Munson Medical Center uses AI to ease paperwork and boost care
Munson Medical Center is using AI to sort records and paperwork, while nurses won contract guardrails to keep judgment at the bedside.
Munson Medical Center in Traverse City is using artificial intelligence to streamline administrative work and help manage medical records, to free staff for patient care without replacing human judgment. At the 442-bed regional referral center for all of northern Michigan, even routine paperwork can shape how quickly schedules move, charts are handled and clinicians get back to the bedside.
The technology is being used as a support tool behind the scenes, not as a substitute for nurses, physicians or other caregivers. The hospital’s goal is to make the front-end and back-end work of a large medical center run more smoothly, with the practical effect of easing the burden on staff who juggle records, coordination and the constant flow of patient information across Grand Traverse County and far beyond.
Munson Healthcare serves people in 29 counties in northern Michigan and runs eight award-winning community hospitals from its base in Traverse City. A January 2026 profile put the system at several petabytes of data and about 300 in-house IT employees and contractors handling data, networking, security and other tasks across the system.
Traverse City Munson Nurses Association members had been without a contract since March 10, 2026, before reaching a tentative agreement after a 20-hour bargaining session that ended early June 3. Nurses ratified the new three-year contract on June 9-10 by a 93% yes vote. The deal includes 5% annual raises, health insurance protections, retirement protections and guardrails on AI and technology.
Union president Laura Nilsson said, “We understand technology is coming. We generally want it to be good for us and our patients.” Nurse and bargaining committee member James Walker warned that unverified data pulled into a system could lead to wrong decisions, while Columbia University nursing professor Maxim Topaz has said nurses are often left out of technology design and that AI systems in health care need vetting and validation.
Munson announced a broader modernization plan on Sept. 27, 2023, including a more streamlined record system, expanded virtual care and more outpatient services.
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