More and more healthcare organizations are hiring executives, typically doctors, to lead their artificial intelligence efforts. This is often the Chief AI Officer and is entirely at the C-suite level. Complex technologies with huge potential are exploding in healthcare and many other industries.
Kaiser Permanente, which has 40 hospitals and 600 clinics, created the role of vice president of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies when it hired Dr. Daniel Yang in late 2023.
Although not chief, Mr. Yang will report directly to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrew Bindman. In his role, he will establish quality oversight of all AI applications across the organization, including those used in clinical operations, research, education, and related administrative functions.
Yang recently published a seven-principle framework to help organizations ensure the safety and reliability of the AI tools they deploy. He also called on policymakers to help ensure that AI is used responsibly.
Healthcare IT News We spoke with Yang about his role at Kaiser Permanente, the most important healthcare issues that AI can impact, and the rollout of new AI-enabled clinical documentation tools for physicians and other caregivers in health systems. We talked.
Q. Kaiser Permanente executives created the role of vice president of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in late 2023 when they hired you. What did they want from executives and what did you suggest?
A. I joined Kaiser Permanente from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support AI governance efforts in the health system and ensure a thoughtful and wise approach to the procurement and deployment of AI tools.
While at the Moore Foundation, I began discussions with Dr. Andrew Bindman, Kaiser Permanente’s chief medical officer, about launching Kaiser Permanente’s Responsible AI program. It was clear that Kaiser Permanente was looking for someone who would wake up and think about what’s next before they go to sleep. Learn how AI and other emerging technologies can address the challenges facing the U.S. healthcare system.
These challenges may include access to quality care, affordability, and patient satisfaction.
Ultimately, I was drawn to Kaiser Permanente because of the opportunity to continue shaping the intersection of patient safety, quality of care, and emerging technology. I take this role as a unique opportunity to build a responsible AI culture and program at Kaiser Permanente, and work in one of the largest integrated health systems to impact the responsible implementation of healthcare AI across the United States. I saw it as an opportunity.
I was also able to return to the origins of internal medicine. I am still an active clinician and continue to see patients in acute care at Kaiser Permanente and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This hands-on experience helps you understand and empathize with the daily challenges faced by clinicians. I bring that empathy into my role every day as I consider how to implement AI and new technologies in ways that enhance patient care and minimize risk.
Q. How would you describe your job description to colleagues who are interested in your role or to executives who are considering you for such a position?
A. If we look at other AI leadership and similar executive roles being created across various health systems, we will ultimately see a common denominator for these positions.
One is that these leaders are often clinicians.
Second, many of these leaders are not technical in nature. They have come to appreciate the importance of technology, whether it’s from a quality, safety or research perspective.
Third, these roles require some operational experience. In most cases, these leaders must launch new processes and programs that did not previously exist. They need to imagine and pioneer new programs without using existing playbooks and find the resources to implement them, especially given the macro pressures of rising healthcare costs. It can be difficult.
And fourth, strong communication skills are important. Ensure that AI technology is implemented in a scientifically sound and practically useful way. I see myself as an AI translator who bridges the gap between technical teams, clinicians, and the public. Although I don’t have a PhD in artificial intelligence or computer science, my strength lies in tailoring AI solutions to meet the practical needs of clinicians and members.
Q. What do you think is the most important issue for AI in healthcare today?
A. I think the real question is, “What are the most important issues in healthcare today?” This is where I feel many leaders get it wrong. There are no AI issues. AI is just one of many tools and technologies that can be used to solve real problems facing the U.S. healthcare system today.
These important and overarching challenges in healthcare include increasing patient access delays, rising costs of providing healthcare services, and healthcare worker burnout. These challenges are the result of a mismatch between the increasing complexity of care delivery and the availability of trained clinicians to provide care.
AI can help enable two fundamental changes needed to address this mismatch between supply and demand.
First, AI can help create opportunities for patients to better self-manage their care.
Second, AI can help healthcare systems evolve from a one-to-one care model (one clinician, one patient) to a one-to-many care model, while maintaining quality of care and patient experience. or can be improved. The use of generative AI for tutoring in the education sector is an interesting model for us to learn from.
And finally, the healthcare industry must address safety and quality concerns regarding AI in healthcare. This requires robust and responsible AI programs that prioritize patient safety and quality of care above all else.
It also accelerates an organization’s ability to address ethical considerations and potential bias in AI implementation. It is paramount that AI tools do not perpetuate existing inequalities in health care. Continuous monitoring and evaluation is essential to achieving these goals.
Q. What AI project did you oversee in your first year at Kaiser? How did the process go and what did you and your team accomplish? What were the results?
A. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed burnout among U.S. physicians to an all-time high. We aim to better support physicians and clinicians by reducing the administrative tasks they encounter in their daily lives, especially the time they spend documenting clinical records during patient visits. We aimed for We thought that rapid advances in generative AI could help solve this problem.
I led the implementation of new AI-enabled clinical documentation tools for physicians and other clinicians at Kaiser Permanente’s 40 hospitals and more than 600 clinics. This is probably the largest Introduction of ambient listening technology in the United States.
This tool requires patient consent and helps physicians and other clinicians securely create clinical notes during patient visits. Most importantly, it frees doctors and clinicians from their keyboards and allows them to refocus their attention on patients rather than computer screens.
Kaiser Permanente’s belief is that AI should never replace the judgment and expertise of doctors and clinicians. To do this successfully, AI tools must be evaluated before they are deployed to ensure that they understand how to use them safely and effectively.
For example, when we first rolled out this tool, I co-led quality assurance testing to assess how well the tool performed in a variety of clinical specialties and in real-world, chaotic environments. These insights helped guide the responsible use of the tool, including training for doctors and clinicians on how to use the tool effectively while minimizing risk.
As of September 2024, doctors and clinicians have used this tool to record over 2 million patient interactions. Physicians and clinicians share that this tool enables more meaningful interactions with patients. Patients also share that the tool has increased transparency during their consultations.
For example, many doctors now dictate results out loud during physical exams, even though they may not have said anything before. To me, this is a great example of how emerging technology can support healthcare teams in providing a superior care experience for members and patients.
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