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Everyone wants to talk about how technology will rewrite the rules of healthcare in Michigan. That’s the easy part. The harder part — and the part that actually matters — is doing something about it. Because technology alone changes nothing. AI does not save lives by sitting in a presentation slide. Innovation does not improve healthcare by appearing as a discussion point on panels. Transformation does not happen because we loudly proclaim its arrival. It happens when people act: When leaders take risks, when institutions move faster, when policymakers modernize outdated systems and when organizations stop waiting for perfect conditions and start building. That is the challenge in front of Michigan right now.
Distinguished panels like the one I’m privileged to participate in at the Mackinac Policy Conference are important because they bring together leaders in medicine, technology, academia, business and government to discuss the future of healthcare. But discussion alone is not enough. The value of conversations like these is not identifying problems everyone already recognizes. The value is leaving the room with actionable steps that move innovation from discussion to impact. We have done enough talking. Now we need action, which is the true innovation.
If Michigan wants to become a national leader in next-generation healthcare, we must build the ecosystem required to support it. That means investing in workforce development, strengthening public-private partnerships, modernizing regulatory frameworks and creating environments where innovation can move safely but efficiently. This is action.
As technology expands what is possible, entirely new career paths and opportunities will emerge. Upskilling today’s workforce is essential, but preparing the next generation is equally critical. We must launch new educational programs, accelerate certification pathways and establish interdisciplinary training that prepares students for a healthcare system shaped by AI, advanced therapeutics and data-driven medicine.
In the op-ed I wrote last year, during the Mackinac Policy Conference, I said Michigan must be willing to bet on the bold. I believe that even more strongly today.
We need a stronger appetite for risk-taking and more support for the trailblazing startups that boldly go where others won’t. Michigan can be a global leader in technology-enabled healthcare if we move decisively.
At the same time, we cannot lose sight of who we’re doing this for. Healthcare innovation is not about technology for technology’s sake. Or action for the sake of action. It’s about helping people live better lives.
Too often, patients feel reduced to diagnoses, insurance approvals and treatment schedules. The system becomes so focused on managing processes that it forgets the human being behind the disease.
When we use AI, automation and advanced imaging to improve operational efficiency, shorten diagnostic timelines and optimize treatment selection, we create something incredibly valuable: more time for clinicians to care for patients as people. More time to answer questions. More time to reduce fear. More time to focus on quality of life, not just clinical workflows.
None of this can happen alone.
Modern medicine is a team sport. No single organization, health system or company can act independently. Michigan already has extraordinary institutions, from universities and research organizations to health systems and startups. The opportunity now is to align those strengths around action.
That collaboration must also include legislators, regulators and payors willing to rethink how innovation is evaluated, reimbursed and deployed.
Michigan has the talent, infrastructure and leadership to become a global center for advanced healthcare innovation. But it will require more than vision statements and panel discussions.
It requires action.
Anthony Chang, PhD is founder and CEO of BAMF Health.
