Digital transformation in healthcare has accelerated dramatically over the past few years, driven by changing patient expectations, demographic shifts, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence. At the center of this transformation is Rush University System for Health, a Chicago-based academic health system known for its clinical excellence and forward-thinking approach to innovation. In a recent episode of The Big Unlock podcast, Anil Saldanha, Chief Innovation Officer at Rush University System for Health, offered a wide-ranging look at how the organization is advancing generative AI, expanding digital care models, and tackling systemic health inequities.
Anil’s role sits at the intersection of public health, community health, and care delivery – an ideal vantage point for understanding how technology can reshape health outcomes. His insights highlight not just where Rush University System for Health is today, but where healthcare as a whole is heading.
A Virtual-First Foundation for Digital Transformation
One of the most visible components of digital transformation at Rush University System for Health is the shift toward a virtual-first ecosystem. While the pandemic accelerated telehealth adoption nationwide, Rush took the momentum and built an intentional strategy around it.
Anil explained that Rush began by strengthening virtual primary care, followed by virtual urgent care and specialty care. The virtual urgent care service stands out for its ability to address more than 40 different conditions with a waiting time as short as 20 minutes. Patients who once needed to travel to a clinic for issues like cough, rashes, prescription refills, minor infections, or follow-up questions can now get the care they need from home.
Virtual specialty care has expanded across eight service areas, helping patients access high-quality clinical expertise without the typical logistical barriers.
This virtual backbone laid the groundwork for one of Rush’s most innovative offerings: Rush Connect Plus, a subscription-based service that reflects new consumer expectations in healthcare. Through Rush Connect Plus patients anywhere in the United States can get 24/7 access to a care team, digital triage support, referral pathways, and seamless connection to Rush specialists. As Anil explained, many younger patients “are not interested in having a dedicated primary care provider. They want care whenever they need it, wherever they are.” Rush Connect Plus reflects this shift and meets patients on their terms.
Addressing Chicago’s Life Expectancy Gap Through Data and Community Strategy
While digital convenience is important, Rush’s transformation is equally focused on tackling some of Chicago’s most deeply rooted public health inequities. The Chicago “death gap,” an extreme difference in life expectancy between neighborhoods, has long been a defining challenge for the city.
Anil described it clearly: “If you take four subway stops west of Michigan Avenue, life expectancy drops by 16 years. In the south of Chicago, it drops by 30 years.” Rush has made it a corporate mission to reduce this gap by 50% by the year 2030.
Several factors drive this disparity, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, firearm injuries, stroke, and uncontrolled hypertension. The social determinants of health adds another layer of complexity. To address these issues systematically, Rush secured a $7.5 million grant to build a Health Equity Analytics Studio, an advanced data environment designed to unite clinical data, census information, wearable insights, and community metrics into a single analytical foundation.
This ecosystem of data will allow Rush to identify “hot zones” of chronic disease risk across the region. The goal is to provide public health teams, community health workers, and clinical service lines with actionable insights so they can deliver targeted, high-impact interventions.
In Anil’s view, this kind of population-level digital infrastructure is essential for equity: “This will be a major digital aid for our public health and community health departments and help us understand the complex chronic care needs of our population.”
Transforming Cancer Care Through Early Detection and Strategic Collaboration
Cancer care has been another area of exceptional focus at Rush, supported by both clinical partnerships and bold technological initiatives.
A key strategic collaboration is Rush’s partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center, widely recognized for world-class oncology care. Through this partnership, Rush has established several Rush MD Anderson Cancer Centers across the Chicago region, enabling patients to receive cutting-edge treatment and participate in advanced clinical trials without traveling to Houston. As Anil noted, this partnership ensures that “our patient population doesn’t have to travel to Houston to take advantage of MD Anderson’s excellence.”
Complementing this is Rush’s pioneering move into multi-cancer early detection. About a year ago, Rush began offering the Grail liquid biopsy test, which can identify more than 50 cancers and many of which have no other detectable biomarkers.
Anil described the decision to adopt Grail as a “bold bet,” grounded in scientific promise and clinical necessity. Despite the $750 out-of-pocket cost and lack of FDA approval, community demand has been overwhelming. “We’re not able to keep up with the demand,” he shared. Rush has systemized referral pathways and follow-up procedures to ensure patients receive timely support if they receive a positive signal from the test.
For Rush, early detection represents a shift in how society invests in cancer care. Instead of devoting most resources to end-of-life treatment, Anil and Rush’s CEO, Dr. Omar Latif, emphasize the need to invest earlier in the patient journey to prevent severe outcomes. This philosophy aligns with Rush’s broader mission of prevention, equity, and long-term community health.
Generative AI at Rush Health: Thoughtful Deployment and Research-Driven Innovation
Generative AI is becoming one of the defining forces in healthcare transformation, and Rush is embracing it with both enthusiasm and caution. Anil made it clear that Rush wants AI to enhance, not replace, clinical expertise and patient relationships.
Ambient listening technology is one area where generative AI is already making an impact. Rush uses Suki to reduce clinical documentation burden, allowing providers to focus more on patient care. Rush also deploys an AI-driven symptom checker across its website and mobile app, helping patients navigate symptoms and access appointments more efficiently.
One of the most groundbreaking, and lesser known, AI initiatives at Rush is the Socrates behavioral health kiosk, part of its RODO program supporting veterans with PTSD. The kiosk uses a multi-agent AI system built on OpenAI models. Patients interact with an AI therapist, while an AI rater and a third monitoring agent work behind the scenes to prevent hallucinations, avoid looping behavior, and maintain clinical relevance.
Anil highlighted the importance of this multi-agent design: “It allows us to make changes in real time to ensure looping doesn’t happen and hallucination concerns are mitigated.” While still in a research environment, Socrates represents a promising direction for behavioral health innovation at a time when staffing shortages persist across the country.
Beyond behavioral health, Rush is monitoring advancements in diagnostic AI, such as cardiovascular algorithms, vision-based imaging tools, and cancer detection systems. Saldanha views these developments as signs of a “hopeful” future, where traditional machine-learning models and generative AI will coexist to support clinical care.
Looking Ahead: A Connected, AI-Enabled Future for Care Delivery
When asked about what’s next, Anil spoke about the emergence of hospital-at-home programs and ambulatory-first models, reflecting a broader movement toward decentralizing care. He expects generative AI to play a growing role in patient education and preparation, a trend already visible in clinics.
He referenced a recent story of a patient who used ChatGPT to learn about a “Tilt Table Test” before coming in for vertigo. The clinician was surprised by the level of detail and preparation. For Anil, this is a sign of what he calls a “connected care ecosystem,” where patients become empowered partners in their own care.
“Patients are partners in their care,” he said. “The more they’re empowered and educated, the better society will be.”
A Model for the Future of Healthcare Transformation
Rush ’s journey reflects the intersection of technological progress, clinical innovation, and community responsibility. Through virtual-first care, generative AI adoption, early cancer detection, and data-driven equity initiatives, Rush is building a healthcare model that is not only future-ready but deeply human.
Anil concludes the podcast episode with optimism: “Healthcare affects all of us. Don’t give up on it. Be part of the solution in whatever way you can.”
The digital transformation at Rush, and its thoughtful use of generative AI, offers a powerful blueprint for any organization striving to deliver smarter, more equitable, and more connected care.