Leveraging AI and Data to Strengthen Rural Health with James Wellman

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Episode: Leveraging AI and Data to Strengthen Rural Health with James Wellman
Date: February 14, 2026
Host: Scott King
Guest: James Wellman, VP & CIO, Nathan Latauer Hospital and Nursing Home

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on how rural health organizations, specifically Nathan Latauer Hospital, are leveraging AI and data strategies to address financial, operational, and clinical challenges. James Wellman shares his extensive experience in healthcare IT and details specific advancements, risks, and opportunities involved in deploying AI-driven solutions—especially in support of rural hospitals under mounting reimbursement and staffing pressures.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. James Wellman’s Healthcare IT Background

• 37 years in healthcare IT: James has worked for universities, large for-profit vendors (e.g., McKesson), and multiple hospitals nationwide.
• Specializes in EMR turnaround and operations: "I've kind of focused on cleaning up operations and getting EMRs kind of back on track... that's kind of become a hallmark of my career." [(01:17)]

2. Headwinds and Opportunities in Rural Healthcare

• Major headwinds:
  • Reimbursement uncertainties, especially from Medicaid and Medicare due to legislative changes.
  • Increased financial pressure in New York, reflecting wider rural challenges.
• Key opportunities:
  • “We’re using this one to really start hyper focusing on the work that we’re already doing, making sure that we are getting our full value and reimbursement.” [(02:13)]
  • Accelerated adoption of new technologies (notably through Meditech and allied vendors).

3. AI-Driven Growth Strategy: The Four Pillar Process

• Focus is on introducing data and pragmatic, organization-specific AI tools to address community needs in the Adirondacks region.
• Four pillar approach: Integrate AI holistically, not just in isolated tasks (e.g., “not just introduce an AI segment… but how do we tie that all the way through the entire process?” [(03:00)])
• Blending AI with revenue cycle management (RCM), search/summarization, and soft audit capabilities for improved diagnostic support, efficiency, and reimbursement.

4. AI Implementation Tactics & Focus Areas

• Chose to go “all-in” with one Meditech alliance partner for consistency and innovation.
• Began rolling out multiple AI projects in 2024–25, focusing first on RCM due to its potential for significant ROI.
• Recognized that insurers are already using AI for denial management, so it’s critical for hospitals to stay ahead.

5. 2026’s Top Risk & Investment: Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) and AI

• "To me it’s absolutely got to be the RCM, that mid-cycle revenue. Where can we make an absolute difference? Rural health is, you know, under amazing pressures that we’ve never seen before… I really think the appropriate use of AI is something that can make a difference." [(05:04)]
• Data-driven AI enables better tracking of reimbursements, highlights inefficiencies, and addresses underbilling.
• Risks: Must ensure implementation does not disrupt already fragile cash flows.

6. Practical Outcomes from AI and Data Initiatives

• With a small staff, it’s vital to standardize data capture and automate chart preparation, scheduling, and information synthesis.
• “We are cutting that back huge magnitude… Some of the providers that we’re talking to, and they’re seeing this because we’re able to pull all the existing data… and it’s in a data lake, and they’re able to start… doing a summarization of this data, and that gives them everything that they need so that they can make the appropriate diagnosis.” [(06:52)]
• AI supports both clinical decision-making and payer contract compliance, ensuring appropriate reimbursement with fewer resources.

