AI, Burden Reduction, and Napkins

This past week, I had the pleasure of attending the NJHIMSS and DVHIMSS conference in Atlantic City, an event that’s practically a homecoming for us at Phrase Health. Based in Philadelphia, these HIMSS chapters feel like our backyard, and it was a perfect opportunity to connect with colleagues, catch up with stakeholders at some of our partner sites, and gain insights into the latest methods for tackling complex challenges. Plus, Phrase Health was a proud sponsor—more specifically, we sponsored the lunch, and I got to distribute some awesome napkins!

Napkins!

A Spotlight on AI's Real Impact

It’s no surprise that AI remains a dominant conversation in healthcare circles, and this meeting was no exception. The vendor hall was filled with vendors showcasing AI tools and solutions, and several compelling talks dug into the practical realities of AI in the clinical environment. I particularly appreciated the presentations by Drs. Kennedy Ganti, MD,FAAFP,FHELA of RWJBarnabas Health and Selvin Soby from Montefiore Health System, who both provided insights into implementing AI effectively within their organizations. Their discussions went beyond the standard "AI can solve all your problems" rhetoric and focused instead on responsible deployment driven by solving discrete problems as defined by clinical leaders.

This responsible approach to AI deployment is an important reminder. Without careful integration and clear definitions of what problems need solving, the result is often another piece of "technology debt" that clinicians are frustrated by—more clicks, more cognitive load, and, ultimately, more burnout. Drs. Ganti and Soby's approaches really stressed how essential it is to bridge the gap between potential and practicality, ensuring AI is empowering clinicians, not overburdening them.

Dump the Junk: A Practical Win for Clinicians

Another standout moment for me came from Eric Jones MSHIA,BSN, RN and his team at Hackensack Meridian Health, who delivered a presentation on their "Dump the Junk" initiative, which is near and dear to my heart. This project, which mirrors Hawaii Pacific Health's "Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff" campaign, took aim at systematically reducing clinical burden; in particular, reducing the burden on nurses. Their initiative tackled those small, everyday nuisances that accumulate and cause frustration: duplicative interruptive alerts, unnecessary documentation steps, and redundant processes that add zero value but take up precious time.

One of the program's tactics involved the adoption of macros to help nurses with flowsheet documentation. It’s one of those areas that might seem mundane but is incredibly impactful in freeing up clinicians' time and reducing the mental strain of repetitive tasks. By systematically eliminating duplicative alerts and streamlining processes, Hackensack Meridian is making solid progress toward the AMA's ambitious goal of a 75% reduction in clinical documentation, a target that every healthcare system should be striving toward.

As I listened to the Hackensack Meridian team share their successes, I couldn’t help but feel energized by the fact that we, as a healthcare community, are starting to recognize the value of subtraction as much as addition. The conversation around burden reduction—not adding another new tool, but instead refining and ensuring the tools we already have are effective—is gaining momentum, and it’s clear that the work Hackensack Meridian is doing is a leading example of how this can be achieved in practice.

Reflections on Home and Community

Being back with our local HIMSS chapter event also gave me time to reflect on the importance of local partnerships and community. Healthcare IT can sometimes feel like an anonymous, data-driven world of vendors and technology, but ultimately, it’s about the people behind the tools: the clinical informaticists, the quality leaders, the nurses, and the doctors. Many of our conversations at Phrase Health are about how we can continue to support those roles, and it’s events like this where those relationships come to life.

It was great to reconnect with colleagues face-to-face, swap stories, and discuss what’s next. Healthcare is inherently local, and while AI may dominate the headlines, these connections and our shared work to make healthcare just a little better each day are what drive us forward. Whether it’s an effort to responsibly implement AI or a campaign to "Dump the Junk," these initiatives are fueled by genuine passion for improving the day-to-day experience of healthcare workers.

Looking Ahead

It’s easy to be heads down in day-to-day minutiae, but ultimately, it comes down to listening to where the industry is going, seeking to support our partners, and finding ways to genuinely make this work easier to do—not by overwhelming them with technology, but by making the technology they have better, more effective, and easier to use.

For Phrase Health, our mission remains focused on helping health systems make sense of their electronic interventions and to drive insights and improvements in clinical workflows and decision support. Conferences like NJDV HIMSS serve as an inspiration that we’re working towards important outcomes, but that there is always more work to be done!