Jaimie Weber, System Director of Nursing for Perioperative Services at Alameda Health System

Summary

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Episode Summary

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Guest: Jaimie Weber, System Director of Nursing for Perioperative Services at Alameda Health System
Date: November 4, 2025
Host: Laura Dyrda

Overview

This episode features Jaimie Weber, a perioperative nursing leader with over two decades of experience across diverse areas of care, discussing the intersection of technology, staffing, and efficiency in today’s healthcare landscape. The conversation centers on how health systems like Alameda are adapting to industry headwinds, particularly around technological innovation, AI, workforce wellbeing, and the future potential of tech-enabled care—while maintaining a focus on patient outcomes and staff satisfaction.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jaimie Weber’s Background

• [01:17] Weber describes two decades in healthcare, spanning roles in ER, ICU, adult and perioperative services, both inpatient and outpatient.
  • “I have been involved with several different areas of care... had my hand in a lot of different things.” – Jaimie Weber [01:21]

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Opportunities & Headwinds in Perioperative Services

• AI in Healthcare
  • AI is a buzzword in healthcare, but for perioperative services, the focus is on harnessing it for productivity and operational efficiency.
  • [02:53] “Does that mean that we're going to get rid of nurses? No, absolutely not. Nurses are required.” – Jaimie Weber
  • AI can help forecast schedules, predict staffing needs, and find areas for increased efficiency—but won’t replace the human touch required in nursing.
• Surgical Revenue
  • Surgical services are central to hospital revenue streams, so maximizing efficiency is critical for financial survival.

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Leveraging Technology for Efficiency

• Adoption Challenges

  • [04:08] Technology changes move rapidly, often outpacing the comfort or adaptability of frontline clinicians; organizations must ensure tech adds value rather than friction.
  • “Sometimes we can be a little change averse... It can be really hard for nursing groups to go, how does this affect me and my patient?” – Jaimie Weber [04:10]

• Optimizing Scheduling & Resource Allocation

  • AI and data-driven models are being explored to more accurately predict surgery durations, case volumes, staff ing needs (e.g. peak “sick call” days), and utilization patterns.
  • “How can we have a predictive model for staffing… or our scheduling? How can we know exactly how long this case is going to take?” – Jaimie Weber [05:07]

• Emerging Infection Control Tech

  • New automated UV disinfection tech (integrated with cameras and sensors) offers pinpoint, efficient surface sterilization—reducing manual labor and risk of staff injury.
  • “If we can set these up in a couple of rooms, that room gets better UV coverage... we can treat more rooms.” – Jaimie Weber [08:01]

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Valuing and Retaining Workforce

• Staff as Primary Resource
  • Human capital is the costliest resource, but also the most valuable. Supporting staff leads to better care, less turnover, and higher patient volume and satisfaction.
  • [08:41] “We need to invest in our people, right? That has a lot of overhead... but also, it's our most valuable resource.”
  • Efficient technology should alleviate non-essential burdens, allowing caregivers to focus on what drew them to healthcare: patient care.

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Investment Risks & Priorities

• IT Infrastructure for Future-Readiness
  • With margins tightening, Weber emphasizes the need to invest in robust IT: secure bandwidth, firewalls, and telehealth platforms—especially as reimbursements change and some facilities face closure.
  • [11:04] “Invest in your IT department and beef up your infrastructure to be ready for that.”
• Rural Access & Telemedicine
  • Telehealth’s rapid expansion, especially post-COVID, is crucial to maintain access in rural areas where hospital closures may increase treatment deserts.
  • “We may have hospital closures because of these tighter margins... we need to focus on IT infrastructure to make sure that you have safe firewalls and bandwidth and wi fi and telehealth platforms...” – Jaimie Weber [11:16]
  • Legal and regulatory knowledge is essential for cross-state telehealth as practice standards evolve.

