Dr. Michael Han, Chief Medical Information Officer, MultiCare Health System - Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Summary3 min read

Episode Overview

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Guest: Dr. Michael Han, Chief Medical Information Officer, MultiCare Health System
Date: January 5, 2026
Host: Grace Lynn Keller
Theme: Leveraging AI and informatics to transform clinician experience, balance innovation with operational realities, and advise leaders navigating rapid technology change in healthcare.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

Dr. Michael Han’s Background and Role

[00:46] Introduction
- Dr. Han describes Multicare Health System: a 13-hospital integrated delivery network based in Tacoma, Washington with over 27,000 employees.
- He is a urologist by training with 15-16 years of practice before going full-time into informatics.
- Responsibilities: Overseeing governance, implementation, and provider adoption of software, focusing on improving patient and physician experiences.

Impactful AI Use Cases in Clinical Practice

[01:59] Early AI Implementation for Stroke Detection
- Multicare deployed AI for early detection of stroke in the emergency room, using two vendor solutions.
- Emphasis on the importance of “time is neurons” in stroke care: speed as crucial for outcomes.
Ambient Clinical Documentation Trials
- Recognizes the pervasive focus on ambient clinical documentation across the industry.
- Multicare is running a three-way trial with almost 500 providers, comparing three vendors.
- “Our initial survey data has been absolutely astounding.” – Dr. Han [02:35]
Well-being Impact:
- Burnout rate dropped from 23% (pre-implementation) to less than 4% (post-implementation).
- Providers enjoying practice increased from 8% to over 36% after introducing ambient documentation.
- “I'm extremely bullish on ambient clinical documentation and how it's going to affect…not just the physician and APP experience, but the patient experience.” – Dr. Han [03:23]

Governance and Leadership: Balancing Innovation with Operations

[03:34] Joint Leadership Model for Innovation
- Implementation of ambient documentation was a collaborative initiative between IT and clinical leadership, not led by IT alone.
- Achieved critical provider buy-in to make the pilot successful.
- “This was not something that IT did to the physician enterprise. This is something that myself and our physician leadership embarked on together.” – Dr. Han [03:58]
- Game-changing impact cited for providers at Multicare.

Advice for Healthcare Leaders Facing Technological Change

[04:50] Unified Leadership Approach
- Emphasizes necessity of IT and clinical/medical leadership working “hand in hand, arm in arm.”
- Warns against IT solutions being imposed without clinical buy-in: “The IT tail can't wag the operational and clinical dog.” – Dr. Han [04:53]
- Suggests prioritization and adoption require unified leadership efforts.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On burnout reduction through AI documentation:
“We have gone from a 23% burnout rate prior to using ambient clinical documentation to a less than 4% burnout rate.”
– Dr. Han [02:20]
On increased job satisfaction:
“Only 8% of providers in the trial stated they enjoyed practice before the trial, [which] moved to over 36% after implementing an ambient clinical documentation solution.”
– Dr. Han [02:25]
On innovation governance:
“This was not something that IT did to the physician enterprise. This is something that myself and our physician leadership embarked on together.”
– Dr. Han [03:58]
Core leadership advice:
“The IT tail can't wag the operational and clinical dog. We need to work together in order to prioritize…implement…and drive adoption of these new solutions.”
– Dr. Han [04:53]

Key Timestamps

00:46 – Dr. Han’s background and role at MultiCare
01:59 – AI use cases: stroke detection & ambient clinical documentation
02:20 – Burnout reduction statistics
02:25 – Change in job satisfaction
03:34 – Approaching governance and collaboration between IT and clinical leadership
04:50 – Unified approach for future healthcare technology adoption

Summary Flow

Dr. Michael Han discusses how technology—especially AI for clinical support and ambient documentation—is already making tangible improvements in clinician well-being and job satisfaction. He stresses that successful implementation hinges on collaboration between IT and clinical leadership rather than unilateral technology decisions. The episode offers data-driven proof of reduced burnout and increased job satisfaction following thoughtful, well-governed innovation. Dr. Han’s guidance to leaders is clear: work as one team to prioritize solutions that matter for both practitioners and patients.

