Podcast Summary

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Episode: Dr. Tim Callahan, CTO, Michigan Medicine
Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Grace Lynn Keller
Guest: Tim Callahan

Overview

This episode spotlights Tim Callahan, Chief Technology Officer at Michigan Medicine, as he shares insights on how his organization is leveraging AI and digital technology to optimize care delivery, the importance of strategic focus, and strategies for balancing innovation with governance and operational reality. The conversation covers current AI use cases, legislative impacts, and best practices for healthcare technology leaders.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Michigan Medicine Background

• [00:47] Tim Callahan introduces Michigan Medicine as a large academic medical center affiliated with the University of Michigan, encompassing the healthcare system, medical school, and affiliates.

2. Current AI Use Cases in Healthcare

• [01:10–03:19]
• AI as Augmentation, not Replacement:
  • Michigan Medicine uses AI primarily to augment clinicians’ work rather than replace them.
  • Speech-to-Text & Natural Language Processing:
    • Recently completed a project with Microsoft DAX for ambient voice within clinical spaces.
    • Impact: "That has provided a great deal of benefit for clinicians in terms of engaging the patients and also reducing the amount of time it takes for them to process some of their clinical work. So that has been hugely transformative and certainly augments their work life balance." (Tim Callahan – 02:14)
  • Embedded AI in EHR:
    • Use of EPIC’s AI tools such as message creation, summarization of inbound patient messages, and suggested responses.
    • Clinician workflow improved by both proprietary and custom-built predictive analytics.
• General Principle:
  • The focus is on tools that “augment and enhance how we provide care throughout the healthcare system.” (Tim Callahan – 03:07)

3. Balancing Innovation with Governance and Ethics

• [03:19–05:05]
• Early Governance Initiatives:
  • Michigan Medicine proactively established governance and ethics frameworks for AI from the start.
  • Brought together stakeholders to define boundaries, ensure a “clinician in the loop,” and secure patient consent.
• Rollout Strategy:
  • Started with small-scale pilots to optimize workflows and operational considerations before scaling up.
  • Success Factor: Pre-planning and early engagement enabled smoother and safer AI integration.
  • Quote:
    • “We wanted to make sure that we were always using kind of a clinician in the middle or as I indicated earlier, this augmented enhancement as opposed to a replacement, as well as getting patient consent and things of that nature.” (Tim Callahan – 04:06)

4. Impact of Legislation on Health IT Strategies

• [05:07–06:16]
• Federal & State Legislation:
  • Ongoing adaptation to regulatory changes like the CARES Act (faster patient access) and privacy laws.
  • Sees regulation as an opportunity to enhance interoperability and security rather than a hindrance.
  • Quote:
    • “We really do view it as a strengthening mechanism, you know, rather than anything else.” (Tim Callahan – 06:09)

5. Advice for Healthcare Technology Leaders

• [06:16–07:57]
• The Importance of Focus:
  • Each healthcare organization has a unique maturity curve; focus efforts where impact will be greatest.
  • At Michigan Medicine:
    • Migrating and modernizing infrastructure via public cloud.
    • Integrating and consolidating affiliates for better interoperability.
    • Thoughtful, targeted rollout of AI tools.
  • Avoid “chasing shiny objects” and stay intentional about priorities.
  • Quote:
    • “It's hard to do many, many things at once, so it's really important to focus on whatever it is that the healthcare organization wants to do.” (Tim Callahan – 06:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• AI Project Success:
  • “That has been hugely transformative and certainly augments their work life balance.” (02:14)
• On Governance:
  • “We wanted to make sure that we were always using kind of a clinician in the middle...as opposed to a replacement, as well as getting patient consent.” (04:06)
• On Legislation:
  • “We really do view it as a strengthening mechanism, you know, rather than anything else.” (06:09)
• On Focus in Tech Leadership:
  • “It's hard to do many, many things at once, so it's really important to focus on whatever it is that the healthcare organization wants to do.” (06:49)

Key Timestamps

• [00:47] Tim Callahan introduces Michigan Medicine
• [01:34] Current AI use cases and projects
• [03:38] Governance, ethics, patient consent in AI
• [05:18] Adapting to legislation in healthcare IT
• [06:26] Advice for healthcare leaders: Importance of focus & tailored strategy

Tone and Takeaways

Throughout the episode, Dr. Callahan maintains a practical, strategic perspective, emphasizing augmentation over replacement, the necessity of ethics and planning in tech adoption, and the power of organizational focus over broad, unfocused innovation. The conversation is forward-thinking and pragmatic, offering wisdom for healthcare leaders navigating rapid tech advancement.