Why Beacon Created an AI Committee for M&A with Harrison Thomas

M&A Science

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

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