Healthcare is one of the most data-rich industries in the world—and one of the most insight-poor. Every day, hospitals and health systems generate vast clinical, financial, and operational data. Yet too often, leaders tell me the same story: the data arrives too late, in too many systems, and with too little clarity to drive performance improvement.
At Tendo, AI is the bridge between data and action. When combined with real-time workflows, artificial intelligence can transform data into prescriptive insights—guiding clinicians, administrators, and operators to act decisively rather than reactively.
“Healthcare doesn’t need more dashboards. It needs AI that tells you what to do next to change your outcomes.”
From Descriptive to Prescriptive: Making Healthcare Data Work Harder
Most analytics platforms tell you what happened. The real question is: What will happen next—and how can we change it?
That’s the power of AI-driven performance improvement.
At Tendo, we fuse clinical, claims, and quality data to predict trends, identify opportunities, and recommend specific interventions.
For example, our Quality Documentation Improvement (QDI) workflow uses AI to detect documentation gaps as care is delivered—not weeks later. In one large academic medical center, this approach led to a 20% increase in comorbidity capture and a 38% increase in expected mortality for oncology. The result? Improved rankings, fairer reimbursement, and a clearer reflection of the true complexity of care.
AI as a Force Multiplier for Clinical and Operational Excellence
AI shouldn’t replace human decision-making—it should accelerate it.
When properly embedded into workflows, it helps every team member focus on what matters most:
- For clinicians: Ensuring documentation reflects the full acuity and severity of patient care—so outcomes and quality metrics tell the real story.
- For administrators: Forecasting quality scores months in advance, pinpointing which levers will most affect CMS Star Ratings, Leapfrog grades, and U.S. News and World Report rankings.
- For operations leaders: Doubling throughput, improving query accuracy, and reducing documentation leakage to 5% or less—driving measurable improvement in a single quarter.
Organizations like Banner Health and Northwestern Medicine have already seen results, expanding their work with Tendo after early success with AI-driven performance forecasting.
Why Health Systems Need AI Now
Healthcare executives face intense pressure—margin erosion, workforce strain, and the shift to value-based care. Many health systems fall into the “boiling the ocean” trap, trying to improve everything at once without the data to prioritize.
AI changes that. By focusing on the handful of measures and conditions that truly move the needle, leaders can drive measurable improvements faster and more sustainably.
“Performance isn’t about boiling the ocean; it’s about finding the two or three levers that move your CMS Stars, your reimbursement, and your reputation. That’s where AI shines.”
Tendo’s Differentiated Approach: Insight + Action
What sets Tendo apart is how we deliver insights—embedded directly into clinical and operational workflows.
We go beyond revenue capture or documentation fixes. Our platform connects the dots between documentation, coding, and quality outcomes, linking every improvement initiative to both clinical and financial impact.
With Tendo Insights, hospitals don’t have to choose between improving rankings or revenue—they can achieve both.
The Future of AI in Healthcare Performance
AI is no longer an emerging technology—it’s a strategic necessity for performance-driven healthcare organizations.
At Tendo, we’re helping hospitals move from hindsight to foresight, from reporting to recommending, from dashboards to decisive action.
“AI isn’t replacing decision-making in healthcare—it’s accelerating it, so leaders and clinicians can act with confidence.”
Healthcare’s future belongs to systems that can turn data into outcomes—and those outcomes into trust. AI is the key to making that transformation real.
About the Author
Kevin Riley is co-CEO of Tendo, a leading healthtech company helping hospitals and health systems accelerate performance improvement through AI-driven insights. Kevin has more than two decades of experience in healthcare innovation, digital transformation, and operational strategy.
Kevin recently spoke at the 2025 Florida Association of ACOs (FLAACOS) Annual Conference. The panel was entitled: Cracking the Code: AI-Driven Insights to Boost Performance.
