Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1545394
23 CIO / HEALTH IT The CIO mindset for the next era of healthcare By Laura Dyrda F or health system leaders, the pressure to move fast on artificial intelligence has rarely felt more acute. New tools emerge weekly, vendor pipelines are full and board-level expectations are rising. But Sunil Dadlani, executive vice president, chief information and digital transformation officer, and chief cybersecurity officer at Atlantic Health System in Morristown, N.J., is pushing back on the urgency; not to slow AI adoption, but to make it stick. Technology is evolving quickly and transformation is continuous, a "lifelong journey," said Mr. Dadlani. Leaders are learning to take an iterative approach to mastery when building the talent pipeline and workforce for the future. "Leaders should have a continuous learning mindset because your AI is really redefining the work," he said during an episode of the "Becker's Healthcare Podcast." "When roles get redefined, it redefines the responsibility and ultimately redefines the skillset. Your current skillset will get obsolete very fast. Have upskilling, continuously getting engaged in AI projects, and learning. Having a curious mindset is a key trait for not only surviving, but thriving in the era of AI." Mr. Dadlani's attention is fixed squarely on agentic AI. At a moment when most organizations are still sorting out generative AI governance, agentic AI represents a meaningful escalation of both possibility and risk. "With the capacity and capability of AI rising exponentially, we are now at a stage where we are seeing a paradigm shi from AI that can predict to now generating content and summarization, and here we are with agentic AI, which can actually take actions," he said. AI agents taking autonomous action in healthcare can drive extreme value, but also add extreme risk. Many health systems incorporating AI agents are finding the balance between innovation and implementation while also being mindful of potential cybersecurity, patient data and AI bias issues. at tension — between value and risk, between speed and structure — sits at the center of Atlantic Health System's AI strategy. Mr. Dadlani has grown skeptical of a widely held assumption that moving fast creates momentum, and momentum creates capability. "Momentum without governance is chaos and fragmentation, whereas governance without momentum is stagnation," he said. His organization is now deliberately pivoting away from the pilot- heavy approach that has trapped many health systems in what he calls "pilot paralysis" — a state where organizations accumulate proofs of concept that never reach enterprise scale. Instead, Atlantic Health System is building a structured foundation: centralized governance, a robust digital infrastructure, a single intake process for use cases, and a SAFE framework for AI — secure, accountable, fair, and explainable. e health system is now shiing from being an AI-enabled Women CIOs leading major health systems By Giles Bruce Women are increasingly leading IT strategy for the nation's biggest health systems. Here are female CIOs serving at the top 100 health systems by annual revenue: • Bobbie Byrne, MD, has been executive vice president and CIO of Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health since 2022. • Paola Arbour has been executive vice president and CIO of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare since 2018. • Sarah Hatchett has been senior vice president and CIO of Cleveland Clinic since 2024. • Kristin Myers has been executive vice president and chief digital officer of New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health since 2024. • Jane Moran has been chief information and digital officer of Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham since 2021. • Laura Wilt has been executive vice president and chief digital officer of Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health since 2023. • Lisa Stump has been executive vice president and chief digital information officer of New York City- based Mount Sinai Health System since 2024. • Desiree Gandrup-Dupre has been senior vice president and CIO of Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System since April. • Ashley Petit has been vice president and CIO of Atlanta-based Northside Hospital since 2019. • Deb Dow serves as CIO of Columbia, Mo.-based MU Health Care • Amy Trainor, RN, has been vice president and CIO of New Orleans-based Ochsner Health since 2024. • Lynnette Clinton has been CIO of Clearwater, Fla.- based BayCare Health System since 2024. • Novlet Mattis serves as senior vice president and chief digital and information officer of Orlando (Fla.) Health after becoming CIO in 2018. • Deb Anderson has been CIO of Evanston, Ill.-based Endeavor Health since 2024. n