Becker’s Healthcare Podcast AI, Smart Hospitals, and Innovation at Houston Methodist with Michelle Stansbury
Feb 22, 2026
Michelle Stansbury, Associate Chief Innovation Officer and VP of IT Applications at Houston Methodist, leads AI and smart-hospital tech efforts. She discusses the Cypress smart hospital and voice/ambient tools for clinicians. They cover operational AI for supply chain and finance, remote monitoring and control centers. The focus is on scaling high-impact innovations and maximizing value from core systems.
AI Snips
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Transcript
Episode notes
Smart Hospital Cypress Filled Fast
- Houston Methodist opened Cypress as a smart hospital and quickly filled it, showing strong patient demand for smart-room features.
- Cypress patients loved voice controls and Alexa for lighting, blinds and comfort features, prompting plans to expand the facility.
Workday Go‑Live Executed With Minimal Disruption
- Houston Methodist completed a two-year Workday go-live covering supply chain, HR, finance and research with minimal issues.
- The team processed the first payroll and began month-end close smoothly, enabling focus on Workday's AI capabilities next.
Use Texting And Voice To Reduce Access Friction
- Prioritize customer-facing access channels like bidirectional texting and voice bots to reduce friction for appointments.
- Houston Methodist implemented bi-directional texting and voice agents to let patients book and navigate care by text or voice.