The ambient AI playbook: Lessons from two leading health systems

When executives gathered at the CHIME CompassionIT Summit to share implementation stories, two leading health systems — Akron Children’s Hospital and Denver Health — revealed hard-won lessons from deploying ambient documentation to more than 1,500 clinicians. 

1. Stories beat statistics every time

All three systems discovered that provider testimonials converted skeptics faster than dashboards full of metrics. At Denver Health, Dr. Daniel Kortsch learned that a single heartfelt testimonial could sway an entire department faster than capture-rate statistics.

The playbook move: Lead with authentic user experiences, not technical specifications. Save ROI calculations for budget meetings—use human stories for change management. Open every demo with “a day in the life” anecdotes, then circle back to data for decision-makers.

2. Less training worked better than more training

Conventional wisdom suggests comprehensive training programs for new technology. These implementations proved the opposite. “I can train someone how to use NABLA in less than 60 seconds,” Kortsch said. “It is so intuitive and well integrated with Epic that we’re able to very quickly educate people.”

The playbook move: Replace formal classes with micro-sessions and hallway coaching. Paradoxically, longer training sessions raised anxiety; brief demonstrations kept rollouts casual and approachable.

3. Scarcity sparked demand — to a point

CIO Harun Rashid’s artificial scarcity strategy at Akron Children’s created positive peer pressure that accelerated adoption. By limiting initial access to 50 licenses, he generated organic demand that no marketing campaign could match. Providers began asking, “Have you tried the new scribe?” across units.

The playbook move: Strategic limitations can build buzz, but lingering shortages breed resentment. Keep waitlists short-lived and transparent, then scale quickly once momentum builds.

4. Workflow trumped customization

Rather than extensively modifying systems for difficult specialties, successful implementations focused on broad adoption and natural adaptation. When Akron Children’s endocrinology department struggled with the workflow, Rashid pulled their licenses rather than over-engineering solutions.

The playbook move: Don’t let perfect stall good. An honest “not yet” can preserve momentum better than forcing fits that don’t work.

5. Leadership commitment mattered more than launch strategy

Whether organizations chose gradual rollout, strategic scarcity, or enterprise-wide deployment, success correlated with leadership commitment and clear metrics—not tactical choices. All three succeeded with different approaches because leaders remained consistently focused on clinician experience.

Measuring success in restored joy

Productivity improvements are the “short game,” Kortsch says. The long game is the smile when a physician leaves on time, the pause to greet a family member in the hallway, the energy to teach residents without staring at a laptop.

These qualitative gains eventually manifest in quantitative ones — retention, quality metrics, revenue — but only if leaders track and celebrate them alongside traditional KPIs.