The buzz around artificial intelligence in healthcare hasn’t waned, and for major companies to keep up, they must invest in key applications. For the biggest firms, that translates to hundreds of use cases in practice and testing.

At Elevance Health, that work is grounded in a key mantra: keep the member at the center. 

In this episode of "Podnosis," Senior Writer Paige Minemyer sat down with Ratnakar Lavu, chief digital information officer at Elevance Health, to discuss where the insurer is seeing success and how it’s building ethical guardrails for AI development.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 
A look inside Elevance Health's artificial intelligence strategy
Elevance Health offers employees AI skills training in collaboration with OpenAI
ECRI flags misuse of AI chatbots as a top health tech hazard in 2026
CMS wants to speed up tech innovation and AI for patients, setting major goalposts in 2026
2026 Outlook: Setting the standard for health AI programs

The buzz around artificial intelligence in healthcare hasn&rsquo;t waned, and for major companies to keep up, they must invest in key applications. For the biggest firms, that translates to hundreds of use cases in practice and testing.
At Elevance Health, that work is grounded in a key mantra: keep the member at the center.&nbsp;
In this episode of "Podnosis," Senior Writer Paige Minemyer sat down with Ratnakar Lavu, chief digital information officer at Elevance Health, to discuss where the insurer is seeing success and how it&rsquo;s building ethical guardrails for AI development.
To learn more about the topics in this episode:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/look-inside-elevance-healths-artificial-intelligence-strategy">A look inside Elevance Health's artificial intelligence strategy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/elevance-health-offers-employees-ai-skills-training-collaboration-openai">Elevance Health offers employees AI skills training in collaboration with OpenAI</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/health-tech/ecri-flags-misuse-ai-chatbots-top-health-tech-hazard-2026">ECRI flags misuse of AI chatbots as a top health tech hazard in 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-and-machine-learning/cms-trying-speed-tech-innovation-and-ai-patients-major-goalposts-set-2026">CMS wants to speed up tech innovation and AI for patients, setting major goalposts in 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ai-and-machine-learning/2026-outlook-setting-standard-health-ai-programs">2026 Outlook: Setting the standard for health AI programs</a></li>
</ul>

Podnosis: the pulse of the healthcare industry. Every week, journalists from Fierce Healthcare dive into some of the industry’s biggest trends. We talk to the experts about what’s important now so you can prep for the future. Hear about all things healthcare, from physician practices to hospital chains and insurance giants—and those that mix all three—plus the tech they use, disruptors looking to compete and people moving the sector forward. Follow Podnosis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podnosis: the pulse of the healthcare industry. Every week, journalists from Fierce Healthcare dive into some of the industry’s biggest trends. We talk to the experts about what’s important now so you can prep for the future. Hear about all things healthcare, from physician practices to hospital chains and insurance giants—and those that mix all three—plus the tech they use, disruptors looking to compete and people moving the sector forward. Follow Podnosis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podnosis

Podnosis: the pulse of the healthcare industry. Every week, journalists from Fierce Healthcare dive into some of the industry’s biggest trends. We talk to the experts about what’s important now so you can prep for the future. Hear about all things healthcare, from physician practices to hospital chains and insurance giants—and those that mix all three—plus the tech they use, disruptors looking to compete and people moving the sector forward. Follow Podnosis on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.