In the healthcare industry, generative AI is growing rescue by that day. However, despite the rapid advances in high-tech (or therefore), some healthcare institutions are still rolling out with caution.
Hundreds of healthcare systems and clinics across the country are beginning to inject AI into their workflows, but many of them are slowing it down, executive leader told Newsweek in a recent conversation. For example, you might pilot a generation AI tool into a department or focus group, then collect and fine-tune feedback, then deploy it across specialized or provider groups.
Tensions are rising as tech companies encourage health systems to respond to the rapid evolution of AI. As healthcare organizations evaluate options, many people are pondering some key questions. Is it better to act now or wait for the next best? Is “sufficient” AI really enough for now? Which is more dangerous: Do you want to go in or refrain from doing everything?
Newsweek has connected with leaders on both sides of AI-Adoption Aisle. Find the following perspectives:
What the health system says
Even some of the most innovative hospitals pay attention to AI. In September, Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center came in seventh place in Newsweek's rankings for the world's best smart hospitals. However, on March 3rd, nursing information officer Dr. Lavonia Thomas told Newsweek that the hospital has not yet adopted “many” AI recruitment.
MD Anderson has many ideas about how to use AI and believes the technology has great potential, Thomas said at the Health Tech Conference HIMSS. But she believes clinicians, particularly nurses, should be at the forefront of development.
According to Thomas, nurses don't want to see patients do harm, which brings healthy skepticism to AI. They also want to ensure how electronic health records increase administrative burdens and that new technologies improve workflows.
It's a more calculated approach, but there's no mistake, Thomas states:
“Nurse needs to be on the front end and generate ideas before purchasing,” she said. “(When nurses guide innovation) that's where success comes in. (technology) isn't being valued and valued by them.”
Banner Health is also “quickly fast” on his AI journey, Chief Technology Officer Michael Reagin told Newsweek on March 13th. The Phoenix-based system sets up a governance system before diving into the deep edges in Genai Investments. So far, we have established an interdisciplinary committee that includes ethicists, nurses and physicians to assess AI applications prior to deployment, and employ a coalition of health AI frameworks to evaluate and score those applications.
Still, these scorecards only show moments, according to Reagin. Banner has been continuously monitoring all AI applications for the first six months of deployment to ensure safe and ethical use, then moved to the annual review, “Things are still stable and model drift is not out of bounds,” he said.
Reagin characterized the strategy as more cautious than bullish, though Banner doesn't protect him from AI. The goal is to reduce the administrative burden of physicians by 50% over the next five years, and we believe that it can help AI get there. Health Systems has also built a popular AI companion based on the Claude family of humanity's large language models.
“We're really worried that because of the pace at which these things are changing, we don't want to overbuild and move ahead of things,” says Reagin. “It's a bit unsettling to think about what you want to do and how you want to do it. And then a month passes, and all of a sudden, there's your whole perspective on life changes. And you're like, 'Wait a minute, we should do this method.' ”
“Usually it happens over months or years,” he added.
What AI Solutions developers say
Technology developers are paying attention to concerns about the health system, several leaders told Newsweek during HIMSS in early March. But in general, they disagree that slow, nasty strategies win AI races.
Dr. Jackie Gelhart, PhD, family medicine physician, chief medical officer and vice president of clinical information at EPIC, encouraged the health system to “start now.”
“Last year, 'Start Now' meant trying out AI. This year means we're moving quickly and there are some amazing things going on,” Gerhart told Newsweek. “I'm worried about 'better concepts'. So, if you keep waiting for the best possible thing to come out, you're going to miss out on the amazing things you can do right now. ”
Dr. Aaron Neinstein, endocrinologist and chief medical officer for the AI-led healthcare operations platform, offered a similar perspective. He pointed to quotes commonly used by politicians. “Don't compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative.”
In other words, we compare AI to the systems we have, not the systems we had. The healthcare industry is littered with deficits and delays in care, exacerbated by a lack of providers and an aging population. AI doesn't have to be perfect to improve patient and caregiver conditions, Neinstein says. It demands 99.99% accuracy from AI, but exhausted doctors who have just shifted 10 hours will settle for a few hours of admin work. It is unlikely that his job will be 99.99% accurate.
Trent Sanders, vice president of US Healthcare and Life Sciences at Kyndryl, the world's largest IT infrastructure service provider, says in healthcare “everyone lives in the fringe.” According to a report by Kaufmanhole in February, 37% of hospitals have lost their money. Sanders believes that leveraging AI to optimize workflows will allow you to see margins lifted.
However, he acknowledged that health systems are already straining technology “solutions” and can benefit from focusing.
“If you have fewer integration requirements, you can make the most of your AI capabilities,” Sanders told Newsweek. “That's why I'm giving advice if you're joining five platforms as the key to running your business. You can really start to accelerate your AI journey, your data and analytics journey, and everything that comes with it.”
Both parties (Health Systems and Solutions Developers) must work together to achieve the best results, he added.
“The advice I give to healthcare leaders is that you can't run from (AI). That's here, it's happening,” Sanders said. “It is our job as a steward (of new technology) to embrace this in the right way and to help promote the benefits of our organization so that patients, clinicians and health systems win.”
