As the healthcare industry faces increased patient demand, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are giving hospitals and health systems the opportunity to rethink how healthcare is delivered. However, many organizations struggle with where and how to deploy these technologies.
“AI is not a hammer looking for nails,” emphasized Dave Henriksen, Notable's head of value-based care. “Organizations have a problem, and they need to understand how AI can help solve their core problems.” Henriksen and Notable Chief Medical Officer Aaron Neinstein, MD , based on their experience deploying AI across major healthcare systems, shared seven tips to help organizations drive an enterprise-wide AI strategy.
1. Define your North Star
“Don’t go into AI to use AI,” Neinstein said. A healthcare organization's AI strategy must align with its mission and long-term vision. You need a solid vision of where you want to go as an organization.
Bill Gates articulated this opportunity. Increased productivity through AI allows organizations to “increase output, improve product quality, and reduce human labor time.” You'll probably see improvements in all three, but it's important to decide on your primary goal. Are you looking to expand access to care? To improve the quality of outcomes? To reduce provider burnout? An AI strategy should help you make progress toward these goals, rather than detract from them. needs to be accelerated.
2. Establish clear business objectives
Move beyond the hype around using AI by defining specific, measurable goals. AI projects are more likely to fail if they start with the technology rather than the business problem. Whether focused on operational efficiency, patient access, or quality metrics, organizational leaders must define what success looks like. Start with the workflow you want to improve and determine how AI can help.
Neinstein shared a cautionary tale from a large university-affiliated health system. Because its leaders focused on implementing specific technologies rather than articulating the business problems they wanted to solve, no-show prediction algorithms introduced early on in the health system led to overbooking, resulting in No improvement.
3. Develop guiding principles
Don't start your AI project from scratch. Instead, build on your existing privacy, security, and compliance framework while adding AI-specific considerations. Henriksen emphasized that “we remain focused on how patients experience their care while delivering high quality care at lower costs.”
Healthcare organizations already have a strong foundation in IT governance, privacy, security, and user experience. AI brings new considerations, but there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, layer AI tool guidelines onto your existing framework and focus on:
● Patient experience and quality of care
● Support and efficiency for caregivers
● Clear rules for the use of AI in clinical practice
● Data governance and security
● Integration requirements
4. Invest in change management to accelerate adoption
Successful AI implementation requires more than just technical challenges. It requires buy-in from the entire organization. Rather than avoiding concerns related to AI implementation, successful organizations directly address them through education, storytelling, and field engagement.
During his time at Intermountain Health, Henriksen said leaders would connect with employees after integrating new tools and ask them what was and wasn't working. Many of their suggestions were derived from consumer experiences outside of their work in the medical field. “Through AI, we can make these suggestions possible,” he explained.
The key to ensuring acceptance and use of AI tools is to make staff part of the process, rather than just the recipients of the change. This approach is not unique to AI. A similar strategy was used when healthcare organizations first transitioned from paper to electronic medical records. This experience demonstrated that such an approach is essential to building trust and adoption.
5. Accelerate your strategy with early wins
Rather than succumb to analysis paralysis, successful organizations identify focused opportunities for quick wins that build staff confidence and momentum. “Think big, start small, and act fast,” Neinstein advised.
At Intermountain Healthcare, testing small changes with a small group of users has proven effective. When staff were able to tell their colleagues how much time the new tools had saved them, adoption naturally accelerated. These early champions will be important in convincing more skeptical team members.
Leaders must remember that all the plans in the world cannot replace real experience. One Notable partner reduced pre-authorization time from days to minutes and received answers while patients waited in the office. This is truly a tangible victory that turns skeptics into believers.
6. Create a strategic plan for workforce transformation
AI will change the way healthcare workers work. There is no avoiding this reality. But successful organizations approach this proactively and transparently, focusing on how AI can augment human work rather than replace it.
Consider the role of the front desk. By automating collection tasks, AI can free up staff to focus on what matters most: interacting with patients. “If you're asking your front desk staff to also act as payment collectors, don't tell them to have a great patient experience,” Henriksen advised.
Don’t let your AI strategy become a “third rail” that everyone is afraid to discuss. Instead, involve your employees and plan how their roles will evolve. The Medical University of South Carolina demonstrates this with a 10-year strategic plan that prepares employees for tomorrow's opportunities, rather than making them fearful of change.
7. Form long-term platform partnerships
Who you partner with is more important than which specific products you buy. “You're not just buying a product today, you're buying a partnership with a company,” Neinstein pointed out.
Avoid the temptation to rely solely on an electronic health record (EHR) vendor or accumulate numerous point solutions. The EHR is the foundation and “shelf wall” of hospital operations, but transformation requires a partner who can move more agilely while maintaining enterprise-grade reliability.
Look for a configurable platform that allows you to solve multiple problems as your organization grows. The right partner can help you navigate the rapid evolution of AI while staying focused on your core mission of providing excellent patient care.
What's next?
The organizations that will grow in 2025 won't necessarily be the ones with the biggest budgets for AI or the most cutting-edge technology. Success will come to those who approach AI strategically, align it with their mission, and focus on solving real problems for patients and staff.
