Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Healthcare Upside Down: Lessons from Mayo Clinic and ECG on AI and Automation
Nov 18, 2025
Edwina Bhaskaran, MSN, RN, is the Chief Clinical Systems and Informatics Officer at Mayo Clinic, focusing on health IT and digital tools. Joined by Henry Stokman, Principal at ECG Management Consultants, they dive into how health systems can adopt AI while balancing innovation and risk. Topics include successful AI pilot strategies, vendor evaluation for sustainability, and Mayo's achievements with automation. They also discuss the importance of ethical considerations in AI use and the challenges of decommissioning outdated systems.
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Transcript
Episode notes
Workflow Integration Predicts Scale
- Tools that integrate into or replace burdensome clinician workflows scale better than bolt-on add-ons.
- Early adoption sustainment at 1 and 3 months predicts long-term viability.
Don't Go All-In On One Vendor
- Hedge bets by avoiding all-in commitments to single startups; expect many vendors to fail.
- Prefer partners likely to continue innovating so integrations remain valuable over time.
Take Small Steps With Automation
- Start with small, repeatable automations (e.g., low-dollar write-offs) before broad overhauls.
- Dip toes into RPA/AI to limit vendor lock-in and make change reversible.
