NJHA taps AI partnership to ease administrative burdens

From left, New Jersey Hospital Association President and CEO Cathy Bennett and Jade Global CEO Karan Yaramada formalize a strategic alliance between the two organizations in 2026. - PROVIDED BY NEW JERSEY HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

Jessica Perry//May 12, 2026//

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The New Jersey Hospital Association is rolling out a new AI partnership to help members enhance the patient experience and preserve operations.

NJHA announced the new strategic alliance with digital transformation company Jade Global May 7.

The pairing seeks to deliver modern, secure and scalable technology solutions.

NJHA brings a distinct knowledge of healthcare policy and the regulatory sphere. The organization highlighted AI-led Jade Global‘s expertise in implementation, integration and managed services.

Back to the beach

The New Jersey Hospital Association will bring back its annual Best at the Beach celebration July 9 in Long Branch.

This year, NJHA will posthumously honor Sister Jane Frances Brady with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The trailblazer spent nearly three decades at St. Joseph’s Health. She began her career at the hospital as an administrative assistant in 1966, rising to become president and CEO in 1972.

The event will honor 11 individuals:

Distinguished Service Award – Dr. Vincent Barba, chief medical officer and vice president of patient care and safety, Matheny Medical and Educational Center
Legacy of Care Award – Diann Johnson, regional vice president of patient services, RWJBarnabas Health
Digital Trailblazer Award – Linda Reed, senior vice president, chief compliance officer and digital information officer, St. Joseph’s Health
Emerging Leader – Kelly Murphy, Emergency Department nurse manager, Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center
Health InnoVision Award – Dr. Usman Shah; medical director, GI Oncology and Phase 1 Trials Program; Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center
Healthy New Jersey Award – Virtua Health’s Oliver Station Community
Clinical Excellence Award – Matthew Ostroff, vascular access coordinator, St. Joseph’s Health
Excellence in Patient Experience – Shore Medical Center’s Retired Physicians ED Navigator Program
Inspired Aging Award – Trinitas Regional Medical Center, RWJBarnabas Health’s Transitions of Care Program
Connect Award – RWJBarnabas Health Food Access and Nutrition Initiative

For NJHA constituents, the foray into hands-on technology execution builds upon a slate of services including analytics, quality improvement, continuing education and advocacy work. It makes available a single trusted source to advise from policy guidance through to deployment, the association said.

Solutions will target:

The administrative burden surrounding claims denials and prior authorization
Fragmented data and improved interoperability between provider and payer systems
Integrated AI-powered tools for improved operations to better serve patients
Real-time reporting and performance monitoring to drive operational efficiency that helps contain costs

“Technology can play a meaningful role in tackling healthcare’s biggest pain points – including insurance red tape that creates access barriers for patients and costly bureaucracy for providers,” said NJHA President and CEO Cathy Bennett.

She added the partnership provides a “purposeful use of advanced technology.”

Technology can play a meaningful role in tackling healthcare’s biggest pain points …
—Cathy Bennett, president and CEO, NJHA

Jade Global CEO Karan Yaramada said the partnership “empowers” healthcare systems “By leveraging advanced data and AI capabilities, intelligent automation and seamless interoperability … amid a harsh fiscal climate.”

The collaboration also embeds governance to ensure responsible AI adoption. NJHA said it will also help maintain data integrity and ensure innovation scales without introducing operational risk.