Welcome to this AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, where we analyze the opportunities, impact, and outcomes that are possible with AI.
In this episode, I speak with about RealActivity CEO Paul Swider for a second time to get his insights on the latest developments from the HIMSS 2026 healthcare conference, with particular focus on Epic and Microsoft.
Highlights
Massive AI Uptake in Health Systems (1:43)
Swider notes that 85% of Epic’s customer base has adopted AI in some form within their Epic deployment, the company disclosed last week. Because Epic serves the largest hospitals, this could impact about 300 million patients. He highlights the rapid adoption of Epic’s AI, achieved in just 18 months — without legislative intervention.
He points out that Epic has been lobbying for electronic health records (EHR) for a decade, which has led to widespread adoption. The rapid update of EHR systems is a significant achievement in national infrastructure.
Epic and Microsoft Product Developments (5:09)
He explains the shift from summarization to execution in AI, with Microsoft’s Dragon Copilot now integrated with Microsoft 365. He mentions the healthcare marketplace for third-party agents, including Optum, Regard, Humana, Canary Speech. Epic’s Agent Factory is a no-code solution designed for clinical workflows, making it easier to create agents.
AI and Patient Agency (9:02)
He highlights Sutter Health‘s deployment of patient-facing chat, marking a significant step towards patient agency. He differentiates between patient engagement and patient agency, emphasizing the importance of direct patient interaction. Patient agency will be a key trend to watch over the next 12 months.
Recommendations for Healthcare CIOs (12:58)
He advises CIOs to focus on who owns the orchestration layer of AI agents, whether it’s Epic or Microsoft. He suggests that Epic’s agents may be more suitable for clinical workflows, while Microsoft’s may be better for operational efficiency. He advises against ignoring the patient side and says CIOs should anticipate the emergence of AI agent governance as a new category.
Additional Healthcare AI Insights:
- Healthcare AI Readiness Guide from RealActivity
- Why Microsoft AI Model ‘Self Sufficiency’ Requires Customers to Hedge Bets
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Tom Smith
Analyst
Cloud Wars, Agent and Copilot
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