The Digital Patient

215: Mount Sinai’s Drs. Gavin & Nadkarni: How to Turn Predictive AI into Clinical Action, Developing a “Scale-First” Operating Philosophy for Innovation, and Async Care to Improve Patient Access

Jan 22, 2026
Dr. Nicholas Gavin, Chief Clinical Innovation Officer at Mount Sinai, and Dr. Girish Nadkarni, Chairman of AI and Human Health, delve into transforming predictive AI into practical clinical actions. They discuss the importance of a clear 'why' for innovation adoption and the challenges of pilot projects, advocating for a scale-first approach. The duo also explores asynchronous care models that enhance patient access, alongside the need for robust AI governance and equitable deployment. Their insights on workflow redesign and human-AI collaboration promise to reshape digital healthcare.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Begin With A Clear Why

  • Start with a clear "why" to focus innovation on measurable impact for patients and the organization.
  • Girish Nadkarni says technology should be the outer layer solving a defined problem, not the starting point.
ADVICE

Prefer Scale-First Over Small Pilots

  • Avoid pilots unless the solution is designed to scale and you have high confidence in technical and change-management readiness.
  • Nicholas Gavin says pilots waste organizational energy if they won't scale across the system.
ANECDOTE

Demo Routed Patients To A Competitor

  • Nicholas Gavin recounts demoing a triage tool that accidentally routed patients to a competitor during a live demo.
  • The mistake exposed the need for rigorous QA across the software development life cycle.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app