Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

Guest: Luis Taveras, SVP and Chief Information Officer, Jefferson Health

Date: December 7, 2025
Host: Gracelyn Keller
Theme: Advancing Healthcare IT: AI, Innovation, and Leadership at Jefferson Health

Episode Overview

This episode, recorded live at the 10th annual Health IT Digital Health and RCM Meeting, features Luis Taveras, SVP and Chief Information Officer at Jefferson Health. Taveras discusses Jefferson Health’s multidimensional enterprise, the transformative role of AI (particularly ambient AI), advice for digital health adoption, perspectives on legislation, and his top guidance for healthcare leaders facing ongoing innovation and rising demands.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Jefferson Health and Luis Taveras’s Role

• Jefferson Health Structure:

  • 32 hospitals in the Philadelphia area, Lehigh Valley, and South Jersey
  • Over 700 care locations
  • Three main branches: Health system, university, and health plan

• Taveras’s Responsibilities:

  • Oversees IT for all facets of the organization

  “I do serve as the Chief Information officer for Jefferson Health, but really for the entire Jefferson Enterprise... With 32 different hospital systems, different hospitals in the Philadelphia area, Lehigh Valley and south Jersey, about 700 plus care locations, and we are the largest in the in the region.”
  — Luis Taveras, [00:47]

2. AI in Healthcare: Ambient AI as a 'Game Changer'

• Dominance of Ambient AI:

  • Identified as the “unquestionable king” of impactful AI use cases
  • Broad clinical acceptance and enthusiasm seen in deployment
  • Plans to extend beyond current practices to areas like ER and nursing

  “The one that is the unquestionable king of making a difference is ambient AI. We’ve been deploying that for the last few months and it has been tremendous, tremendous reception from all the clinicians... They’ve expressed to me it’s a game changer for them.”
  — Luis Taveras, [01:46]

3. Advice for Digital Health & Remote Monitoring Implementation

• Vendor Overload Caution:

  • Avoid accumulating solutions for every perceived problem
  • Emphasize actual organizational needs and platform integration
  • Prevent operational burdens from too many disparate apps

  “Be careful not to have too many solutions. There’s so many different vendors out there trying to sell us something because they believe we have a problem, not because we really think we have a problem. So focus on the areas that you need your help, focus on identifying what the needs are and find the best solution that you can find...”
  — Luis Taveras, [02:39]

4. Impact of Recent Legislation on Health IT

• Minimal Current Impact:

  • No significant recent federal or state legislation affecting current operations
  • Anticipates potential future impact from AI-specific regulations

  “I haven’t really seen that much legislation that’s impacting what we do and how we do it. So it hasn’t had a strategy impact at all... I’m sure there’s going to be new things, especially with AI, the regulations around AI. It’ll be interesting to see what we come up with that, that may have an impact...”
  — Luis Taveras, [03:30]

5. Guidance for Healthcare Leaders: Stay Value-Driven

• Role of the CIO as Strategist:

  • IT leaders must keep organizational strategy and value at the foreground
  • Advise a value-driven leadership approach from patient, organizational, and community perspectives

  “It has to be a value-driven leadership style... Value from a patient perspective, from an organizational perspective, from a community perspective. That’s what we have to focus on, the value.”
  — Luis Taveras, [04:04]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Ambient AI...has been tremendous, tremendous reception from all the clinicians out there that are using it. They've expressed to me it's a game changer for them.” — Luis Taveras [01:46]
• “Be careful not to have too many solutions...I don't want to proliferate hundreds and hundreds of different applications out there because it really, really makes it much more cumbersome for an operational perspective.” — Luis Taveras [02:39]
• “It has to be a value-driven leadership style that you have to have going forward because that's what we're looking at. Value from a patient perspective, from an organizational perspective, from a community perspective.” — Luis Taveras [04:04]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:47 — Luis Taveras introduces himself and Jefferson Health’s size and scope
• 01:46 — Discussion about AI, specifically ambient AI’s impact
• 02:39 — Practical advice for digital health and remote monitoring adoption
• 03:30 — Comments on legislation and its effects on health IT
• 04:04 — Final advice for healthcare leaders: The importance of value-driven strategy

Conclusion

Luis Taveras’s insights highlight Jefferson Health’s commitment to meaningful, scalable technological innovation. His focus on the transformative power of ambient AI, caution against vendor overload, and insistence on value-centric leadership offer pragmatic, actionable guidance to health IT peers navigating the accelerating pace of healthcare change.