Podcast Summary

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Episode: Advancing Digital Access and AI Innovation with Joel Vengco of Hartford HealthCare
Date: November 25, 2025
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: Joel Vengco, Chief Information and Digital Officer, Hartford HealthCare

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Becker sits down with Joel Vengco, the Chief Information and Digital Officer at Hartford HealthCare, to explore the organization's digital transformation journey. The discussion covers how Hartford HealthCare is advancing digital access for patients, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for a more personalized healthcare experience, and embracing the "agentic era" of AI assistants and agents. Vengco also reflects on the future of workforce roles in healthcare and shares anecdotes about his career journey and educational background.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hartford HealthCare’s Mission and Digital Evolution

• System Overview & Accolades
  • Hartford HealthCare: largest health system in Connecticut, 500+ locations
  • Mission: “To improve the health and healing of all.”
  • Vision: “To be the most trusted for personalized, coordinated care.”
  • Accolades: Straight A’s from Leapfrog last three cycles, AHA’s Quest for Quality Prize (awarded to only one system annually)
  • Notable Quote:
    • “It’s a team effort. 45,000 employees, really focused on quality.” (Joel Vengco, 01:50)

2. Making Access More Convenient through Digitization

• Digital Transformation Beyond EHRs
  • Traditional digitization (EHR) is only the beginning
  • Emphasis on harnessing data for insight and personalization
• Digital Front Door & Consumer-Centric Experiences
  • Online check-in, paperless forms—fully digitized patient journeys
  • Need to match consumer experiences in other industries (e.g., Netflix, travel booking)
• Harnessing Data and AI
  • Focus on interoperability, cloud computing, and advanced analytics
  • Using AI for personalized recommendations and improved care coordination
  • Memorable Line:
    • “It would be a mistake to say, hey, we’ve digitized health and that’s where we stop.” (Joel Vengco, 02:46)
  • “All of that takes ... some level of digital twinning or benchmarking, and then certainly some level of prediction and artificial intelligence to get you what you need and when you need it.” (Joel Vengco, 04:34)

3. The Agentic Era of AI: Assistants vs. Agents

• Distinguishing AI Assistants from AI Agents
  • Assistant: provides information or insights, answers questions
  • Agent: does all above, plus takes action (e.g., schedules appointments, orders medication)
• Impact of AI Agents
  • Agents as companions for patients, clinicians, and administrators—helping navigate care, answer questions rapidly, and automate tasks
  • Future vision: personalized AI agents for each patient, tailored to their unique health journey
  • Notable Quotes:
    • “An agent does that, plus takes an action... maybe schedules an appointment for you...” (Joel Vengco, 06:19)
    • “We're really excited about how the agentic era can really become a companion for our patients and for our clinicians...” (Joel Vengco, 06:30)
    • “I think the biggest impact honestly is on the administrative side... agents could and should do [low-level tasks] so that... maybe that takes off five, 20, 30 minutes, maybe an hour of someone's time hunting and pecking...” (Joel Vengco, 09:13)

4. Preparing the Healthcare Workforce for AI and Automation

• Redesigning Workforce Roles
  • Concern over AI-related job displacement
  • Focus on “re-imagining” and “elevating” work: automating repetitive tasks, freeing up staff for higher-value activities
  • Importance of collaborating with workforce to adapt roles
  • Notable Quote:
    • “We want to make sure that, you know, we're looking out for them and how their future roles will change over time.” (Joel Vengco, 08:53)

5. Joel Vengco’s Career Journey

• From Medical School to CIO
  • Began in medical school; interest in data use for solving healthcare problems discovered while working on early EHRs at Boston University
  • Roles: Researcher, Informatician at Mass General Brigham, Chief Applications Officer at Boston Medical Center, GM at GE, CIO at Bay State Health, now at Hartford
  • Vision rooted in consumer-centric, data-driven transformation
  • Notable Quote:
    • “My journey really has been about chasing data, Scott. And in chasing the data I realized I had to also own infrastructure.” (Joel Vengco, 12:29)
    • “I wake up every day living the dream. This is where I was hoping to land and I just love what I’m doing...” (Joel Vengco, 13:52)

6. Personal Touch: Education and Boston College Loyalty

• Three Boston universities: Boston College (BC), Harvard, Boston University
  • BC holds a special place: met his wife there, daughter attends
  • Football aside, strong BC pride
  • Quote:
    • “Boston College is my university, if you will... I met my wife at Boston College. My second child goes to B.C. now...” (Joel Vengco, 14:57)
    • “They know Doug Flutie and that real just is always shown in every football game. And it’s just a wonderful moment for us.” (Joel Vengco, 15:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:40 — Joel introduces Hartford HealthCare and its mission/vision
• 02:43 — The journey from EHRs to true digital transformation for access, personalization, and data-driven care
• 04:30 — The need for healthcare experiences to match consumer expectations set by other industries
• 06:03 — The promise and differentiation of AI agents and the agentic era
• 08:53 — On redesigning workforce roles in the era of AI
• 09:09 — Where agentic AI will have the largest and most immediate impact
• 11:14 — Joel’s personal career trajectory
• 14:57 — Reflections on education: Choosing Boston College

Notable Quotes

• “It’s a team effort. 45,000 employees, really focused on quality.”
  — Joel Vengco (01:50)

• “It would be a mistake to say, hey, we’ve digitized health and that’s where we stop.”
  — Joel Vengco (02:46)

• “We’re really excited about how the agentic era can really become a companion for our patients and for our clinicians...”
  — Joel Vengco (06:30)

• “We want to make sure that, you know, we’re looking out for them and how their future roles will change over time.”
  — Joel Vengco (08:53)

• “My journey really has been about chasing data, Scott. And in chasing the data I realized I had to also own infrastructure.”
  — Joel Vengco (12:29)

• “Boston College is my university, if you will… I met my wife at Boston College. My second child goes to B.C. now…”
  — Joel Vengco (14:57)

Key Takeaways

• Hartford HealthCare is deeply committed to digital access, health equity, and using data to enable personalized, coordinated care for all.
• Digital transformation extends well beyond EHRs; modern expectations demand a seamless, consumer-grade experience for patients.
• The emerging “agentic era” of AI agents is poised to reshape both administrative functions and patient experiences, enhancing efficiency and responsiveness.
• Preparing and uplifting the healthcare workforce through role reimagination and task automation is a key leadership priority.
• Joel Vengco’s career journey exemplifies a passion for data-driven innovation, consumer-centric care, and continuous learning.