As one year ends and another begins resolutions fill the air. The secret to making them stick? According to experts, it’s the small, consistent actions that make bold goals a reality.

Healthcare follows the same principal.

“It’s not about chasing trends or rolling out one-off tools,” says Laura Wilt chief digital officer at Sutter Health. “We’re playing the long game and building the ecosystem, partnerships and governance, so solutions perform, scale and last.”

That balance of ambition and pragmatism, where the foundation is as important as future features, has set Sutter apart. It’s why the organization earned three Most Wired certifications from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives or CHIME this year.

It’s also proof that thoughtful adoption of technology turns even seemingly small changes—like expanding online appointment scheduling—into transformational experiences for patients and providers alike. Every streamlined step means patients get care faster and care teams spend less time on manual work.

Cutting Computer Time has a Compounding Effect

Charting—documenting patient care in electronic records—is ubiquitous in healthcare and a big source of clinician burnout. Recently Sutter focused on reducing unnecessary documentation and cognitive load—often with the help of AI-enabled tools—so caregivers can be more present for their patients.

• Nursing FOCUS: A new approach to nursing documentation reduced the need to chart routine “normal” findings, allowing nurses to focus on exceptional or abnormal results that matter most. The changes, which Sutter dubbed “Nursing FOCUS” (or Flowsheet Optimization and Care Plan Updates to Simplify Documentation) dramatically chart length (in some cases from 21 pages to 2) and eliminated more than 400,000 EHR clicks a day, saving the equivalent of 110 hours per day or 30,000 hours to date.
• Ambient Listening: More than 3200 Sutter physicians and advanced practice clinicians now use ambient documentation tools that generate clinical notes in real time from patient conversations. Clinicians report  statistically significant reductions in and time spent documenting—helping them stay more focused on patient care during visits.
• EHR Enhancements:Automation, AI-powered tools, enhanced technology, and workflow improvements saved care teams an estimated 1.5 million hours in 2025, time that allows clinicians and staff to focus more on patient care and delivering a better overall experience.

Together, these efforts show how Sutter is using digital tools to reduce friction and amplify human connection, making care more personal for patients and more sustainable for care teams.

Round-The-Clock Convenience Takes Center Stage

The clicks that patients make matter too. Over the past year, a new virtual assistant, enhanced website and improved patient portal have made it easier for patients to connect to Sutter and complete routine tasks at their convenience.

Key enhancements include:

• On-Demand Video Visits: Launched in July 2025, on-demand video visits provide immediate access to the network’s clinicians without an appointment needed. More than 16,000 visits have been conducted to date, and the service is now available 24/7. Check it out for yourself here.

• Voice, Chat and Text: Patients calling 1-800-4-Sutter now have access to 24/7 AI-supported assistance that can resolve many requests or route patients to the right care teams during business hours. This complements Sutter’s real-time chat assistant, used by more than 300,000 people so far, while two-way texting supports expedited appointment offers, billing and post discharge communication.
• Online Scheduling: Nearly 28% of all appointments are now booked directly by patients online, representing 1.2 million additional self-scheduled visits compared to last year.
• Patient portal improvements: With 1.2 million active monthly users, Sutter’s patient portal remains a primary access point for care. New features—including “on my way,” campus maps and improved wayfinding, helped simplify arrival and check-in experiences.

“By expanding the use of digital tools, we are creating a more seamless, personalized experience for our patients,” says Jennifer Bollinger, Sutter’s chief consumer and brand officer. “Understanding and meeting the modern consumer expectations of our patients allows us to empower our patients to play an active role in a connected relationship across digital and in-person care.”

Long-Awaited Digital Care is Now a Reality

In 2025, digital health at Sutter moved beyond tools to enable new care models—bringing care into patients’ homes and supporting more proactive health management.

• Sutter Sync: Launched in March 2025, Sutter Sync supports remote monitoring and personalized care for chronic conditions like high blood pressure and dyslipidemia (imbalance of lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides), backed by a dedicated team of providers, health education resources and first-of-their-kind devices. More than 5,000 patients have enrolled so far with 80% of patients who began with uncontrolled blood pressure achieving HEDIS blood pressure control. Patient satisfaction is also outstanding, with a Net Promoter Score of 73 (well above the industry average).

• Evolving care models: Two ideas that emerged from Sutter’s inaugural Innovation Challenge are advancing to pilot phases, both with the potential to revolutionize care: a smartphone-based screening tool to help detect early cognitive decline and a digital outreach program supporting youth mental health for ages 13–26. Another model, called Collaborative Care, is making access to mental health support easier, thanks to a digital-first approach.

• Predictive analytics: Sutter’s Targeted Condition Outreach program uses predictive analytics to identify patients at risk for preventable conditions—including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, cellulitis, and influenza–enabling proactive outreach and follow-up that helps avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and support timely follow-up with each patient’s primary care provider.

A Thoughtful, Systemwide Approach to AI

Rather than deploying AI in silos, Sutter has focused on enterprise-wide integration, governance and clinical oversight. Clinical AI already supports earlier detection and diagnosis across conditions including  lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer and diabetic retinopathy to name a few.

At the same time,  Sutter is implementing an enterprise-wide platform designed to support multiple AI applications, simultaneously—helping clinicians identify critical findings earlier and intervene faster. This disciplined approach reflects the belief that AI delivers the most value when embedded into trusted workflows.

“We’re working to responsibly operationalize clinical AI at scale, while staying grounded in what matters most—better care and meaningful support for both clinicians and patients,” says Ashley Beecy, MD, Sutter’s chief AI officer. “Perhaps most impactful is how AI gives time and focus back to clinicians while helping us better identify and respond to patient needs.”

What This Signals for 2026

As Sutter looks ahead to 2026, the focus will be on strengthening the connection between digital tools, care teams and patients—building on the progress already underway. That means fewer handoffs, clearer communication and more proactive support, enabled by technology that works quietly in the background. The goal is not more digital for its own sake, but a care experience that feels simpler, more human and more responsive.