Eager to innovate for its 12,000 staff and patients, Montpellier University Hospital launched a bold digital transformation to build the hospital of the future.
In partnership with Microsoft, the hospital deployed Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and Microsoft 365 Copilot to transform care, research, and operations.
Generative AI improves care pathways, generates real-time patient documents, structures medical data, and supports 12,000 staff in training and innovation.
Ranked sixth nationwide for care delivery and fifth for research output, CHU Montpellier plays a critical role in the Occitanie region. Its mission: to achieve excellence for patients and healthcare professionals alike.
Over the past few years, the hospital has undergone an ambitious digital transformation, now driven by AI to support care delivery, clinical workflows, and its 12,000 healthcare professionals. This is a look inside one of France’s leading hospitals in AI innovation.
At the heart of this transformation lies ERIOS, France’s first experimental center dedicated to digital health solutions.
Its first initiative focused on Electronic Health Records (EHR) and was funded through the France 2030 program as part of a consortium between CHU Montpellier, the University of Montpellier, and Dedalus.
In 2022, the objective was to test 12 use cases to refine co-design methods for digital tools, increase user involvement, and evaluate technology in real-world hospital settings. With the advent of generative AI, ERIOS expanded its capabilities, leading to the creation of “ERIOS Assistant.”
This AI assistant enables real-time generation of explanatory documents for patients, structuring medical data from clinical notes, and identification of patients eligible for research protocols.
Leveraging a hybrid infrastructure—combining local servers for testing and the scalability of the Microsoft Azure cloud and powerful large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4o—the CHU de Montpellier benefits from unmatched security and technical performance.
“There’s a major, collective priority to professionalize generative AI. Microsoft’s expertise and added value are essential to helping us do that,” says Professor David Morquin, Chief Medical Officer of CHU de Montpellier.
“There’s a major, collective priority to professionalize generative AI. Microsoft’s expertise and added value are essential to helping us do that.”
Professor David Morquin, Chief Medical Officer, CHU de Montpellier
CHU de Montpellier stands out for its unique approach: acting as a real-world innovation hub where AI is infused across all its domains.
“What makes Montpellier’s AI journey unique is that we operate as one large experimentation hub,” explains Anne Ferrer, CEO of the hospital. “We are infusing this technology across all areas—clinical care, research, teaching, prevention, and hospital management—gradually transforming our practices.”
Thanks to Azure OpenAI Service and Microsoft Copilot Studio, the hospital explores new ways to enhance patient care and expand the capabilities of its healthcare professionals.
“We have strong ambitions to use Copilot Studio to move toward the concept of the augmented physician,” adds Professor Morquin. This solution enables secure, customized agent creation that can interact with various data sources—whether for large-scale use or very specific tasks.
“We clearly see the value of using them in a professional setting—that means securely and reliably," states Professor David Morquin.
Microsoft 365 Copilot is also part of the technological ecosystem. For Vanina Duvoye, CFO of the hospital, it’s a game-changer: “Copilot saves us a tremendous amount of time. The most interesting part is that it’s not for tasks we excel at—it’s for the ones we’d rather not do.”
Empowering healthcare teams to use AI effectively is essential. That’s why the hospital launched the “School of Hospital Transformation," a dedicated training space to help healthcare, administrative, and technical staff embrace digital and AI technologies.
“Using Copilot is clearly a key driver of talent attraction,” says Emmanuelle Garnier, Deputy CEO.“The School supports professionals in mastering AI tools, helping them feel fully integrated into our institution—today and tomorrow.”
With tailored programs—some co-developed with Microsoft—the school aims to democratize AI adoption, regardless of users’ digital fluency.
“Our partnership with Microsoft enables us to rapidly roll out Copilot training through our Hospital Transformation School,” adds Anne Ferrer.
Whether through real-world use cases or upskilling teams, the hospital is committed to making AI a source of tangible added value: “We’re creating the conditions for our staff to focus on what truly matters,” says Anne Ferrer.
“That means better care, more research, stronger prevention, better teaching, and smarter management,” adds Emmanuelle Garnier. “AI should empower professionals to do their best work.”
While CHU de Montpellier is pioneering this approach, its vision extends beyond its own walls.
“From one hospital to another, challenges are similar. We believe there’s real value in collectively reflecting on AI use cases and co-developing adaptable solutions for all healthcare institutions,” says Vanina Duvoye.
“Together with Microsoft, we’ve begun to shape the hospital of the future—how Microsoft can help make that vision a reality. I’m confident that our shared perspectives will help us move forward with trust,” concludes Anne Ferrer.
With this alliance of cutting-edge technology and medical expertise, CHU Montpellier and Microsoft are writing a new chapter in France’s healthcare story—where AI becomes a true lever for transformation and excellence. Together, they are redefining what it means to be a 21st-century hospital.
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