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How Kaiser Permanente uses AI to reduce clinician burnout

This episode explores how AI is being integrated into healthcare to improve clinician workflows and patient care, while balancing innovation with a human-centered approach.

Season 6 | Episode 6 | Jun 24, 2026
Hosted by Sarah B. Nelson
Featured experts: Dr. Kris Lee | Anupama Ambe

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Episode notes

As clinicians face rising administrative burden and burnout, there’s a growing need for technology that helps them be more present and informed at the point of care. At Kaiser Permanente, that means starting with real clinician pain points, from ambient AI scribes that reduce documentation burden to digital twins that enable more personalized, proactive care.

This episode explores how AI is being integrated into healthcare to improve clinician workflows and patient care, while balancing innovation with a human-centered approach.

Featured experts

  • Dr. Kris Lee, Associate Executive Director, Chief Transformation Officer, The Permanente Medical Group
  • Anupama Ambe, SVP & Managing Director, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Kyndryl

Conversation highlights

Please note the transcript has been modified for clarity and length.

Sarah B. Nelson (Host): Where are you seeing AI deliver the most impact in healthcare today?

Dr. Kris Lee: There’s tremendous potential with AI, but also tremendous risk. In healthcare, we’re highly regulated and safety always comes first. The lowest-risk use cases are those that improve efficiency or automate administrative tasks, while the highest-risk use cases are patient-facing tools that make clinical decisions without a human in the loop. So, we’ve started on the lower-risk end, while also thinking carefully about how new technologies integrate with legacy systems and existing workflows. (Hear the full response at 03:55)

Sarah B. Nelson: When AI is truly working in healthcare and feels invisible, how is the experience different?     

Anupama Ambe: The final outcome is doctors getting back to the human touch in healthcare, instead of worrying about forms, paperwork and administrative tasks. The measure of success is not just an IT metric, or even only efficiency and productivity. It’s about how we bring the human touch back into care, make access faster for patients, and help make care more affordable. (Hear the full response at 21:18)

More to the story

Explore Kyndryl’s report, Personalizing healthcare in the age of AI, for insights on how organizations are applying AI to improve outcomes, efficiency, and patient experience.

Discover how agentic AI is modernizing healthcare workflows, with real-world use cases that streamline operations and support clinical decision-making.

Read an Ideas Lab article on how AI is transforming hospital performance and enabling smarter, more effective care.

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