By Ben Hilmes, CEO, Healthcare IT Leaders
LinkedIn: Ben Hilmes, MHA, FACHE
LinkedIn: Healthcare IT Leaders
ViVE has become one of those industry gatherings where real conversations happen. Leaders from across healthcare come together to showcase ideas and pressure-test them. I attended this year with a clear intention: to be present where systems-level change is discussed, and to engage in those conversations in a realistic, accountable way.
Last year felt like a collective discovery session. AI dominated nearly every stage and panel. The tone was optimistic. We talked about what was possible. The promise of transformation felt immediate and expansive.
This year was different.
AI was still everywhere, but the tone has matured. The industry has moved from “We could do this” to “We need to do this, now let’s figure out how to do it responsibly.” The debate about whether AI matters is over. It does. The real work now is execution: governance, human-in-the-loop oversight, workforce education, measurable outcomes.
That shift is critical.
We are already seeing AI reshape care delivery. Clinicians are reclaiming time at the bedside. Ambient documentation tools are reducing administrative burden. Teams are starting to operate at the top of their license again. That’s real progress.
But AI without guardrails is a risk. If we deploy tools without proper training, clear accountability, and aligned leadership, we create more noise instead of value. Technology can support decision-making, surface insights, and remove friction. What it cannot do, and should not attempt to do, is replace the human judgment and relationships that healthcare depends on.
AI is most effective when humans are purposefully in the loop. Instead of passive reviewers, they are decision-makers shaping workflows, verifying outputs, and maintaining the human connection essential to care. People trust people and they are cautious of technology. Governance frameworks and execution strategies only matter if they ultimately serve the community in front of us.
As leaders, our responsibility is to ensure innovation strengthens the human connection in care.
The second major theme, one that deserves equal attention, was rural healthcare.
Rural Healthcare on Center Stage
Rural providers are navigating a complex equation: higher chronic disease rates, persistent specialist shortages, and increasing financial pressure. These communities often function as the connective tissue of their regions, yet they are asked to do more with fewer resources.
Technology can be part of the solution. We’re already seeing meaningful results from virtual care, remote patient monitoring, and ambient documentation in rural settings.
For example, the challenges facing a community in rural Georgia look different from those in inland California. Chronic disease patterns, workforce availability, nutrition access, transportation barriers, and cultural context all vary.
Personalized care cannot stop at the patient level. It has to extend to the community level. If we fail to account for local realities, food access, transportation barriers, lifestyle factors, we risk widening disparities instead of narrowing them.
In many parts of the country, patients drive hours to receive care. When they arrive, they are placing their trust in a physician and a system they may not know and may not have alternatives to. They do not have the time, flexibility, or resources to “shop around” if care falls short. For these patients, everything must work the first time. Clinical quality, operational efficiency, communication, all of it has to be aligned.
That reality raises the bar for leadership.
When I think about this year’s ViVE, I picture a Venn diagram. One circle is AI and emerging technology. Another is rural health and access. The third is trust.
The overlaps are where leadership matters most.
Leadership Matters and Trust is Essential
Trust was a consistent theme, in formal sessions and informal booth conversations. Trust in data. Trust in AI models. Trust between vendors and health systems. Trust between clinicians and patients. Trust within care teams.
Trust is slow to build and fast to lose. If communities believe technology is being implemented on them instead of for them, adoption will stall. If clinicians feel tools were chosen without their input, engagement will erode. If partnerships are transactional instead of collaborative, outcomes will suffer.
John McDaniel of Trinity Health made a point that resonated deeply: strategic leadership alignment is non-negotiable. Technology partners must be aligned with health system leadership. Leadership must be aligned internally across executive teams and clinical operations. And ultimately, the organization must be aligned with the community it serves.
Innovation without alignment creates friction. Alignment creates momentum.
Technology alone will not move healthcare forward. Aligned incentives, shared accountability, and community engagement will.
Excellence at the Intersections
I left ViVE more confident than when I arrived. We have the opportunity to shift the narrative from excitement of what’s possible to responsibility of delivering results for the critical moments that matter.
Healthcare needs thoughtful implementation. It needs leaders willing to balance innovation with discipline and solutions tailored not just to systems, but to the communities those systems serve.
If we get the intersections right, AI with guardrails, rural care with contextual intelligence, and innovation grounded in trust we will build a healthcare system that is more sustainable, more equitable, and more human.