Inside the AI-Powered Hospital: A Conversation with Tara Brown

Introduction

Derive Technologies’ Business Development Manager and Healthcare Subject Matter Expert shares how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming clinical care, from documentation and patient flow to safety, staffing, and hospital revenue.

Healthcare organizations face unprecedented pressure: staffing shortages, burnout, safety challenges, and financial constraints that demand they do more with less. To address these concerns, artificial intelligence is becoming an essential infrastructure for hospitals that want to deliver better outcomes while staying financially viable.

We sat down with Tara Brown, Derive's Business Development Manager, and Healthcare Subject Matter Expert and a Registered Nurse with over 15 years of experience at the bedside, to discuss how AI is reshaping clinical workflows and what it means for the future of patient care.

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Q: Hi Tara! Let's jump in. You mentioned that AI is giving clinicians more time with patients. How does it accomplish that?

TB: There’s a lot of different ways AI can help support hospital staff, particularly in documentation and charting. Rather than one-size-fits-all tools, we focus on integrating best-in-class solutions where they actually make clinical sense. One of our key partnerships is with Aiva, which we call "superpowers for nursing." It enables voice-activated documentation right at the bedside.

Instead of standing in front of a bulky computer cart while trying to talk to your patient, a nurse can say something like: "Patient rating pain 7 out of 10 in right leg, administered Tylenol, will reassess in one hour." The AI knows exactly which fields in the electronic health record to populate using intelligent form-filling.

This is really important as face-to-face time with patients directly impacts satisfaction scores on HCAHPS surveys, which affect hospital reimbursement rates. A four-star hospital gets reimbursed for more than a three-star hospital for treating the same patient with the same care.  

Patient experience isn’t a soft metric; it's directly tied to revenue.

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Q: Beyond documentation, where else is AI making an impact on patient flow?

TB: One of the biggest opportunities is in care coordination, getting the right people to the right place at the right time. AI can track patient journeys in real-time, predict what resources will be needed, and orchestrate complex handoffs between departments. Instead of relying on manual phone calls and paging systems.

TigerConnect is an example of a game-changer for care coordination. It's an AI communication platform that follows the patient's entire journey from the ambulance to discharge.

Imagine an ambulance radios that they're bringing in a stroke patient. With TigerConnect, the system automatically alerts the stroke team, radiology, and everyone else who needs to be ready. When that patient rolls through the door, the full team is standing there waiting. Time is brain tissue in stroke care, so faster response means better outcomes.

It doesn't stop there. The platform tracks the patient through their entire stay and ensures all the discharge requirements like social work consults, physical therapy evaluations, TB tests for rehab placement are met. We've seen this reduce length of stay by a full calendar day, which means faster patient throughput and fewer denied reimbursements from insurance companies questioning why someone sat in a bed for two extra days waiting for paperwork.

Q: Patient falls are a major concern in hospitals. How is AI helping with safety?

TB: Falls are a $50 billion problem in healthcare. When a patient falls in a hospital and breaks a hip, insurance won't pay for the surgery, medications, or treatment, they say it's the hospital's fault. Falls also drag down safety ratings, which affects everything from magnet hospital status to nurse recruitment. All in all, a single fall costs a hospital on average about 14 to 15 thousand dollars.

Traditionally, if you had a high fall-risk patient who couldn't be sedated or restrained, you'd have to assign a nurse to sit in that room one-on-one, 24/7. During a nursing shortage, paying someone by the hour just to watch one patient isn't sustainable.

We're working with Alairo on AI-powered fall prevention that allows one person to monitor up to 14 patients simultaneously. The system learns patient behavior patterns and knows when to alert staff based on actual risk, not just motion. It's intelligent enough to reduce false alarms while catching the moments that matter. False alarms increase burnout, and reducing them helps maintain staffing levels.

Q: You mentioned false alarms. That seems like a recurring theme.

TB: Alarm fatigue is real. Research shows that 72% to 99% of hospital alarms are false. You've got medication pumps, heart monitors, beds, ventilators, vital signs machines, feeding pumps, nurse call bells, phones ringing, it’s constant sensory overload.

The problem is you start tuning it out, and then suddenly you miss a critical alert. We're implementing AI software that prioritizes alarms based on severity, patient context, and caregiver availability. The system ensures that life-threatening situations get immediate attention while filtering out the noise.

Q: Let's talk about nurse safety. That's not something most people think about.

TB: Nurses are the most assaulted profession in the US, more than police officers. One in four nurses has been assaulted. I've been assaulted multiple times myself, including being on the receiving end of an uppercut from a dementia patient. Often, there is no consequence for the patient, it’s just "part of the job."

Most assaults aren't from violent criminals. They're from confused dementia patients, people in drug withdrawal, or ICU delirium. But that still doesn't make it acceptable.

The New York nurses' strike happening right now lists safety as a top concern. We're working to address this more effectively with 911Cellular, which integrates panic buttons into Zebra badges and mobile devices. Hit the button and it routes to police, security, or the nurse's desk. AI can provide staff with a way to get assistance immediately when a situation escalates as opposed to being left on their own.

Q: With all these AI tools, what's the ultimate goal we're driving toward?

TB: Better patient outcomes and retention. People don't realize this, but each patient represents about $1.3 million in lifetime value to a health system, from childhood vaccines through having their own children to managing chronic conditions as they age.

Healthcare has become hospitality driven. Patients shop for doctors online, read reviews, and switch providers based on experience. Someone who's unhappy won't tell you to your face—they'll go to Google and blast you, then find a new provider.

When you give nurses the tools to spend more time with patients, reduce their burnout, and make them safer at work, everyone wins. Patients get better care and have better experiences. Nurses are happier and stay in the profession longer. And hospitals improve their outcomes, satisfaction scores, and financial performance.

That's the hospital of the future. Technology that makes caregivers more effective so they can focus on what they do best: taking care of people.

Q: Where is Derive focusing its AI strategy for healthcare?

TB: We're zeroing in on AI for clinical workflow mobility and transformation specifically, focusing on the tools and resources that support clinical staff and practitioners at the point of care. We're working with Zebra's ecosystem and partnering with vetted AI companies that integrate seamlessly with those platforms.

The goal is simple: give nurses and doctors more time with patients and fewer administrative burdens that pull them away from care.