Sanford to share how AI is strengthening rural health care
|
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Sanford Health is joining senior health care leaders this week in Chicago for a one-day summit focused on how AI is poised to reshape the health care sector and transform the patient experience.
The Becker’s Healthcare AI Summit brings together top leaders to explore how forward-thinking health systems are making AI investments pay off. Discussions will focus on what’s hype and what’s real, how early adopters are measuring ROI and how generative AI is taking root in the C-suite. Leaders will examine workforce implications, data infrastructure and the financial frameworks that turn experimentation into enterprise value.
Dave Newman, M.D., chief medical officer of virtual care at Sanford Health is participating in a fireside chat moderated by Giles Bruce, assistant editor at Becker’s Healthcare. The conversation will focus on Sanford’s AI journey, how it fits into the system’s broader virtual care strategy and how AI is bridging gaps with provider shortages and access while improving the patient experience.
“In rural health care, innovation isn’t optional — it’s essential,” said Newman. “We’re at an inflection point where AI is becoming part of the fabric of care. It will soon serve as a trusted co-pilot — supporting our teams, extending careers and helping us deliver more personalized, high-quality care to patients no matter their zip code. Every decision we make starts with one question: How will this benefit our patients and caregivers?”
As part of Sanford Health’s $350 million Virtual Care Initiative, the Sanford Virtual Care Center opened in November 2024 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The center includes an education institute focused on training the next generation of clinicians for digital practice and an accelerator hub that will trial new and emerging tech for rural patients.
A practicing endocrinologist based in Fargo, North Dakota, Newman has presented at high-profile industry events across the country including the Reuters Digital Health Summit, HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum and the American Hospital Association Leadership Summit among others.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 53,000 employees and serves over 2 million patients and nearly 425,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 56 hospitals, 288 clinic locations, 147 senior care communities, 4,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and nearly 1,500 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to 78 specialties. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
###
