Episode Overview

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Guest: Sandeep Rustagi, Chief Data Analytics Officer, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Host: Grace Lynn Keller
Date: December 5, 2025
Main Theme:
This episode explores the current state and future of AI and data analytics in healthcare, with a focus on practical implementation, governance, regulatory considerations, and advice for health IT leaders. Sandeep Rustagi shares insights from his experience leading data and analytics strategy at a major academic medical center.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Role of a Chief Data Analytics Officer

• Sandeep describes his position as a "Chief Liaison Officer between data and technology and business leaders" (00:55), emphasizing the importance of aligning data strategy and governance with organizational needs.
• Leads teams focused on both strategy and operational readiness for rapidly changing technology, especially AI.

2. AI Use Cases in Healthcare

• Prevalence and Hype:

  • Sandeep acknowledges widespread adoption and enthusiasm for AI:

    "AI is everywhere. In fact, I think it's a little bit of a too much AI going on in everything...I just saw AI enabled washers and dryers at a Costco store..." (01:52).

  • Despite the hype, he stresses the real value AI brings to healthcare operations and patient care.

• High-Impact Applications:

  • Ambient Listening and Technology:
    • "One of the areas that I see growing up to become a significant and a strong use case is ambient listening and an ambient technology. I think we are seeing a very positive use case... it's helping save time and helping them improve their efficiency." (02:17)
  • Predictive Analytics:
    • Used to determine patient trajectories, reduce length of stay, and lower readmission rates.
    • "Predictive analytics are great opportunities...where I see AI adding and contributing a lot to the healthcare field." (02:43)
  • Operational Efficiency:
    • AI's role in improving patient flows and organizational efficiency.

3. Balancing Innovation with Governance and Operational Constraints

• Product Selection & Governance Frameworks:

  • Importance of helping operational leaders select the right AI technologies and tools — not just what's trendy, but what's actually effective and compatible with existing systems.
  • "We are able to provide a governance framework...to select the right product for improving their day to day lives." (03:52)

• Financial and Strategic Prudence:

  • As a state-funded entity:

    "Even if there is a delayed value, in some cases a delayed value is better than wasted dollars or wasted efforts." (04:14)

  • Preference for enhancing core EMR (Epic) functionality and being selective about adding third-party products, to avoid technology sprawl:

    "If Epic has something similar functionality, we will try to lean towards Epic...so that they are not able to clutter our landscape." (04:37)

• Change Management & User Adoption:

  • Emphasizes structured change management and high user adoption as critical to ROI:

    "It's not something that we just buy a product and then let the team start using it. The entire process of selecting and implementing a product with the right change management approach is very critical. User adoption is very important for us." (05:01)

  • Reflects on past failed technology deployments where user adoption lagged.

4. Impact of Legislation and Regulatory Compliance

• Navigating Regulatory Uncertainty:

  • The pace of AI development outstrips regulatory frameworks:

    "Regulations are still catching up with what's going on in the field of AI. AI is moving just way too fast..." (06:17)

  • The need for flexibility, while ensuring compliance, especially in a public healthcare setting.

• Equity and Transparency in AI:

  • Cautions against "black box AI" and insists on demographic representation and ethical use:

    "We want to make sure that the products that we select do have diverse representation of our population demographics. Also, we want to make sure ethics and equity are taken care of..." (06:44)

  • Prioritizes digital access and inclusion for all patient populations.

5. Advice for Healthcare Leaders on Technology Adoption

• “AI is not plug and play”
  • Sandeep’s central piece of advice is that the environment around any AI tool must be robust and contextually appropriate for real value to be realized:

    "AI is not plug and play. There is no solution or a product out there that will work in vacuum unless we have the entire foundation and the infrastructure that supports it..." (07:55) "We cannot take a sensor from Tesla and put it on a Chevy and just start expecting it to deliver the same value." (08:08)

• Alignment with Strategy:
  • Technology must fit within the broader organizational strategy and infrastructure to generate intended benefits.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI Hype:

  "I just saw AI enabled washers and dryers at a Costco store recently when I was there. So that tells me there is a little bit too much of a hype of AI in every dimension of our life, especially in healthcare as well."
  — Sandeep Rustagi (01:57)

• On Prudent Innovation:

  "A delayed value is better than wasted dollars or wasted efforts."
  — Sandeep Rustagi (04:14)

• On User Adoption:

  "There have been a huge history, or a long history of all those great technical products that were bought but were not successful because the user adoption wasn't high..."
  — Sandeep Rustagi (05:23)

• On Ethical AI:

  "We want to make sure ethics and equity are taken care of in the product selection that we have."
  — Sandeep Rustagi (06:47)

• On the Infrastructure for AI:

  "We cannot take a sensor from Tesla and put it on a Chevy and just start expecting it to deliver the same value."
  — Sandeep Rustagi (08:08)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Role & Introduction — 00:49–01:26
• Current AI Use Cases & Value — 01:49–03:27
• Governance & Innovation Balancing — 03:46–06:05
• Regulatory Challenges & Ethics — 06:05–07:44
• Closing Advice for Leaders — 07:53–08:42

Overall Summary

Sandeep Rustagi offers a measured, strategic perspective on AI adoption in healthcare, stressing the need for strong governance, thoughtful product selection, high user adoption, and ethical standards. While acknowledging the transformative and sometimes overhyped influence of AI, he advocates for aligning emerging technologies with organizational needs, infrastructure, and regulatory realities. His key message: successful healthcare innovation depends not on the technology itself, but on how well it fits into a well-prepared ecosystem.