Written by Eric Smith, senior vice president and chief digital officer for Memorial Hermann Health System
The promise of artificial intelligence in healthcare is immense and extends beyond technology; it is a powerful tool to advance value-based care. However, while innovation, funding and pilot projects often dominate conversations, AI’s success, especially in healthcare, doesn’t rest on technology alone.
For AI to truly deliver on its potential, healthcare leaders must drive cultural transformation and organizational adoption by fostering collaboration, setting a clear vision and ensuring initiatives scale effectively and rapidly while staying focused on long-term outcomes. By aligning AI’s implementation with high-value care, leaders can empower their workforce, uphold ethical practices and enhance patient experiences, thereby utilizing the technology as an important resource to further the broader mission of improving health and equity, while reducing costs and putting people at the center of care.
By aligning AI’s implementation with high-value care, leaders can empower their workforce, uphold ethical practices and enhance patient experiences, thereby utilizing the technology as an important resource to further the broader mission of improving health and equity, while reducing costs and putting people at the center of care.
Patients are setting higher expectations for their providers, seeking greater transparency, responsiveness and value. At the same time, consumers are leveraging AI at increasing rates in their daily lives, often without understanding the data sources behind it. As patients turn more frequently to AI to answer their healthcare questions, providers must guide them to accurate, trusted information to help them own their health care journeys by using available tools more effectively. This careful balance requires leaders to rethink how we use technology, how we build trust and how we navigate the road to value for our patients, our workforces and our communities.
Making this vision a reality isn’t just about adopting the latest technology—it’s about thoughtful leadership that ensures AI truly works for people. The real promise of AI lies in personalization, where care is tailored to each patient’s unique needs. To make this transformation possible, leaders must focus on aligning investments, governance, and workforce engagement with this patient-centered approach.
Read the full article that originally appeared in Modern Healthcare »
Final Thoughts
The real promise of AI lies in personalization, where care is tailored to each patient’s unique needs. To make these transformation possible, leaders must focus on aligning investments, governance, and workforce engagement with this patient-centered approach.
About the Author
Eric Smith is senior vice president and chief digital officer for Memorial Hermann.
This article was originally published in the Modern Healthcare in February 2025.