Stacey Johnston, the health system’s Chief Information and Digital Execution Officer, says new AI projects still need to prove financial value first. For Stacey Johnston, finding the right AI tools to fit into the Beacon Health portfolio isn’t about chasing the newest innovation, it’s about playing the long game. Much like a chess match, a solution that delivers value today for a specific use case may eventually give way to something more powerful as the organization’s digital strategy evolves. That deliberate mindset shapes how Beacon Health evaluates and deploys emerging technologies, particularly AI. “We’re not implementing technology for technology’s sake, and the same thing holds true for AI: Don’t implement AI for AI’s sake,” she says. We want solutions that work and to be on the cutting edge with our EHR, Johnston told us. Johnston, MD, MHA, CHCIO, has been Beacon Health’s Chief Information and Digital Execution Officer since October 2024. Prior to that, she was at Jacksonville-based Baptist Health, where she served as CMIO, then VP and Epic Program Executive, then Chief Applications Officer. New Location, New Platform Now, moving from Florida to Indiana is one thing, but moving from an Epic platform to an Oracle platform is something else. Johnston says she was up to the challenge, especially as Beacon Health was “doubling down” on its partnership and becoming one of the first health systems in the country to sign on for Oracle’s new EHR. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(“dfp-ad-hl_native1”); }); “Beacon has been great at the blocking and tackling of the…
