Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Conversation with Clara Lin, Chief Medical Information Officer, Seattle Children's

Recorded live at the 2025 Health IT Digital Health and RCM Conference
Host: Grace Lynn Keller
Guest: Dr. Clara Lin, Chief Medical Information Officer, Seattle Children’s
Release Date: October 13, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Dr. Clara Lin, CMIO at Seattle Children’s, who shares perspectives on the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, strategies for effective governance and patient engagement, the impact of evolving legislation, and practical advice for leaders prioritizing innovation amid operational realities. The conversation focuses on the intersection of technology, clinical workflows, and the unique needs of pediatric healthcare.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Dr. Clara Lin’s Role and Background

[00:48]

• Dr. Lin introduces herself as an internal medicine and pediatrics-trained primary care physician and the Chief Medical Information Officer at Seattle Children’s.
• She oversees the informatics, digital health, and training teams, focusing on how health IT integrates with clinician workflows and patient engagement.

“I still see patients at Seattle Children’s, and my daytime job is our Chief Medical Information Officer. So I oversee our informatics team, our digital health team, and our training team in looking at how health IT and the clinician workflows and our patient engagement intersect with each other.”
— Dr. Clara Lin [00:48]

2. Current and Emerging AI Use Cases in Healthcare

[01:13]

• AI adoption is in its early but rapidly expanding stages at Seattle Children’s.
• There is significant focus on “ambient AI,” especially for clinical documentation (audio space) and envisioning future use in real-time video event prediction.
• The organization prioritizes use cases that demonstrate clear clinical value, especially when resources are limited.

“Across the conference today at Becker’s, we’re going to hear a lot about ambient AI… that is ambient both in the sort of audio space where it helps you produce clinical documentation… but also ambient in a video space. I think that would be a really cool use case moving forward...”
— Dr. Clara Lin [01:35]

“Finding the use cases that are going to be the highest yield in the early years was a really big focus for us.”
— Dr. Clara Lin [02:31]

3. Governance and Patient Engagement in AI Implementation

[03:06]

• Governance structures are essential for the ethical and responsible implementation of AI.
• At Seattle Children’s, patient experience is interwoven into AI governance—patients or their representatives sit on governance boards.
• Gathering patient feedback and facilitating active consent and opt-in/opt-out options are core practices.

“Governance for AI use cases, particularly new ones, are extremely important to ensure that you’re practicing AI ethically and responsibly… Patient engagement, patient experience and governance, should not be separate.”
— Dr. Clara Lin [03:06]

“At Seattle Children’s, we’ve interwoven those two things… patient experience representatives sit on our AI governance structure.”
— Dr. Clara Lin [03:28]

4. Balancing Innovation and Operational Constraints

[04:07]

• AI is integrated into both strategic planning and operational budgets.
• The organization sets aside operational funds for planned AI projects and allocates a discrete “innovation bucket” for risk-taking and creative efforts.
• This dual approach allows for strategic adoption and continuing experimentation.

“We are thinking about AI as part of our strategy and as part of our operational workflow moving forward… Other than designing it directly into your OPEX budget, you also have to think about maybe investing in a distinct discrete bucket of dollars and time… just for you to take risk and for you to innovate and be creative…”
— Dr. Clara Lin [04:13]

5. The Impact of Legislation on Healthcare IT Strategy

[05:14]

• Recent state and federal efforts aim to make AI safer, faster, and more affordable.
• There is heightened federal focus on safeguarding children and teenagers who may interface with AI.
• Dr. Lin highlights the shrinking pediatric workforce and the vulnerability of the patient population, underscoring the importance of advocacy and thoughtful technology adoption in pediatric care.

“We see that there’s been a national, at the federal level, conversation about how we make sure that AI is safe for our teens and our kids… we need to make sure that we’re advocating for our patients… especially in the evolving technology”
— Dr. Clara Lin [05:24]

6. Advice for Healthcare Leaders on Technology Adoption

[06:49]

• Dr. Lin urges leaders to be realistic about AI’s return on investment.
• She warns against getting distracted by “shiny” new technologies, emphasizing the importance of targeting resources toward initiatives that deliver true clinical value.

“It’ll be important to resist the shininess of it and really be realistic at determining what that clinical value will be for your organization so that you could target your investment intelligently.”
— Dr. Clara Lin [06:53]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Patient Governance:
  “Patient engagement… should not be separate [from governance]. Patient experience representatives sit on our AI governance structure.”
  — Dr. Clara Lin [03:28]

• On Practical Innovation:
  “You also have to think about maybe investing in a distinct discrete bucket of dollars and time and effort that is just for you to take risk and for you to innovate and be creative and do really cool things.”
  — Dr. Clara Lin [04:38]

• On Choosing AI Projects:
  “It’ll be important to resist the shininess of it and really be realistic at determining what that clinical value will be for your organization.”
  — Dr. Clara Lin [06:53]

Timeline of Key Segments

• 00:48: Introduction to Dr. Lin’s role and responsibilities
• 01:35: Discussion of AI use cases and “ambient AI” in practice
• 03:06: Governance strategies and patient engagement integration
• 04:13: Balancing innovation and operational constraints
• 05:24: Responding to legislative trends in AI, focus on children’s safety
• 06:49: Practical advice for healthcare leaders on investing in technology

Summary Takeaways

Dr. Clara Lin emphasizes that while AI holds promise for transforming clinical operations and improving patient care, its successful implementation depends on robust governance, patient involvement, and pragmatic investment strategies. Seattle Children’s approach blends thoughtful budgeting for proven solutions with dedicated resources for experimentation, always prioritizing ethical standards and pediatric advocacy. Her guidance to healthcare leaders: pursue technology that demonstrably improves care, and ensure patients—and especially vulnerable populations—remain at the heart of every strategic decision.