CFOs are stepping beyond traditional financial roles to drive strategic technology adoption, leading or participating in initiatives in AI, cybersecurity, and operational efficiency to support long-term growth under evolving payment models.
The healthcare landscape is evolving, and so is the CFO role, expanding beyond financial stewardship into strategic technology leadership.
As technology investments influence capital planning, finance leaders are working alongside clinical and innovation teams to evaluate tools for long-term financial value.
The next episode in HealthLeaders’ The Winning Edge series will explore the impact of technology on risk-based payment models, capital planning and operational efficiency.
The panel will include two HealthLeaders’ Exchange members: April Audain, CFO of Denver Health, and Lynn Ansley, VP of Revenue Cycle at Moffitt Cancer Center.
They will dive into the growing importance of financial strategy in issues like cybersecurity, virtual care and clinial AI, and discuss how the CFO can collaborate with other members of the C-Suite to affect technology purchases.
This episode will also highlight how forward-looking systems are shifting from fragmented tech stacks to unified, data-driven platforms that enhance decision-making and reduce waste.
At Denver Health, for example, Audain’s team launched an ambient AI program in 2024 that saw a 59% reduction in provider burnout, a 40% reduction in time spent by clinicians typing instead of interacting with a patient, and a 13% reduction in time spent after hours in the EHR.
At Moffitt, Ansley’s team is looking at how AI can help improve the revenue cycle management process, including lowering the organization's cost to collect. According to Ansley, success in this journey depends on creating a culture of innovation and using data-driven roadmaps to scale tech responsibly and lower costs.
This episode of The Winning Edge will explore how finance leaders are partnering with the C-suite to assess emerging technologies for long-term sustainability, as well as real-world use cases of AI/ML adoption, and how leaders are budgeting and scaling these tools responsibly.
It will also dive into how strategic tech investments (e.g., predictive analytics, population health tools, care coordination platforms) are enabling success under risk-based payment models and improving operational efficiency.
Whether you're evaluating your next major IT investment or working to align digital strategy with financial performance, this episode will offer actionable guidance on how CFOs can lead with vision and invest with impact for their organization.
Marie DeFreitas is the CFO editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Finance leaders are increasingly co-piloting digital transformation by collaborating with tech and clinical teams to evaluate tools like AI for long-term value and operational efficiency.
Pilots like Denver Health’s ambient AI program demonstrate tangible benefits—including reduced clinician burnout, improved patient satisfaction, and decreased documentation time.
Leaders like Moffitt Cancer Center’s Lynn Ansley stress that AI should serve specific organizational goals.