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Growth Opportunities: 2–3 Year Outlook

• Expect fast-moving innovation in IT, program overlays, remote surgery, and sterilization technologies.
  • [14:59] “I'm seeing some really cool things come out that solve a lot of problems, whether it's robotic surgery or program overlays with visualization of cameras... So I'm just really excited.”
• Transformation may require updating standards, regulations, and accelerating the FDA clearance of inventive solutions.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI and the irreplaceable value of nurses:

  • “Does that mean that we're going to get rid of nurses? No, absolutely not. Nurses are required. Patients need physical care, that there's no way something that a robot could do.”
    — Jaimie Weber [02:53]

• On fostering staff satisfaction:

  • “If we’ve invested in our people… we don’t want them to go somewhere else where they’re unhappy… Our focus needs to be to truly make their jobs as easy as possible, because healthcare is tough enough.” — Jaimie Weber [09:00]

• On where to invest despite tight margins:

  • “Invest in your IT department and beef up your infrastructure to be ready for that… to make sure that people get the care that they need.” — Jaimie Weber [11:04]

• On the future of tech-enabled care:

  • “There are a lot of up and coming things, sometimes even changing the way we do sterilization because people have invented new methods that are even better than the standard methods we’ve used in the past…”
    — Jaimie Weber [15:13]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:17 – Jaimie Weber’s background and leadership journey
• 02:53 – AI in perioperative services: current usage and future value
• 04:08 – Challenges in technology adoption for frontline staff
• 05:10 – Predictive models for staffing and scheduling efficiency
• 07:30 – UV disinfection and infection control advancements
• 08:41 – Staff as core resource and strategies for retention
• 11:04 – IT infrastructure as a critical investment amid narrowing margins
• 12:20 – Telehealth and rural care access transformation
• 14:59 – 2-to-3-year tech growth outlook and regulatory dynamics

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Conclusion

Jaimie Weber offers a practical yet optimistic view of integrating technology into perioperative care. While citing financial pressures and rural access barriers, she highlights the importance of investing in people and IT infrastructure, predicting that the next wave of healthcare growth will be propelled by innovation—particularly tech that empowers, not replaces, the human workforce. The episode is rich with actionable insights for healthcare leaders grappling with tight budgets, workforce shortages, and the accelerating pace of technological change.

Transcript

[A]

@ Athenahealth, we know your ambulatory practice wants healthier a healthier business, healthier care teams, and healthier patients. But the complexities of modern healthcare tech make it hard for you and your care teams to focus on what matters most. That's where athenahealth can help our AI native all in one solutions reduce administrative burdens, streamline billing and payments, and deliver critical insights when clinicians need it most. That means fewer clicks, more time for patients, and stronger bottom Practicing medicine is complex, but running a practice can be that much simpler. With Athenahealth, see how simpler is healthier at athenahealth.com.

[B]

This is Laura Dirdo with the Beckers Healthcare Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Jamie Weber, System Director of perioperative Services for Alameda Health System. Jamie, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

[C]

Thank you so much for having me.

[B]

Absolutely. Now, I know it's such a unique time in healthcare and it's exciting to, you know, think about possib for the future, but there was also a lot of uncertainties. So, you know, I'll be excited for our conversation and to dig into some of the things that you're seeing as well as your perspective on the future. But before we do that, can you tell me a little bit more about yourself and your background?

[C]

Of course, of course, yes. I am a perioperative nursing leader. I have been in healthcare for over two decades, and I have been involved with several different areas of care, from ER ICU to perioperative services, as well as adult inpatient services in both inpatient and outpatient services. So I've sort of had my hand in a lot of different things.

[B]

That's great to hear. And, you know, considering your background and your focus on the perioperative space, what are some of the opportunities and headwinds you have your eye on right now?

[C]

So there's a lot of things that come with healthcare in general. Right now we're hearing a lot of buzz about AI and what does that mean for us? Surgical is definitely one of the major engines in a healthcare system to generate revenue. We have people that come in through multiple doors, but when it comes to reimbursements to keep the hospital running, a lot of that is generated through surgical services. So keeping that in mind, we always have to be sort of at the forefront of everything that's going on and be extremely productive in what we do to make sure that we stretch every little penny that comes through our door and every opportunity. That said, with all of the different elements and technologies that are coming around. AI is definitely a word that we hear thrown out a lot.

[B]

Now.

[C]

Does that mean that we're going to get rid of nurses? No, absolutely not. Nurses are required. Patients need physical care, that there's no way something that a robot could do. But what does AI look like for us in the hospital? Well, it can help us with a lot of that productivity piece. It can help us with managing our schedule and forecasting areas of opportunity for us to be more efficient.

