Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt Health is turning to AI to expand services without expanding its workforce at the same pace as years past, President and CEO Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, said at the system’s spring leadership forum.
Dr. Balser said Vanderbilt Health’s vision for AI is not to reduce the workforce, according to a May 6 article from the health system.
“But given the cost pressures on healthcare, it is imperative to leverage AI to expand our services to support our growing communities without expanding our workforce as much as we did in the past,” he said.
One of the system’s upcoming initiatives is an AI-supported outpatient clinic designed to streamline visits and automate portions of the patient intake process. The model will include a multilingual virtual assistant for previsit coordination and technology capable of collecting some vital sign information digitally.
Vanderbilt Health is also expanding its research strategy through industry collaborations as federal research funding remains uncertain. Current partnerships include work with GE HealthCare on AI models intended to predict immunotherapy effectiveness for cancer patients and a Bayer Pharmaceuticals collaboration focused on cardiovascular and kidney disease treatments.
The health system is simultaneously continuing its regional growth strategy. Dr. Balser, who also serves as dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, plans to retire at the end of 2026. Until then, his top priorities focus on creating a more connected regional network rather than concentrating care solely at the flagship campus.
Recent expansion efforts include the February addition of Vanderbilt Health Clarksville (Tenn.), a 270-bed hospital. Vanderbilt Health also completed its largest expansion since 2009 seven months ago with a $500 million patient tower at Vanderbilt University Hospital and plans to add an imaging floor and more beds in 2026.
“Our vision is not a hub-and-spoke model; we are becoming an integrated, regional system of care, providing patients with the best possible care experience wherever they cross our threshold,” Dr. Balser said.
As the system expands across the region, it is also testing a same-day acute care model to reduce unnecessary emergency department utilization at Vanderbilt University Hospital, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer Jane Freedman, MD, said during the leadership forum.
The pilot program at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks in Nashville will accept referred patients who need rapid diagnostic workups or short-term monitoring but do not require emergency care to ensure the ED is reserved for patients who truly need it.
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
