Samwise Healthcare IT Newsletter
Monday, June 29, 2026
Health systems must shift AI use from automation to transformation
Healthcare AI investments are two to three times those of other industries, yet most health systems still focus AI on administrative tasks rather than care transformation, senior leaders warned at the HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum in Boston. Dr. Michael Pfeffer of Stanford Healthcare and Dr. Eric Alper of UMass Memorial Health said the question is no longer “Should we use AI?” but “Where and how?” Pfeffer cautioned that large language model costs are growing unsustainably and predicted a shift toward smaller, edge-based models. Alper raised concern about a widening digital divide, warning that resource-strapped community hospitals and safety-net providers may lack capacity to adopt and monitor transformative AI tools.
Source: healthcareitnews.com · June 25, 2026
Oracle partners with Theator to expand AI-powered surgical documentation
Oracle Health has announced a partnership with surgical intelligence company Theator to integrate AI-powered operating room documentation into its electronic health record platform. Theator, founded in 2018, captures surgical video footage and uses AI to analyze it and cross-reference EHR data, automatically generating operative reports without requiring transcription or dictation. Peer-reviewed research published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons found operative reports written from memory were only 72.8% accurate. Oracle’s Seema Verma said clinical documentation has reached almost every care setting but has “stopped at the door of the operating room,” and that the partnership addresses a longstanding gap in surgical data capture and quality benchmarking.
Source: fiercehealthcare.com · June 25, 2026
AI can help reduce cognitive burden – and speed revenue collection
First Choice Neurology, Florida’s largest private physician-owned neurology practice with over 100 providers at 60 locations, deployed AI-powered EHR tools to tackle documentation and revenue cycle challenges. Using eClinicalWorks’ Document AI Insights Assistant, the practice reduced workflow complexity by approximately nine clicks per task when creating patient documents. A clinical rules engine validates claims against more than 1,400 payer-specific rules before submission, reducing denials and rework. Digital payment tools cut patient accounts receivable from 27 days to 24 days, generating $8,000 to $10,000 in estimated monthly savings. Nationally, Doximity data shows neurologists now lead all physician specialties in AI adoption, with 64% using AI to manage administrative burdens.
Source: healthcareitnews.com · June 25, 2026
Healthcare transformation starts with ‘where people are’
Health system leaders at the HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum argued AI’s highest potential lies in redesigning care around patients, not merely automating back-office work. Eric Poon, chief health information officer at Duke University Health System, called patients “the most underutilized resource in the healthcare system” and urged co-designing care models directly with them. Nick Yaitsky of Lulav AI cautioned against using AI-driven efficiency gains to justify staff cuts, arguing freed capacity should let clinicians serve more patients. Sandra Powell-Elliott of Hackensack Meridian noted vendors over-index on revenue-cycle ROI, often missing harder clinical outcomes. HIMSS Chief Scientific Research Officer Anne Snowdon said transformation requires starting “where people are.”
Source: healthcareitnews.com · June 26, 2026
Virtual care use climbs, but many health systems lose money on digital services
A new Strata Decision Technology report found telehealth encounters rose 79% between January 2019 and January 2026, while remote patient monitoring encounters increased nearly 4,000% over the same period — but average total cost margins for telehealth remained negative across all major payer categories in 2025. Despite surging utilization, hospitals are losing money on virtual services and many lack a financially sustainable payment model for digital care. Health system operating margins slipped to 0.2% in April 2026, with drug expenses rising 8.9% year over year. The report draws on data from more than 2,200 hospitals and 149,000 providers in Strata’s StrataSphere database.
Source: healthcareitnews.com · June 26, 2026
Trase lands $107M to scale AI agents for healthcare
Trase, a Virginia-based company building AI agents for high-stakes environments, has secured $107 million in seed funding led by ARCH Venture Partners. The company’s Trase Origin platform enables organizations to deploy purpose-built AI agents for patient access, care management, revenue cycle and clinical research without moving data outside their own environment. In a partnership with Duke University Health System’s cardiology division, Trase’s AI automated triage of more than 5,000 monthly faxes previously hand-sorted by nurses and medical assistants. CEO Grant Verstandig said the funding will expand go-to-market operations and continue platform development, with agents designed to shift clinician capacity from administrative tasks to higher-acuity patient care.
Source: mobihealthnews.com · June 26, 2026
Aidoc lands FDA breakthrough status for AI that drafts radiology reports
Aidoc has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for First Read, an investigational AI tool that analyzes chest X-rays and generates draft radiology reports for radiologist review. The designation does not constitute clearance or approval but places First Read in an expedited FDA review program. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld cited a Neiman Health Policy Institute study finding outpatient imaging turnaround times more than doubled between 2014 and 2023. First Read generates draft report text for up to 100 pre-specified findings while radiologists review and sign all final reports. Aidoc’s platform is deployed across nearly 2,000 hospitals worldwide and has analyzed more than 120 million patient cases.
Source: mobihealthnews.com · June 26, 2026
FDA closes warning letter to Whoop for blood pressure insights feature
The FDA has issued a closeout letter to wearable company Whoop, ending enforcement over its Blood Pressure Insights feature after Whoop modified the product and labeling. The FDA’s original July 2025 warning letter claimed Blood Pressure Insights was an uncleared medical device. After Whoop updated the feature in line with the agency’s General Wellness policy for low-risk devices, the FDA said it would not enforce device regulations for the modified product. CEO Will Ahmed said the outcome was a win for consumers and wellness innovation, crediting Whoop’s scientists and regulatory experts. The closeout applies to the modified Blood Pressure Insights product and does not extend to any other Whoop feature.
Source: mobihealthnews.com · June 26, 2026
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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