflows, and reducing friction at every step, is essential.
“You don’t change mortality or length of stay unless a human acts,” Mr. Rosin said. “If you don’t get that part right, you’re not going to move the needle and you’re not going to have digital success even if the AI is wonderful.”
AI investments must come with clear expectations and rigorous measurement, the speakers said. Ms. Limbers described how Franciscan tracked note closure rates before and after implementation, seeing an 84% improvement.
As AI continues to redefine healthcare operations, leaders emphasized that adopting the technology is not enough, deliberate partnerships and measurable outcomes are what will separate the enduring tools from passing trends.
“If you can focus on the value-added benefit of making it such that people don’t want to leave you, that’s the way to do it,” Mr. Rosin said. “The policy pressure is high enough, the headwinds are strong enough, organizations need outcomes. That’s where you get to the level of maturity that best in class players like Suki can bring.”
