AI Readiness for Small Business | What Cleveland Clinic Taught Me
- Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
- Jan 20
- 9 min read
I Saw Cleveland Clinic's AI Work Perfectly. Then I Hit Checkout.
I had a doctor's appointment this week at Cleveland Clinic.
I walked in expecting the usual healthcare experience: a doctor juggling a laptop while trying to listen, rushed conversations squeezed between administrative tasks, the sense that technology was getting in the way rather than helping.
What I experienced instead proved exactly what I tell business owners every day: AI amplifies systems—good or broken.
What Cleveland Clinic Got Right
Let me start by saying this: What Cleveland Clinic is doing with AI deserves recognition.
This is one of the most respected healthcare institutions in the country. They didn't jump on the AI bandwagon to chase headlines. They didn't deploy technology for technology's sake.
They asked a better question: How can we use AI to make doctors better at being doctors?
And they answered it.
The clinical visit itself? That's where I saw AI do what it's actually supposed to do.
My doctor used ambient AI technology—specifically, Ambience Healthcare's AI Scribe—to document our entire conversation. The AI listened through a phone-based app, captured every detail, and generated comprehensive clinical notes—all while my doctor maintained complete eye contact and presence with me.
No laptop barrier between us. No typing mid-sentence. No "hold on, let me make sure I got that" pauses.
Just a physician fully engaged in the conversation, asking thoughtful questions, listening carefully, explaining clearly.
I connected more with my doctor in this one visit than I have in the past five years combined.
That's not hyperbole. That's the difference between a doctor managing technology and a doctor supported by it.
This is what AI should do: help humans be more human, not replace them.
The Scale of What They Built
Here's what makes this even more impressive: Cleveland Clinic deployed this technology to more than 4,000 physicians and advanced practice providers across their entire system.
This wasn't a small pilot. This was enterprise-scale implementation.
And they did it in just 15 weeks.
According to their own data, physicians are now using the AI Scribe for 76% of their scheduled office visits. The technology has already documented over 1 million patient encounters.
That level of adoption doesn't happen by accident.
Why This Implementation Actually Worked
Cleveland Clinic didn't succeed with AI by accident.
They did something most businesses skip entirely: they built the foundation first.
Before deploying ambient AI across their system, they spent an entire year in 2024 conducting a rigorous pilot program. They didn't just test one vendor and hope for the best. They evaluated five different AI documentation solutions in what one executive called "a Great American Bake-Off."
Here's what their process looked like:
They recruited approximately 250 physicians representing more than 80 specialties and subspecialties. They divided them into groups of 50 and assigned each group to try one or more of the tools.
But here's the smart part: they didn't just recruit tech enthusiasts.
Dr. Eric Boose, Cleveland Clinic's Associate Chief Medical Information Officer, explained: "We chose people who liked using technology, but we also identified people who were struggling to get their charts closed, who took a long time to do their documentation. We identified people in those pockets in certain specialties and asked them if they'd like to try a tool that may be able to help them."
They tested the technology where it mattered most: with the physicians who needed it most.
During the pilot, they measured both objective metrics (time saved, documentation accuracy, chart closure speed) and subjective data (physician sentiment, ease of use, burnout levels, quality of life improvements).
They didn't just ask "Does the technology work?" They asked "Does it actually make our physicians' lives better?"
That's operational discipline, not AI magic.
The Foundation That Made It Work
The ambient AI works because Cleveland Clinic built the right foundation:
Standardized clinical workflows - Every provider follows consistent documentation standards. The AI knows what information needs to be captured because the process is already defined.
Clear quality benchmarks - "Good documentation" isn't subjective. There are standards. The AI follows them because humans designed them.
Human oversight built into the system - The physician reviews and approves everything the AI generates. The technology suggests; the doctor decides. As Dr. Boose emphasized, "All AI-generated notes must be reviewed and accepted by the provider before being entered into the EHR."
