As health systems face mounting financial pressures and workforce challenges, the conversation around AI has shifted from experimentation to execution.
Within this landscape, ambient AI has distinguished itself as a leading source of both relief for clinical teams and enterprise-level value.
In a recent Becker’s Healthcare webinar hosted by Commure, leaders from three healthcare organizations shared how they are measuring the impact of ambient AI, assessing vendor partnerships, and scaling adoption in ways that address both physician burnout and organizational efficiency.
Here are three key takeaways.
1. Expanding AI’s impact
While reducing documentation burden is a core benefit of ambient AI, panelists emphasized the importance of tracking additional operational and clinical metrics. At North East Medical Services (NEMS), where ambient AI is now integrated into standard workflows across all specialties with a 75% adoption rate, leaders are looking deeper.
“We are seeing very strong engagement from our providers, and excitement has skyrocketed,” said Murali Athuluri, Chief Information Officer at North East Medical Services. “Our providers have literally said to me, ‘We’re able to save at least 20 to 30 minutes a day,’ which they can then dedicate to other value-added work or to engaging even more deeply in the AI transformation journey.”
The organization is now moving beyond documentation into AI assist and agent capabilities, identifying opportunities to support clinical decision-making at the point of care, before, during, and after each visit.
Likewise, Valley Health System is taking a broader approach to value tracking, with a focus on streamlining chart reviews and clinical data integration across disparate electronic health record systems.
“Of the time spent in the EHR on administrative tasks, documentation is one part of it,” said K. Nadeem Ahmed, MD, System Chief Medical Information Officer at Valley Health System. “Searching for information and reviewing the medical record is what takes the significant amount of time—if not more—than simply writing the note.”
Because Valley Health System leverages multiple EHRs, for Dr. Ahmed, integrating data across systems is essential for optimizing AI’s impact. To help physicians operate at the top of their license and reduce administrative burden, Valley Health System is planning to implement AI to help doctors search through the medical record and even help summarize a patient’s record.
2. Ambient AI as a necessity
For safety-net providers like Bergen New Bridge Medical Center and North East Medical Services, AI is not just a luxury, it’s a strategic necessity to make use of limited resources. Both organizations serve complex patient populations with limited resources, making staffing efficiency and burnout reduction high priorities.
“The question for us is always how we should use our limited resources?” said Gian Varbaro, MD, CMO and vice president of ambulatory services at Bergen New Bridge. “Our physicians and our nurse practitioners’ time is one of the most valuable resources we have.”
Mr. Athuluri added that language accessibility was a critical factor in vendor selection at NEMS, whose mission is to provide culturally sensitive and linguistically competent care. Many vendors told his team they could support Mandarin, Spanish, Vietnamese, and other languages. But when tested in real-world pilots, most fell short.
“Running these pilots among vendors before selecting [Commure] was important because we saw the practical readiness of these solutions in real-time,” explained Mr. Murali. “Any solution we invest in has to meet the language and cultural needs of our organization.”
3. True transformation requires partnership
A recurring theme across the discussion was the value of working with AI vendors as long-term collaborators. Health systems want flexibility, responsiveness and deep integration, not just a product.
“When we started this journey, we were looking for a partner, not a vendor,” Mr. Athuluri said. “You need to be hip to hip, elbow to elbow, be with our providers, listen to them, and then make it happen.”
With a crowded AI vendor landscape, health system leaders are creating structured frameworks to evaluate fit. Mr. Athuluri described a use case–driven approach tied to a formalized checklist and accelerated pilot program. Dr. Ahmed’s team implemented an AI task force to assess vendor models for clinical effectiveness, hallucination risks and integration potential.
Looking ahead, each panelist shared aspirations for how AI can further augment clinical care. Top of mind were more intelligent chart prep, integrated revenue optimization and decision support tools capable of surfacing care gaps.
“This technology is transformational,” Dr. Ahmed said. “If you are not using AI in your business, then you’re probably going out of business. It’s not something that is an option. We have to do it thoughtfully and make sure it’s done ethically with the right partner.”
