At Roundtable 2025, Dani Bowie, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Senior Vice President of Workforce AI at Aya Healthcare, tackled one of the most pressing questions in our field: How can technology, innovation and AI truly transform the way we staff and support the healthcare workforce?
She explored this question by hosting a dialogue with two nurse executives: Dr. Lisa Smithgall, Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing Executive at Ballad Health, and Brienne Sandow, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Nursing Officer & AVP of Operations at St. Luke’s Health System. Together, they led an honest, forward-looking discussion on the purpose and progress of AI in healthcare.
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“What’s Your Why?”
Dani opened by asking the question that’s guided her own career: What is your why?
For Dani, that purpose is clear: reducing the overwhelming workload of scheduling for nurse managers and frontline leaders. From her early days at the bedside, through her doctoral research at Yale, to building predictive scheduling models, her journey has been about solving one of healthcare’s most persistent challenges: staffing.
“I wanted to solve nurse staffing with AI,” she shared. “That dream started in 2015. It’s taken twists and turns, but it’s alive again today through Workforce AI.”
AI in Practice: Progress and Growing Optimism
When it comes to how AI is being used today, both of Dani’s guest panelists shared their own experiences.
Lisa Smithgall noted that for rural systems like Ballad Health, the AI journey has barely even begun. Rather, they’re focusing on using existing tools in their electronic health record. As an Epic customer, Ballad is evaluating workload scoring because traditional room-based assignments can be unbalanced.
“[We’re] looking for tools that can automatically create a score that will help the charge nurse assign the patients [more equitably] so the patients get better care and the nurse has a better day.”
Brienne Sandow described how St. Luke’s built its own predictive scheduling model back in 2019.
“The progress that has occurred over the last five to eight years has been tremendous. As with most big technological changes, there were concerns. But as we’ve shown [our staff] how the technology can support them, at the bedside and with staffing and scheduling, there’s more excitement than anything else.”
Both agreed: AI is less about hype and more about creating tools that reduce guesswork and help leaders make better, faster decisions.
Designing with the Frontline
The conversation turned to another key theme: that technology only works if it’s championed by the people who use it.
At Ballad Health, Lisa helped launch a program called GRoSS (Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff) where nurses could flag redundant documentation. “We’ve been able to implement some 85 ideas over the last 18 months, adding time back to patient care.”
At St. Luke’s, Brienne described new simulation labs where nurses test tools like interactive room signs and virtual care dashboards before rollout. “Being able to bring [new technology] in, set it up and pilot it with the nurses before implementation has been fantastic.”
Dani summed it up nicely: “Human-centered design isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s pivotal for adoption and impact.”
Looking Ahead: AI’s Next Decade
When asked where they see AI heading in the next decade, healthcare leaders described a future where technology meaningfully supports caregivers and administrators alike. They envision predictive analytics that can set accurate staffing rosters months in advance, automated systems that streamline balancing a schedule, premium pay and float pool assignments without the usual back-and-forth and real-time monitoring that flags critical changes in telemetry. Together, these innovations point to a shift from intuition-driven decision making to science-backed precision.
As Brienne put it, “Historically, we talk a lot about the ‘art and the science’ of nurse staffing. But really most of the art is actually science that we just haven’t harnessed or quantified yet.”
Takeaway: Now is the Time
The discussion ended on a note of urgency and optimism.
Dani reflected: “The tactics of the past have not worked. To take workforce management to that next level, we need to be able to infuse it with automation and technology. We have some amazing partners lined up to go on this journey with us. And I believe now is the time with Workforce AI.”
Qualivis is that partner. Built on trusted partnerships, endorsed by 28 state hospital associations and powered by LotusOne, our mission is to help health systems move from outdated systems to data-driven staffing strategies that are better, faster and more cost-effective.
Because when we reduce the burden on leaders and staff, we create space for what really matters—caring for patients and strengthening communities.
To hear more from Dani Bowie about how AI is transforming healthcare workforce management, download her new, free eBook: Reimagine workforce management with AI: A roadmap for healthcare leaders.