Patient consent and transparency - Patients are informed before the technology is used and can opt out. Cleveland Clinic created informational flyers explaining the concept to ensure patients are true partners in the process.
Designed the process before adding the tool - They didn't ask "What can AI do for us?" They asked "What do our doctors need?" and then found the right technology to support that.
The results speak for themselves:
AI Scribe reduced average documentation time by 2 minutes per appointment and 14 minutes per day
Physicians reported getting their documentation done faster with less after-hours work
Patients loved the detailed notes and instructions
Some physicians who were considering retirement or reduced hours decided to continue working full-time because the tool eliminated their biggest administrative burden
Dr. Rohit Chandra, Cleveland Clinic's Chief Digital Officer, summed it up: "The promise of AI in healthcare is that it will enable us to care for patients with a higher level of safety and quality, and a better patient and caregiver experience. Our implementation of ambient AI technology delivers on that promise because it helps our providers fully engage with their patients, saves time, and alleviates some of their administrative burden."
The clinical AI succeeded because the clinical process was already well-designed. The technology simply made that process faster, more accurate, and more human.
Then I Reached Checkout
After my appointment ended, I walked to checkout expecting the same seamless experience.
That's not what I found.
The back-office process was still entirely manual:
Multiple staff members handling different parts of the transaction. Information being entered by hand into separate systems. Questions being asked that should have been answered earlier in the workflow. Staff members searching for information that should have been immediately accessible.
I spent more time at checkout than I did with my physician.
Here's what's important to understand: This isn't a criticism of the people working checkout.
The staff were professional, courteous, and doing their best with the system they had. They were working hard. They cared about getting it right.
The problem wasn't the people. The problem wasn't even the technology.
The problem was that the back-office process hasn't been redesigned yet.
No one has sat down and asked: What should this workflow actually look like? Where are the handoffs? What information needs to flow from clinical to administrative? How do we eliminate the manual searching and re-entering of data?
Those are process design questions, not technology questions.
And until those questions get answered, no amount of AI will fix checkout—just like no amount of AI would have fixed the clinical visit if the clinical process hadn't been redesigned first.
What This Reveals About AI Readiness
Here's what struck me walking out of Cleveland Clinic:
They proved that AI can dramatically improve the human experience when it's deployed on a solid foundation.
They also revealed—unintentionally—what happens when systems aren't ready.
The clinical visit worked because:
The process was documented
Standards were clear
Roles were defined
Quality checkpoints existed
The system was ready
The checkout struggled because:
The workflow wasn't standardized
Handoffs weren't clearly defined
Information lived in multiple disconnected systems
The process relied on individual knowledge
Same organization. Same caliber of people. Different outcomes because of different foundations.
This Is What I See in Every Business
You might be thinking: "I'm not Cleveland Clinic. I don't have their resources or complexity."
True. But you face the exact same challenge.
The pattern I see in small and mid-sized businesses every single week:
AI email tools fail because there's no documented process for: What requires a response? What gets delegated? What gets archived? Who owns what type of communication?
AI scheduling tools fail because availability rules change daily, booking workflows vary by person, and no one has written down the actual logic the business follows.
AI bookkeeping tools fail because transactions aren't categorized consistently, receipts live in three different places, and the chart of accounts gets reorganized every quarter.
AI marketing tools fail because messaging isn't defined, customer journeys aren't mapped, brand voice isn't documented, and the team doesn't know what the AI is allowed to say on behalf of the company.
AI customer service tools fail because response templates don't exist, escalation paths aren't clear, and service standards live in people's heads instead of in writing.
The technology isn't the problem.
The people aren't the problem.
The process—or lack of one—is the problem.
Why Most Businesses Aren't Ready
The AI Readiness Gap Most Small Businesses Miss
Let me be direct: Most small businesses are not ready for AI.
That's not a criticism. It's just reality.
Being "ready for AI" doesn't mean having a big budget or technical expertise.
It means having clear answers to these questions:
Can you write down the process the AI is supposed to automate?