[B]

Absolutely. I think that's great to hear and definitely one of the big conversations, as you mentioned right now in healthcare, looking at AI, looking at technology and knowing that margins are thin. So how can technology really be a meaningful booster while also being able to be additive to the human workforce and really not losing sight of that human connection and patient care? So when you look at the ways that technology is coming in and some of the modifications that you're making in order to meet the demands of your patient services with the resources that you have, what are some of the tactics that you've been taking or will consider in the next year or so that can make a meaningful difference for the organization overall?

[C]

So one thing about healthcare is a lot of the technology can move a lot faster than folks delivering the care are comfortable doing. So sometimes we go a little slow and we aren't as quick to catch up. It almost seems as though sometimes we can be a little change averse. So when we start hearing about technology, it can be really hard for nursing groups to go, how does this affect me and how does it affect my patient? So it's important to be mindful of that when moving into this and make sure that this is something that brings a value add to their care practice. That said, again, a lot of what it is is allowing the healthcare provider, whether it's a physician, you know, some ancillary team member, a nurse, we need to focus on things that are going to make their workload that can't be automated a little easier so that they can actually care for the patient. So a lot of what we've been looking at in my healthcare system and others is things to improve that productivity. How can we forecast our surgery scheduling to make sure that we're more accurate with this doctor takes this long to do this procedure or we think we're going to have some open time here because we tend to get a lot of add ons and emergency that come through the door on this day of the week. So how can we have a predictive model for staffing? How can we have a predictive model for our scheduling? How can we know exactly how long this case is going to take? You know, maybe one day of the week we get an awful lot of sick calls. We need to look into that. But maybe we want to beef up that day because those tend to be more sick call heavy day or just days that people don't sign up for extra shifts. And we do get those add ons and things so that we can be more efficient or even sometimes that our case volumes are just a little heavier and require additional resources. Some other things we can use this technology for, some integrate cameras for visualization to actually look at what goes on in our operating rooms to help with flow. Is there some downtime in there when people are not in the room, you know, doing things like turnover? And is there a way that we can optimize the room a little better or streamline some of those services to help? There's also some technology that we're looking at that will benefit the patients that really are a value add that have required a lot of manual work. There are some new technologies out right now that use UV light which we already use in the hospital. But the machines for UV disinfection are big and bulky and they require somebody to move it around the room and they're very time consuming. There are some technologies that again use cameras and visualization. These can be used in the or in patient rooms, all sorts of things that have sensors that immediately turn off when there's any motion or human detected in the room. But it also monitors for high touch surfaces and then use pinpoint pointed UV light to treat that area to ensure appropriate disinfection after the surface has been cleansed and provide more disinfection to prevent cross contamination and infection risk for a patient or even staff. So these are a lot of different options that we're looking at in the future which again reduce human input to say, move around. A big bulky machine which is heavy can result in employee injury, but also save us time so that we can treat more areas. We might be limited by having one service tech move this big bulky machine around for UV light. But if we can set these up in a couple of rooms, that room gets better UV coverage and we don't have a person to have to deal with that and we can treat more rooms.

[B]

Got it. That's really helpful to know. Thank you so much for digging a little bit deeper there. Now I'm wondering, how are you thinking about growth and adding value to the health System overall, again, it's.

[C]

It's a lot of it. Through this, what can we do to just really make sure that, you know, people are the expensive part? That is our expensive resource? Yes, supplies cost money, and those are also very expensive. But in the grand scheme of things, we need to invest in our people. Right? That has a lot of overhead. When we have to think about the benefits that those people require. It's not just their total compensation and their hourly wage if somebody gets hurt, all those things that come around with that, but also it's our most valuable resource because if we've invested in our people, our caregivers, you know, we don't want them to go somewhere else where they're unhappy or, you know, because they're unhappy here. So that said, if we can do what we need to do to keep them happy and at work, to care for the people that come through our doors and do so efficiently so that we can give everybody the care that they need, you know, volume, cures all. If we can get more folks in the door, we can make more revenue, too. But also the greater good is served because more patients are treated efficiently and they're not waiting until they're super sick or the last minute to come in and receive this care. So really, the focus is making sure that we don't eliminate work for those human resources that we have, but truly make their jobs as easy as possible because healthcare is tough enough. If there's anything that we can alleviate by making sure that they have an added resource to do what they got into healthcare to do, which is take care of people, that's where our focus needs to be.

