Reducing Clinical and Administrative Burden at BSMH – Healthcare AI Pioneers
Jesse chats with Dr. Mark Townsend, Chief Clinical Digital Ventures Officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH), and Dylan Clark, Chief Analytics and AI Officer at BSMH. Together, they discuss AI strategy and operational problem identification at BSMH; nursing ambient documentation and reducing nursing documentation burden; measuring AI-driven time savings; BSMH’s digital assistant, Catherine; AI in patient navigation, scheduling, physician time tracking, contract management, and compliance; navigating partnerships with AI vendors; and much more.
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Doximity survey raises questions about who should benefit from resulting productivity gains of AI.
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About Our Guests
Dr. Mark Townsend
Mark D. Townsend, MD, MHCM, is chief clinical digital ventures officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health and plays a central role in Accrete Health Partners’ operator led approach to digital transformation. He oversees clinical and operational engagement across Accrete’s portfolio, working closely with health system operators to identify, shape and scale digital solutions that can deliver enterprise wide impact.
Dr. Townsend brings broad ministry leadership experience to BSMH, serving as executive in residence focused on clinical growth and service redesign. During his tenure with the ministry, Dr. Townsend has held multiple market leadership roles, including interim market president and chief operating officer for Mercy Health – Cincinnati, chief clinical officer for Bon Secours – Richmond as well as chief clinical officer for a group of regional markets spanning Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio.
Prior to joining Bon Secours Mercy Health, he spent 11 years at Centra Health in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he held senior leadership roles and oversaw the physician enterprise with responsibility for strategy, operations and financial performance.
A driving force in advancing patient-centered care and medical technology, Dr. Townsend is also board certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, pediatric cardiology and adult congenital cardiology.
Dylan Clark
Dylan Clark is Chief Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health, where he leads the health system’s enterprise strategy for data, analytics, and AI.
His work includes developing the organization’s AI roadmap and governance framework and scaling technologies designed to improve patient care and operational efficiency.
Before joining Bon Secours Mercy Health in 2026, Clark was with MedStar Health, where he led data strategy and systemwide analytics capabilities across hospitals, clinics, and research partnerships. Throughout his career, he has held leadership roles focused on building scalable data platforms, advancing analytics capabilities, and supporting the responsible adoption of AI in health care.