If it only exists in someone's head, the AI has nothing to follow.
Does everyone follow the same steps, or does it vary person-to-person?
If it varies, AI will amplify the inconsistency, not fix it.
Are handoffs between team members clearly defined?
If not, AI will get stuck at the exact same places your team does now.
Do you have quality checkpoints built into the workflow?
AI needs to know what "done right" looks like. If you can't define it, neither can the AI.
Can a new employee execute this process using your documentation?
If a human can't follow your process documentation, an AI definitely can't.
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, you're not ready for AI in that area of your business.
And that's okay.
The Opportunity Cleveland Clinic Revealed
Here's what I want you to understand:
The checkout experience I had isn't a failure. It's an opportunity.
Cleveland Clinic has already proven they can deploy AI successfully. They've built systems that work. They've created processes that improve patient care without diminishing the human element.
The back-office workflows simply haven't been redesigned yet.
But because they've built that capability once, they can build it again. The checkout process isn't stuck forever. It's just next in line.
When organizations take the time to:
Map the current workflow (even if it's messy)
Identify where things break or slow down
Clarify roles and handoffs
Standardize the steps
Document decision rules
Build quality checkpoints
...then AI can be thoughtfully deployed—not to replace people, but to support them, reduce friction, and free them to focus on work that actually requires human judgment.
AI doesn't need to transform everything at once.
But when the foundation is clear, it can help people do their jobs significantly better.
Are You Actually Ready for AI?
Before you invest in any AI tool, you need to know where your business actually stands.
Most businesses think they're ready for AI. Then they buy tools that fail—not because the technology is bad, but because the foundation wasn't there.
That's why I created the AI Readiness Assessment.
What you'll get with the Free download:
5-question assessment (takes 3 minutes)
Your current AI readiness level (Levels 1-4)
Specific next steps based on your score
Clear guidance on what to fix before buying tools
What you won't get:
Sales pitch
AI tool recommendations
Pressure to buy anything
This isn't about selling you software. It's about giving you clarity on whether your business can actually use AI tools well.
What You Should Do Next
I've spent 25 years working in operations—from Fortune 500 transformations to small business process improvement.
Here's what I know: The businesses that succeed with AI are the ones that fix the foundation first.
Cleveland Clinic proved it:
They built standardized workflows before deploying AI
They tested rigorously across 80+ specialties
They measured both objective metrics and human impact
They chose technology that fit their process, not the other way around
They deployed at scale only after proving it worked
The result? Over 4,000 physicians using AI to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative work.
That's what happens when you get the foundation right.
Your business can do the same thing—at your scale, with your resources.
Start here:
Step 1: Take the AI Readiness Assessment to see where you stand
Step 2: Pick ONE process that's currently broken or manual
Step 3: Document it. Simplify it. Standardize it. Train your team.
Step 4: Once that's working smoothly, then consider where AI might help
The assessment will show you exactly which processes are ready and which aren't.
What Happens Next
Cleveland Clinic proved something important.
AI works when the system is ready.
It improves the human experience when it's deployed on the right foundation.
It helps people do their jobs better—it doesn't replace them.
But technology doesn't fix unclear processes. It exposes them.
My doctor's visit was better because Cleveland Clinic built the clinical foundation first.
My checkout experience revealed where that foundation work hasn't happened yet.
Your business is no different.
You have workflows that are ready for AI—and workflows that aren't.
The question is: Do you know which is which?
Take the assessment. Get clarity. Fix the foundation.
Then add the tools.
Sources:
How Ambient AI Is Reshaping Clinical Workflow at Cleveland Clinic - Cleveland Clinic Consult QD
Cleveland Clinic's AI Strategy: Building Tools From the Ground Up - Healthcare Brew
Cleveland Clinic Chooses Ambience AI Scribe - Fierce Healthcare
Cleveland Clinic Announces Rollout of Ambience Healthcare's AI Platform - Cleveland Clinic Newsroom
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