7. Long-Term Vision for Rural Healthcare Growth

• Commitment to “go back to the basics and foundations of data,” deeply understanding and responding to specific community health needs.
• Emphasis on clinical investments that keep care local:
  • "If you’ve got a rural health organization and they focus on providing the best possible care and keeping the families close to the patients and not sending them away, that’s where we’re making our investments." [(08:04)]
• Belief that satisfying core community needs boosts satisfaction and strengthens the hospital’s role.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI Integration:
  “We blended that with RCM with search and summarization and gives us a soft audit capabilities… to really make sure that we’re getting best information for our patients and giving the best diagnostic information to our providers and also getting fully reimbursed for the work that we’re doing.”
  ——James Wellman, (03:21)

• On Facing Rural Healthcare Challenges:
  “Rural health is… under amazing pressures that we’ve never seen before… But now we’re seeing unprecedented challenges for us. I really think the appropriate use of AI is something that can make a difference.”
  ——James Wellman, (05:15)

• On Future Priorities:
  “Go back to the basics and foundations of data, understand what your community needs.... clinical investments that make a difference for our community—your satisfaction scores go up and you’re doing what’s best. And we are an integral part of the community.”
  ——James Wellman, (08:04)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro and James Wellman’s background: 01:02 – 01:38
• Current headwinds and opportunities: 01:50 – 02:33
• AI-led value strategy in rural health: 02:39 – 03:49
• Evaluating and rolling out new AI uses: 03:49 – 04:57
• 2026’s vital investment (RCM + AI): 05:04 – 06:20
• Measuring data-driven progress: 06:20 – 07:48
• Future-focused growth strategy: 07:54 – 08:48

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Summary

James Wellman’s approach at Nathan Latauer Hospital showcases pragmatic, whole-system adoption of AI and data to tackle rural healthcare’s unique challenges. By deeply integrating AI into RCM and clinical operations, small rural hospitals can not only drive financial sustainability but also improve care quality and better serve their communities, even amidst headwinds and limited staff resources. The key, as Wellman emphasizes, is a back-to-basics focus on community needs, targeted technology use, and keeping care accessible and local.

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Transcript

[A]

This is where healthcare leadership comes together. Becker's 16th annual meeting brings more than 3,500 hospital and health system executives and nearly 800 speakers to Chicago, April 13th through the 16th. This year's event includes keynote conversations with Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman and former President George W. Bush. For the agenda and event details, visit Beckershospitalreview.com and click on the Events tab in the upper right. We're looking forward to hosting you in Chicago.

[B]

Hello everyone and welcome to Becker's Healthcare Podcast. I'm Scott King, thrilled today to be joined by very special guest James Wellman, Vice president and Chief Information Officer over at Nathan Latauer Hospital and Nursing Home. James, how are you doing today?

[C]

Doing very well. How you doing today, Scott?

[B]

I'm good, thanks. You know, it could be a little warmer in Chicago, as you may have heard, but, but you know, we'll get through it and we have a lot of big topics to get to. But before we do that as wondering, James, if you please just tell us a little bit about your background in health care. Sure.

[C]

So I am stated. I'm the current CIO at Nathan Latauer, but I've been in health care IT for about 37 years. Started out in the major university, went to work for for profit groups like McKesson and ended up in different hospitals around the country where I've kind of focused on cleaning up operations and getting EMRs kind of back on track. Maybe that didn't have such a great implementation or were struggling a little bit and that's kind of become a hallmark of my career.

[B]

Appreciate you sharing your background info, James. And now the first topic I kind of want to get to is what opportunities and headwinds do you have your eye on right now in healthcare? Sure.

[C]

I think we're all facing a lot of the same headwinds with with the way we're waiting on the the final impact, I think about the one big beautiful bill, what that's doing to us with our Medicaid and the Medicare and our reimbursement. So in New York especially, it's having a major impact on us. You know, the opportunities we're using this one to really start hyper focusing on the work that we're already doing, making sure that we are getting our full value and reimbursement. And we're also spending a little time at our particular organization moving forward with a lot of good new technology. Some interesting things with Meditech and a few other vendors that we're pretty excited about.

[B]

How are you Thinking about growth and adding value to your organization right now.

