Being Sensitive to ROI, Staying Agile, and Balancing Innovation with Platform Stability All Keys to Effectively Leveraging AI

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, AI and other emerging technologies are redefining how large health systems approach patient care, cost-efficiency, and physician satisfaction. Dr. Matthew Sullivan, CMIO for the Southeast Region of Advocate Health, recently shared his insights with healthsystemCIO Editor-in-Chief Anthony Guerra after speaking at the CHIME Fall Forum on the opportunities and challenges health systems face as they integrate these advanced tools.

Watch or listen to the full interview below, or subscribe to healthsystemCIO on your favorite podcasting channel.

Dr. Sullivan emphasized the need for AI and clinical decision support tools that genuinely enhance care delivery without overburdening clinicians. He believes that while technology has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, health systems must approach these innovations strategically and cautiously, and vendors have to come with pre-integrated tools that make adoption easier. “I think the shift is going to be in the next year or two,” he noted. “Particularly startups and even vendors that we have longstanding partnerships with are going to come to the table preloaded,” delivering both the technology and clear, tangible benefits.

A Balanced Approach to AI Investment

One challenge health systems face with AI adoption is balancing cost with the technology’s potential. While innovations promise efficiency, they are accompanied by significant initial investments. This is a critical issue, especially as IT leaders must often justify these expenses to financial executives focused on ROI.

Dr. Sullivan sees a potential shift in how vendors approach these relationships. “I think we’re going to start seeing vendors come that way,” providing measurable cost savings instead of vague promises of “soft money” benefits. He believes that, over time, AI will start proving its worth through concrete efficiencies like reducing administrative burdens on clinical staff, which could allow them more quality time with patients rather than more paperwork.

Enhancing Physician Satisfaction and Efficiency

Beyond financial concerns, Dr. Sullivan stressed the role of technology in boosting physician satisfaction and reducing burnout. Physicians, he noted, are increasingly looking for solutions that help them “work smarter, not harder.” But while AI-driven solutions promise to enhance physician efficiency, there is a delicate balance in how this added efficiency is utilized. Dr. Sullivan explained, “If you’re a very efficient physician today and we give you a tool that lowers the workload a little bit, you’re going to be pretty happy.”

In his view, the real value of these tools is in freeing clinicians to focus on meaningful patient interactions. Technology that automates repetitive tasks or consolidates data can potentially bring back the “joy in medicine” by allowing doctors to spend more time on direct patient care. He elaborated, “What we’re doing is allowing them to either have a little less ‘ragtag lives’… or spend more time at the bedside or in the office with a patient.”

Addressing Change Management in Health Systems

As health systems adopt new technologies, the inevitable challenge of change management arises. Dr. Sullivan pointed out that while many clinicians are eager to embrace new tools, the process needs to be seamless and minimally disruptive to their workflows. He noted that “healthcare is not known for being agile,” adding that implementing changes requires extensive vetting to ensure safety and efficacy.

For successful adoption of AI and other emerging tools, Dr. Sullivan recommends a balance between rapid iteration and strategic change management. He compared healthcare’s approach to adopting new tools to the agile updates seen in industries like retail or telecommunications. “We need to get to where we can implement changes in a smoother, faster way without needing to educate clinicians in a time-consuming way,” he said, emphasizing that the transition to AI-assisted workflows should feel intuitive rather than burdensome.

Navigating Vendor Relationships: Innovation and Adaptation

For large health systems, vendor relationships are another complex factor in the journey toward AI integration. Dr. Sullivan spoke to the tension between sticking with established enterprise vendors versus exploring solutions from niche innovators. “It’s on those fringes,” he said, “where if we have the time, energy, and focus, we can actually do better.” These niche solutions often address specific, localized needs within a health system that broader vendors might overlook.

However, Dr. Sullivan also acknowledged the potential drawbacks of leveraging one-off solutions, especially when large enterprise vendors get up to speed and release a comparable offering. He cautioned that sometimes health systems find themselves “almost double-paying” (at least for a short period of time if contracts overlap) when they commit to niche solutions only to have similar functionality rolled out by larger vendors later on.

For health IT leaders, balancing innovation with sustainability means carefully considering where to make short-term investments and where to wait for broader vendor adoption. Dr. Sullivan shared that he envisions a model where systems maintain a flexible approach: some parts of the operation may prioritize established enterprise tools for stability, while others explore niche solutions for specific, pressing needs. This, he believes, is the key to staying competitive in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

The Road Ahead: Setting the Stage for a Data-Driven Future

Looking forward, Dr. Sullivan is optimistic but realistic about AI’s role in healthcare’s future. He envisions a world where AI tools become more cost-effective, robust, and aligned with clinical goals. “If we stay engaged with this stuff and build an agile framework around experimenting with it and using it, then we should be where we’re supposed to be” In his view, maintaining a flexible, agile stance is essential, as healthcare cannot afford to lag behind other industries in leveraging AI-driven insights.

For IT executives and health system leaders, Dr. Sullivan’s insights underscore the importance of both innovation and pragmatism. The path to effective AI integration lies in fostering an environment that encourages experimentation and values concrete ROI while remaining attuned to the day-to-day realities of healthcare providers. In Dr. Sullivan’s words, “It’s time for us to take AI seriously, but it’s also time to be strategic about it. If we can do that, I believe we’re heading toward a very exciting future.”

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