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Transcript10 lines

[00:01]
A
Philips is a health tech leader focused on innovation that improves the health and well being of people. Our healthcare technology and informatics solutions help care teams diagnose, treat and manage more patients with greater precision, speed and confidence. Across the care journey with Philips, clinicians are empowered with streamlined insights in the moments that matter for every patient. Better care for more people. Philips.
[00:29]
B
This is Grace Lynn Keller with the Beckers Healthcare podcast and we are recording live at the 10th annual Health IT Digital Health and RCM meeting. I'm currently joined by Michael Hahn who is the Chief Medical Information Officer at Multicare Health System. Michael, thanks for being here. Let's have you start off by sharing a little bit more about your background and your work in healthcare.
[00:46]
C
Sure. So my name is Michael Hahn, I work for Multicare Health system. We are 13 Hospital Integrated Delivery Network based in Tacoma, Washington. We about 13 hospitals, 27,000 employees employees and I am a urologist by background and so I've practiced urology for about 15 or 16 years before I made the leap into full time, into a full time informatics role. So I'm presently the Chief Medical Information Officer at Multicare. I'm responsible for all physician and advanced practice provider facing software in terms of governance, implementation and adoption. I'm particularly interested in any applications that can help improve the patient and physician experience.
[01:41]
B
Wonderful. Well again thanks for being here. And let's start with talking about AI, because nearly half of medical practices reported using AI in some capacity in the last year and it does remain a key topic for health IT leaders. So. So from your perspective, what are the use cases that are making a difference right now and how are you leveraging them in your organization?
[02:00]
C
Yeah, so from a clinical standpoint, our first applications that we really implemented at Multicare were in the early detection of stroke in the er. So we have two vendors that are currently live and time is neurons. And so these applications have certainly helped us this space. I think that you can't go anywhere in this conference without running into something regarding ambient clinical documentation. And so right now we are in a three way trial comparing three separate vendors with almost 500 providers at MultiCare. And you know, I'm pleased to report our initial survey data has been absolutely astounding. We have gone from a 23% burnout rate prior to using ambient clinical documentation to a less than 4% burnout rate. And at the same time we've gone from only 8% of providers in the trial who stated they enjoyed practice before the trial moved to over 36% of providers saying that they were enjoying their practice after implementing an ambient clinical documentation solution. So, you know, I'm extremely bullish on ambient clinical documentation and how it's going to affect not just the physician and app experience, but the patient experience.
[03:34]
B
Absolutely. And as virtual care expands from AI enabled tools and remote monitoring to broader digital health platforms, introducing these new technologies does bring its own challenges. So what advice do you have for leaders navigating everything from governance to patient engagement? And can you share an example of how your organization has balanced innovation with operational constraints?
[03:57]
C
I think I'm going to tackle this one from a governance standpoint and I guess I'll go back to our ambient clinical documentation trial. This was not something that it did to the physician enterprise. This is something that myself and our physician leadership embarked on together. And so they were able to get the provider buy in that was necessary to make this pilot successful. And I was able to get the buy in from an IT and governance standpoint. And so by working together we were able to deliver this tool that I'm going to call Game Changing for our for our providers at Multicare.
[04:40]
B
And final question, as we do wrap up our conversation, I'd love to know your top piece of advice for healthcare leaders as they prepare for further advancements in technology and rising demands for care.
[04:50]
C
I think I'm going to double click on what we just talked about in terms of the importance of IT and medical leadership working hand in hand, arm in arm to implement new technology. The IT tail can't wag the operational and clinical dog. We need to work together in order to prioritize new solutions and implement these new solutions and drive adoption of these new solutions.
[05:19]
B
Absolutely. Well, Michael, thanks so much for being here today and joining me on the Beckers Healthcare Podcast. Again, we are recording live at the 10th annual Health, IT Digital Health and RCM meeting.