Dr. Patsy M. McNeil, executive vice president and system chief medical officer at Rockville, Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare
Photo: Adventist HealthCare
Every health system, hospital, group practice, long-term care facility, you name it – today they all must contend with the difficult challenge of clinician burnout. Physicians, nurses and other clinical professionals are overwhelmed with work.
The most important health IT technologies today are those that make it easier for an increasingly stretched clinical workforce to deliver exceptional patient care, said Dr. Patsy M. McNeil, executive vice president and system chief medical officer at Rockville, Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare.
Operating at capacity levels
"Over many years – accelerated significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic – the volume of available clinical information has skyrocketed," she explained. "At the same time, administrative complexity has grown and resources have tightened. The result is a workforce operating at capacity levels we have not seen in decades.
"Health IT must relieve cognitive and administrative burden, simplify clinical decision-making, and enable clinicians to focus on what they do best – caring for patients," she continued. "That is the ultimate target."
The most pressing issue within health IT, of course, is artificial intelligence, she added.
"The questions are not whether AI will be used, but rather: What should we prioritize? What can be implemented effectively? At what cost? And at what risk?" she said. "Governance in this space remains largely uncharted. Unlike some other countries, the U.S. has not yet established comprehensive legislative guardrails that match the speed and scope of AI expansion.
"Healthcare operates on thin margins, which limits our ability to experiment freely – and patient safety must remain paramount," she added. "The central challenge is this: How do we implement AI in ways that measurably strengthen clinical workflows and workforce sustainability while upholding rigorous bioethical standards and protecting patients? That remains an evolving and critical question."
Wide-ranging gap analysis
Adventist HealthCare is conducting a broad gap analysis of current best-in-class industry IT standards and comparing it to a systemwide assessment of its current health IT environment.
"We wish to identify gaps and define a realistic, strategic path forward," McNeil explained. "Our goal is not to chase the latest technology trend, but to be disciplined, analytical and infrastructure-ready in how we prioritize investments.
"We are studying health systems – both in the U.S. and internationally – that are demonstrating measurable success with AI and advanced digital platforms," she continued. "From there, we evaluate how those approaches translate to our operational, financial and regulatory realities."
The health system currently has several AI-enabled platforms in pilot phases that are producing promising results. It also has learned from initiatives that did not deliver the anticipated impact. Those experiences reinforce the importance of governance, clear ROI expectations and measurable quality outcomes, she said.
"Throughout this work, we maintain strong internal checks and balances to protect patient data, ensure safety, and align innovation with quality, clinical effectiveness and patient experience," she noted. "Innovation must move forward – but with structure."
Driven to insular strategies
Healthcare is a multitrillion-dollar industry, and competitive pressures often drive organizations to insular strategies, McNeil commented. However, the current technological transformation is too consequential for isolated efforts, she added.
"This moment calls for collaboration and transparency across the industry" she said. "We must share lessons learned, governance frameworks, implementation strategies and even vulnerabilities. The stakes are unusually high – we are responsible not only for patient lives but also for a significant portion of the American workforce.
"Collective learning will accelerate safe adoption," she continued. "Responsible AI implementation cannot be a competitive advantage for one organization alone – it must be a shared advancement for the healthcare ecosystem."
This is a challenging time, but it also is an extraordinary opportunity to reshape care delivery in ways that strengthen both the workforce and the patients served, she concluded.
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