Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a cornerstone of healthcare, helping hospitals unlock new levels of diagnostic speed, accuracy, and efficiency — particularly in hard-to-reach areas. The most advanced health systems are leveraging the technology not just for operational gains but also improved patient safety and better outcomes.
BJC Health System in St. Louis is investing in telemedicine platforms with AI-powered diagnostics expanding access to care. Especially, for remote areas, AI can help clinicians detect diseases early with real-time diagnostic insights.
“This technology enhances care quality by assisting with triage decision-making, even in the areas with limited healthcare professionals,” said Pooja P. Vyas, DO, vice president and chief medical officer at Christian Hospital, part of BJC Health. “It’s scalable, allowing for broader reach without significant infrastructure costs. Additionally, it helps manage chronic diseases efficiently, reducing hospital visits and improving long-term health outcomes.”
Zafar Chaudry, MD, senior vice president, chief digital officer and chief AI and information officer at Seattle Children’s also prioritizes AI for diagnostic and predictive applications this year because it can make an immediate impact on patient care.
“AI’s ability to analyze vast medical datasets enables faster, more accurate diagnosis, predicts patient risks for proactive intervention, streamlines administrative processes and facilitates personalized medicine, ultimately promising to improve patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency on a large scale while requiring careful attention to data privacy and ethical implementation,” he told Becker’s.
Big data and AI-driven algorithms are becoming available to more hospitals and health systems, making predictive analytics a reality. Priya Kumar, MD, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer of Greenwood, S.C.-based Self Regional Healthcare, sees AI as transformational because it can forecast disease progression, optimize hospital resources and personalize treatment plans.
“One of its most impactful applications is the early identification of patient deterioration in hospitals, allowing clinicians to intervene sooner and prevent complications,” Dr. Kumar said. “Ultimately, the technology has the potential to reduce hospital readmissions, enhance early diagnosis and improve patient outcomes, especially in high-cost areas like chronic disease management and emergency care.”
Nirmit Kothari, MD, associate chief medical officer of Baptist Memorial Hospital – Memphis sees the widespread adoption of EHRs, revenue cycle management programs and staffing software as having a wealth of information for patient safety, quality, coding and more.
“Strong predictive analytics models will not only facilitate enhanced patient outcomes, for example early sepsis identification, patient trial matching, improved resource allocation, but will also help significantly improve operational efficiency like patient flow, management, capacity, optimization and staffing adjustments,” said Dr. Kothari.
Anjali Bhagra, MD, medical director for automation at Mayo Clinic, is focused on building digitally adept teams aligned around shared outcomes and clinical leaders who embrace AI. The teams also include operational leaders with a strong process design background and technical healthcare delivery leaders to most strongly improve patient care.
“As we integrate intelligent automation into clinical and operational workflows at Mayo Clinic, we’re not just adding technology; we’re reshaping the fabric of how care is delivered,” said Dr. Bhagra. “Over the next two years, I believe the most successful teams will be those designed intentionally for this transformation, blending clinical insight, operational expertise and digital innovation.”
The siloed mindset and roles focused on rule-based tasks will be automated, said Dr. Bhagra. Instead, leaders will focus on clinical judgment, empathy, leadership and innovation.
“When done right, AI and intelligent automation don’t just create efficiency. They create space: space for care transformation, healing and for clinicians and staff to do mission-critical work that truly matters,” said Dr. Bhagra.
