Harrison Thomas, Chief Growth Officer at Beacon Specialized Living Services, Inc.

In Part 1 of our conversation with Harrison Thomas, Chief Growth Officer at Beacon Specialized Living Services, we dive into how one of the largest providers of specialized behavioral health services is rethinking M&A using AI. Harrison shares why Beacon created a dedicated AI committee focused on improving every stage of the deal lifecycle—from sourcing to integration—and what tools and pilots they're exploring right now. If you want a first-hand look at how AI is already changing M&A in healthcare services, this episode is for you.

Things you will learn:

• Why creating an AI committee can accelerate innovation in M&A processes.

• How AI tools are being piloted to improve diligence, sourcing, and integration planning.

• Practical challenges and lessons learned when adopting AI in a complex, people-centric industry.

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Episode Chapters

[00:02:00 ] Why Beacon formed an AI committee specifically for M&A

[00:04:30 ] Early AI experiments and low-risk pilots to test use cases
[00:07:00 ] How AI is enhancing diligence processes and data analysis
[00:09:00 ] Approaching cultural adoption of AI tools across the deal team
[00:11:30 ] Evaluating vendor solutions vs. building AI tools in-house
[00:14:00 ] Tracking ROI on AI adoption in the M&A process
[00:16:00 ] Ethical considerations and privacy concerns when using AI in healthcare M&A
[00:19:00 ] Overcoming skepticism about AI among senior leadership
[00:22:00 ] Key metrics Beacon is using to measure AI-driven efficiency
[00:31:00 ] Lessons learned on aligning AI strategy with overall M&A goals

Questions, comments, concerns?
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