Introduction to Healthcare AI
The Joint Commission announced this week that it’s working with the Coalition for Health AI on a new collaboration to develop a set of healthcare AI best practices and promote their adoption at hospitals and health systems nationwide.
Why it Matters
TJC, which sets healthcare standards and accredits more than 23,000 healthcare organizations across the U.S., says it will work with CHAI – a nonprofit founded by an array of providers and technology developers to spur standards for responsible AI – to co-develop new tools and playbooks toward those goals. They’ll also create a "new certification program rooted in The Joint Commission’s platform for evidence-based standards, and CHAI’s consensus-based best practices for health AI," according to the announcement.
The Collaboration
They said the first guidance will be available in fall of 2025, with the AI cert program to follow. The two groups point to recent research that shows adoption of AI in healthcare is proliferating across a wide array of use cases, from workflow automation to predictive analytics and patient monitoring to drug approvals. Some 46% of American healthcare organizations are in initial implementation of generative AI, they note.
The Need for Guidance
But approaches to AI implementation still vary widely, and health systems are seeking concrete guidance to help "protect their staff, patients and operations," according to TJC and CHAI. "This effort between The Joint Commission and the Coalition for Health AI represents a thoughtful approach to navigating how to best deploy and implement these emerging technologies," said Dr. Michael Pfeffer, chief information and digital officer at Stanford Health Care, in a statement.
Benefits of the Partnership
"This partnership, the guidance, tools and certification it aims to provide will help accelerate innovation, mitigate risk, and enable healthcare organizations to fully leverage AI’s potential to improve patient outcomes and clinician workflows," he added. Just this week, Stanford unveiled its own new generative AI tool, ChatEHR, which Pfeffer said will offer "new way for clinicians to interact with electronic health records."
The Future of Healthcare AI
CHAI, meanwhile, has been busy these past few years, building membership to nearly 3,000 organizations and counting, and launching its open-source "nutrition label" model card transparency tools earlier this year. "In the decade ahead, nothing has the capacity to change healthcare more than AI in terms of innovation, transformation and disruption," said Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, president and CEO of The Joint Commission.
Quotes from Experts
"Partnering with The Joint Commission means we can help healthcare organizations utilize AI and the many benefits these new technologies bring, at a scale we have never been able to achieve before," added Dr. Brian Anderson, president and CEO of CHAI. "Together, we’re leading the transformation of data-driven healthcare, one where AI is embedded into every healthcare program – regardless of population, geographic area, or resources – to elevate patient safety and quality, and ultimately improve health outcomes for all."
Conclusion
The partnership between The Joint Commission and the Coalition for Health AI is a significant step towards promoting the responsible adoption of AI in healthcare. By developing best practices and certification programs, they aim to help healthcare organizations harness the potential of AI to improve patient outcomes and clinician workflows.
FAQs
- Q: What is the purpose of the partnership between The Joint Commission and the Coalition for Health AI?
A: The purpose of the partnership is to develop a set of healthcare AI best practices and promote their adoption at hospitals and health systems nationwide. - Q: When will the first guidance be available?
A: The first guidance will be available in fall of 2025. - Q: What is the goal of the certification program?
A: The goal of the certification program is to help healthcare organizations fully leverage AI’s potential to improve patient outcomes and clinician workflows. - Q: How many healthcare organizations are participating in the initial implementation of generative AI?
A: Some 46% of American healthcare organizations are in initial implementation of generative AI.
