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In this episode, Julie Demaree, Vice President and Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer at St. Mary's Healthcare, shares a pragmatic approach to digital transformation in rural healthcare, where innovation is driven by operational realities rather than technology hype. A former physician assistant turned technology executive, Julie argues that successful innovation begins with culture, governance, and clinician engagement, not new tools.

She discusses how St. Mary’s has improved patient safety and clinician experience by rethinking clinical decision support, reducing alert fatigue through careful curation, and involving frontline clinicians in governance decisions. Julie also highlights the importance of optimizing existing technology before investing in new solutions, noting that many organizations overlook capabilities already available within their EHRs.

Julie sees significant potential for automation and agentic AI to reduce administrative burden, improve patient access, and help lean teams operate more effectively. She emphasizes that AI adoption must be accompanied by strong governance, user education, and critical thinking. Her message is clear: innovation is not about adding more technology, it’s about solving the right problems, eliminating unnecessary work, and building systems that better support patients, clinicians, and communities. Take a listen. 

Julie Demaree, PA, serves as vice president, chief technology and digital innovation officer at St. Mary’s Healthcare in Amsterdam, New York. She leads in developing St. Mary’s digital strategy, integrating technology across the organization, and ensuring that digital initiatives meet the needs of providers, patients, and the organization as a whole.

A physician assistant, Demaree has extensive experience designing programs that streamline and improve the patient experience and reduce the administrative burden on providers. Most recently, she was director of clinical informatics and data integrity at Saratoga Hospital, a member of the Albany Med Health System. She also chaired a key workgroup charged with building a systemwide electronic medical record.

During her 25 years in healthcare, Demaree has earned a reputation for anticipating and responding to patients’ needs. She has launched telehealth services, implemented electronic self-registration in busy physician practices, and centralized patient navigation services—all of which enhance patient satisfaction and retention.

Demaree has a Master of Health Administration from the University of Phoenix and a post-graduate certificate in occupational medicine from Duke University. She also has a bachelor’s degree in physician assistant science from St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in life sciences from Penn State University. A Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems, Demaree is a fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and is board certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.