Healthcare organizations are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, with much of the conversation focused on automation, efficiency and productivity. But as AI becomes more deeply embedded in clinical and operational workflows, another question deserves more attention: Can these technologies actually help healthcare organizations build stronger relationships with the people they serve?

That question will be at the center of the next installment of Healthcare Innovation's Digital Health Intelligence webinar series, AI and Patient Engagement: Using Technology to Strengthen Human Connection.

The conversation comes at an important moment. Health systems are looking to AI to reduce administrative burden, improve access and make care delivery more efficient. But saving time is only part of the equation. What organizations do with that time, and whether it ultimately creates a better experience for patients, may be just as important.

The Human Side of AI

Our first Digital Health Intelligence webinar, Hospital at Home at Scale: What 5-Year Stability Means for Health Systems, explored how health systems are moving beyond experimentation and thinking about how to scale new models of care. The discussion highlighted an issue that is increasingly relevant across healthcare innovation: technology alone doesn't transform care. Success depends on how organizations integrate technology into their operations and, ultimately, into the patient experience.

Our next conversation takes that idea a step further.

On Tuesday, September 29, at 11:00 a.m. ET, I'll be joined by Maninder "Mini" Kahlon, Ph.D., Founding Director of the University of Texas at Austin's LiveSmart initiative at Dell Medical School.

Dr. Kahlon's work focuses on improving health outcomes through community-based support, technology and human connection. Together, we'll explore where AI can genuinely improve patient engagement, where organizations should be cautious, and how health systems can make sure technology strengthens rather than weakens the human side of healthcare.

Moving Beyond Automation

AI has already demonstrated its ability to automate tasks, streamline workflows and reduce administrative work. Those benefits matter, particularly at a time when healthcare organizations are under enormous financial and workforce pressure.

But efficiency isn't the same thing as engagement.

Patient engagement has been a priority for healthcare organizations for years, yet meaningful, lasting engagement remains difficult. Patients navigate fragmented systems, complex care journeys and an overwhelming amount of information. At the same time, clinicians and care teams often have limited time and capacity to provide the personal support patients need.

AI could help bridge some of those gaps, but only if organizations start with the needs of the patient rather than the capabilities of the technology.

During the webinar, we'll explore where AI is already showing promise, from care navigation and chronic disease management to behavioral health, population health, virtual care and patient outreach. We'll also talk about the situations where AI may not be the right answer.

What You'll Learn

During this 30-minute conversation, we'll examine:

• Whether healthcare is focusing on the right applications of AI for patient engagement
• Why meaningful patient engagement remains so difficult
• Where AI can make a measurable difference in the patient experience
• How organizations can use AI to create more opportunities for meaningful human interaction
• What health systems should do with the capacity created when AI reduces administrative burden
• How leaders should measure success beyond efficiency and cost
• Whether measures such as trust, connection and patient activation should play a larger role in evaluating AI
• What healthcare leaders may be underestimating about the future of AI and patient engagement

For healthcare IT, clinical and innovation leaders, the conversation is ultimately about a question that goes beyond technology: If AI gives us more time, capacity and information, how do we use those resources to build better relationships with patients?

The Next Conversation in Digital Health Intelligence

This webinar is the second installment of Healthcare Innovation's Digital Health Intelligence series, which brings together healthcare executives, clinicians, technology leaders and industry experts to examine the strategies and technologies reshaping healthcare.

The series is designed to look beyond the headlines and focus on the practical questions healthcare leaders are grappling with as they navigate transformation, including implementation, operational impact, financial sustainability, cybersecurity and patient-centered care.

Following our Hospital at Home discussion, upcoming webinars will turn to several other critical issues:

• October 27: Cyber Resilience in Healthcare: Protecting Patient Care During the Inevitable
• November 17: AI in Action: Transforming Revenue Cycle Management
• December 16: The Next Phase of AI Adoption: Governance, Ethics, and Accountability

Each conversation takes a different angle, but the underlying question is the same: How can healthcare organizations turn emerging technologies and new models of care into meaningful, sustainable improvements?

Register Today

If your organization is thinking about how to use AI not simply to do more, but to create better experiences and stronger connections with patients, I hope you'll join us.

AI and Patient Engagement: Using Technology to Strengthen Human Connection

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

11:00 a.m. ET

Register for the webinar

Register for the webinar series here: 2026 Healthcare Innovation Digital Health Intelligence Series - webinar.net

I look forward to seeing you there!