[B]

That makes a lot of sense. And, you know, it is really a helpful way and benchmark to think about how you can make an impact both in terms of the quality of care as well as the financial challenges that are very real for many hospitals and health systems overall. And, you know, thinking about that, I know for a lot of our listeners, margins are tightening and they're really seeing, you know, some financial challenges ahead. But what is one risk or investment that you still think is worth making over the next 12 months or so? You know, to make sure that you're in a good position to be successful and thrive in the future, something in.

[C]

Your IT department and beef up your infrastructure to be ready for that. You know, with these margins tightening, we don't know what the big beautiful bill is going to bring us as far as what those margins mean. If we are cutting Medicare and Medicaid, that is going to affect Our reimbursements that is going to affect people more so in rural areas than it is those metropolitan areas. And we may have hospital closures because of these tighter margins and that are already tight and less reimbursement. And so those areas are going to be affected first. So that leaves us an opportunity to still make sure that people get this care. They may not be able to drive to a hospital that's an hour and a half away instead of having one 30 minutes away. Maybe it's three hours. So looking into IT infrastructure to make sure that you have safe firewalls and bandwidth and wi fi and telehealth platforms, that's really where we need to focus. There's also a big shift in healthcare that really was just amplified with COVID and did so rapid fire. I know I was working on projects prior to Covid for telehealth because, you know, in 2017, 2018, it was in its infancy, but Covid really ramped that up for us. There's going to be opportunity for these folks in these rural, rural areas to be able to receive telemedicine. So making sure that healthcare organizations have avenues for that to still get people the treatment they need. You know, laws vary from state to state, so making sure that you've got somebody in your legal department who understands what telehealth looks like to make sure that they can do that in their state. But you know, we even have things like, you know, remote icu, tele icu. So we can do this with folks that monitor this even from a remote location to make sure that we can get folks the care that they need. Yes, there needs to be somebody physically there with these people, but we can make sure that the content experts and subject matter experts are able to provide remote care if possible. When we look at things like even robotic surgery, there are ways to do that. Where we can do remote surgery, we have the technology capable. Sometimes laws and infrastructure keep us from doing that, but really making sure that we're prepared for what comes next to make sure that people get the care that they need.

[B]

Got it. That makes a lot of sense. It is really important aspect in space to invest in because if you don't have those right firewalls and infrastructure in place, it can make really challenging if you do have a cyber incident or other things. So I really appreciate that. And then looking into the future of telehealth, virtual care, and just all the possibilities of how technology can connect us in different ways and have different access points, I am excited about that future. But I know it's something that easier said than done in some ways. Not only from the technology side, but just getting all the people change management transformation there as well. Yeah, excellent. Well, before we wrap up here, I have one more question. Where do you see some of the best opportunities for growth in the next two to three years or so?

[C]

It's definitely going to be in that sort of IT space. I'm seeing some really cool things come out that solve a lot of problems, whether it's robotic surgery or program overlays with visualization of cameras. Like there are some really awesome companies coming out sometimes rewriting laws and standards of practice to get some of this technology where it needs. There are a lot of up and coming things, sometimes even changing the way we do sterilization because people have invented new methods that are even better than the standard methods we've used in the past that they've had to get FTA approval for. So I'm just really excited because there are so many different things, but so many of them are technology based to get people to care where they need it.

[B]

I love that. Well, thank you so much for joining us today, Jamie. This has been a really fun conversation and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.

[C]

Thank you so much. I very much appreciate the opportunity.

[A]

At athenahealth. We know your ambulatory practice wants healthier a healthier business, healthier care teams, and healthier patients. But the complexities of modern healthcare tech make it hard for you and your care teams to focus on what matters most. That's where athenahealth can help our AI native all in one solutions reduce administrative burdens, streamline billing and payments, and deliver critical insights when clinicians need it most. That means fewer clicks, more time for patients, and stronger bottom lines. Practicing medicine is complex, but running a practice can be that much simpler with Athenahealth. See how simpler is [e-mail].