Children’s Nebraska technology leader Jose Mathew argues that healthcare organizations must make innovation a core competency to harness AI, virtual care and advanced analytics while preserving reliability, security and patient trust. He warns that the bigger barrier is not scarcity of technologies but organizational readiness: governance, agile processes, workforce skills and vendor partnerships are required to accelerate safe adoption. Mathew emphasizes iterative pilots, clear success metrics and strong change management to avoid tech sprawl and clinician burnout.
On AI specifically, he calls for robust data quality, interoperability and explainability to support clinical decision-making and virtual care workflows, alongside cybersecurity and compliance controls. Investment in scalable infrastructure and centralized innovation teams can reduce duplication, speed deployment and sustain continuous improvement. Mathew frames innovation as systemic — blending leadership, funding, measurement and ethical guardrails — so hospitals can deploy AI-driven tools at scale without undermining care quality or trust.
