AI Doesn't Implement Itself: How Leading Health Systems Tailor Pilot Execution and Capture Margin
Health systems are asked to invest in AI while margins remain thin and capital is constrained. THMA's 2026 Technology Investment Survey found 83% of leaders at systems above $7B in operating revenue name unclear ROI as a leading barrier to adoption. At systems of every size, executives want partners who prove value, fit technology into existing workflows, and stay accountable after go-live.
The question is no longer whether to invest in AI. It is what separates investments producing measurable results from those stuck in pilots. Successful AI does not remove the need for people; it raises the value of the right ones. Technology creates capability, but lasting value comes from redesigning workflows, earning frontline trust, and adapting products to operations. This panel explored how Leading Health Systems and Commure use forward-deployed engineers and high-touch implementation teams embedded alongside health system staff, turning capability into adoption and margin improvement.
Key Learnings & Speakers
Key Learnings:
Why embedded engineering teams drive sustained adoption and financial return
Where AI produces measurable financial impact: revenue cycle, clinical throughput, workforce productivity, care operations
Why strong programs redesign work and support human judgment, and why headcount cuts are the wrong first goal
How to tie AI investment to margin: revenue capture, lower administrative cost, capacity
Which questions to ask before funding, and which commitments to require of partners
Speakers:
Justin Catlett, MD, FAAFP, Chief Medical Information Officer, Summa Health
Vikesh Tahiliani, MD, MBA, Founder and CEO, Clinsara
Mark Galea, SVP & CIO, Willis Knighton Health
Shane Creech, VP of Information Technology, Ob Hospitalist Group
Moderator: Patrick Winter, SVP Commercial Operations, Commure