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When AI takes on more work, leaders still have to decide what people do next.

Michael Johns joins Chris Hutchins to discuss automation in healthcare operations, the access given to persistent AI agents and the trust employees need to suggest changes. His argument about workforce pressure leads to a practical conversation about the work people keep.

IN THIS CONVERSATION
- Where automation starts in healthcare finance and the back office
- Michael’s view of workforce pressure and what people should do next
- Least-privilege access and audit trails for persistent AI agents
- Testing real data and the ways automation can quietly fail
- Building an ongoing program with employee trust and useful measures

CHAPTERS
00:00 The Signal Room opening and Beneath the Signal
0:19 Agentic AI and Michael Johns
1:35 Where automation starts in a health system
2:47 Why the back office comes first
3:55 Jobs, capacity and higher-value work
7:25 Aging demand and a shrinking workforce
8:59 What people do with the time freed up
11:00 What should stay with people
12:25 Defensible access and audit trails
14:54 Tenancy, embedded AI and shadow AI
16:42 When an agent looks beyond the intended dataset
18:05 How automation quietly fails
19:49 Build a program that outlasts a project
21:55 Employee trust and safe participation
24:31 Keep score and reward the people
25:41 Connect with Michael Johns

GUEST RESOURCES
https://lydonia.ai/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljohns3

The Signal Room is featured in Feedspot's Best AI in Healthcare Podcasts, 2026: https://podcast.feedspot.com/ai_health_podcasts/

The Signal Room: https://signalroompodcast.com/

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About The Signal Room: The Signal Room is a podcast and communications platform exploring leadership, ethics, and innovation in healthcare and artificial intelligence. Hosted by Christopher Hutchins, Founder and CEO of Hutchins Data Strategy Consultants. Leadership, ethics, and innovation, amplified.

Website: https://www.hutchinsdatastrategy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chutchins-healthcare/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisHutchinsAi

Book Chris to speak: https://www.chrisjhutchins.com