[C]

So for us it's, I've been here just a little over two and a half years and this year is a major transition for us. So from a growth perspective we're really starting to introduce data to the organization and like I said, focusing on what the needs are for our community and for our families and residents in our region of the Adirondacks. The to do that, what we've done is taken a pragmatic approach to AI and we think that we have a pretty good four pillar process that we, that we talk about to introduce this and not just introduce an AI segment, for example, an ambient to listen that's great and there's a fantastic products out there but how do we tie that all the way through the entire process? So we blended that with RCM with search and summarization and gives us a soft audit capabilities going forward to really make sure that we're getting best information for our patients and giving the best diagnostic information information to our providers and also getting fully reimbursed for the work that we're doing.

[B]

And James to follow that up. So once you, you find these, these uses for AI, you know, after you, you do some research, you implement them and you work out the kinks, are you already thinking of like the next uses for the system you want to use or you still kind of want to see this all run smoothly?

[C]

So what we're looking at right now is we we spent a lot of time in 25, 24 and 25 speaking with multiple vendors about how we wanted to approach this. So we went in kind of all in with one vendor who happened to be a Meditech alliance partner. And we've now started deploying all of these separate projects. So that's, that's a big initiative for us. RCM is the one we think is going to have the largest return because that's the one that every one of the payers that we're working with, they're already using the AI to work on denials. So we kind of get ahead of the curve is what we're working on. And so that's something that we think is the future for a lot of organizations to rural health organizations. But anyone's going to benefit from this.

[B]

What's one risk or investment you think is, is worth making in 2026?

[C]

So to, to me it's absolutely got to be the rcm that mid cycle revenue. Where can we make an absolute difference? Rural health is, you know, under amazing pressures that we've never seen before. It's always been a challenge. It's something that personally, I. I really resonated with me, and I devoted my career to about 20 years ago. But now we're seeing unprecedented challenges for us. I really think the appropriate use of AI is something that can make a difference. Bringing that data to us, letting us look at the information, making sure that we're getting all the money and for everything that we're being fairly represented. That's a major initiative for us. And that's something, you know, obviously it comes with risk. We have to make sure that we don't impact cash flow. We have to make sure that it's an already tenuous situation in reimbursement, but we feel like this can make a very positive transition the other way. Just the first run of data that we're seeing shows that we have a lot of room for improvement and we can make a better impact on the bottom line.

[B]

What are some of the key things you look for in that data? To know that it's working the right way.

[C]

So one of the things that are challenged for us when you're talking about a small organization is we do not have the ability to have multiple people watching everything that all our providers are doing. So standardization, pulling the data in, improving the way that we can see patients, expanding our schedule, just setting up and creating chart prep, you know, for a busy schedule on a day. And a provider can take an enormous amount of time. And we are cutting that back huge magnitude. Some of the providers that we're talking to, and they're seeing this because we're able to pull all the existing data from our Meditech Expanse, but also our previous systems that we were using both Meditech Magic and medit for an ambulatory system, and it's in a data lake, and they're able to start, they'll be doing a summarization of this data, and that gives them everything that they need so that they can make the appropriate diagnosis. We can actually help with the patient. And then we also understand it looks at our payer contracts and we know what our reimbursement should be, and this helps us track it. Otherwise, that have been a process that's, you know, always available and that data is there, but actually running it all effectively without a large staff has been a huge challenge. This is something we feel will make a big difference for us.

[B]

And the last question I have for you, James, where do you see the best opportunities for growth in the future?

[C]

I think that the thing for us is we're going to go back to the basics and foundations of data, understand what your. What your community needs. We all have a lot of the same standard, you know, diabetic copd, something like that that we're tracking. But it's the effective use of that. We want to make sure that. I think if you've got a rural health organization and they focus on providing the best possible care and keeping the families close to the patients and not sending them away, that's where we're making our investments. So we're making clinical investments that make a difference for our community. And I think that's one of the things that a lot of people can focus on. Your satisfaction scores go up and you're doing what's best. And we are integral part of the community. So that's where our focus is right now.

[B]

Well, James, thanks so much for joining us on the podcast and for a great conversation. Look forward to working with you again soon.

[C]

All right, thank you so much.