One of the big questions in healthcare today is how hospitals and healthcare systems can best leverage the power of artificial intelligence across the enterprise.
In just a short time, AI has become perhaps the most powerful technology to ever impact healthcare. It brings many benefits and many challenges. So it is crucial to harness it properly to study and use health data.
According to Albert Marinez, Chief Analytics Officer at Cleveland Clinic, provider organizations must:
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Build a strong data foundation to leverage AI at scale
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Create a data and AI innovation ecosystem to collaborate with industry innovators, validate opportunities and accelerate results
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Activate the organization by democratizing innovation and getting out of the way
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Enhance your skills by attracting new talent for a generational change in the way organizations deliver services
We interviewed Marinez to discuss these guidelines and the power of health data and AI.
Q. Please describe the landscape that exists today for data and AI in healthcare. What challenges and opportunities do provider organizations face?
A. The enthusiasm for data analytics and AI in revolutionizing healthcare is undeniable, promising better patient care and efficiency. As the industry evolves, with both new and established players integrating AI into their solutions, it is clear that while AI offers significant benefits, it is not a silver bullet. Recognizing the fragmented landscape, we must proceed cautiously and recognize the potential of AI without overestimating its immediate impact.
As a leading healthcare organization, our focus is on providing world-class care to as many patients as possible. We want to improve access to our system, ensure our physicians are equipped with the best technology that allows them to spend more time with patients, and create experiences for our patients that support them on their health journey.
As we capitalize on these opportunities, our top data management priorities include protecting patient privacy and data security amid increasing dependence on technology and external threats. It is critical to handle sensitive health information with care and ensure robust security measures. AI’s reliance on the cloud and new approaches to handling data means we have to be quite vigilant in how we manage and deploy new solutions.
Ethical considerations are also of utmost importance, as AI applications must be fair, transparent and accountable. Our commitment at Cleveland Clinic is reflected in our AI Taskforce, which evaluates algorithms for quality, ethics and bias, with the goal of reducing health disparities and ensure responsible AI use.
Q. To harness the power of data and AI, you say the Cleveland Clinic first lays the foundation – a strong data foundation that is a requirement for deploying AI at scale. Please tell us more about this focus and what you do.
A. To fully realize the potential of artificial intelligence in transforming healthcare, a fundamental step must be establishing a robust data platform. The power of AI lies in its ability to sift through vast amounts of data, synthesizing and uncovering patterns, correlations, and insights that would otherwise remain hidden.
Our organization is privileged to have extensive datasets and domain-specific data marts, which form the basis for our AI-driven initiatives. However, the value of these datasets depends on their quality. A rigorous data quality program is not only useful, but essential to ensure that our AI algorithms can generate reliable and actionable insights. Without high-quality data, even the most advanced AI models are ineffective.
The scalability and flexibility needed to achieve our goals require a shift to cloud-based platforms. While our existing local platform has served us well, it falls short in meeting our growing needs and ambitions.
The cloud provides a scalable, flexible environment that can support our global analytics requirements and provide the foundation needed to do so Deploying AI at scale. This transition is about more than just infrastructure; it’s about adopting a platform that allows us to quickly adapt to new technologies and innovations as they emerge, and ensure our architecture remains future-proof.
In focusing our efforts, three critical areas stand out. First, the identification and adoption of a cloud platform that aligns with our global analytics vision. This platform must not only meet our current requirements, but also have the capacity to grow with us and accommodate complex data sets and advanced AI applications.
Secondly, the development of a future-proof architecture. This includes creating a flexible, scalable framework that enables seamless integration of new technologies and methodologies, ensuring our systems keep pace with advances in AI and data science.
Finally, an emphasis on agility within our teams is critical. By fostering an agile culture, we can improve collaboration, accelerate innovation cycles, and adapt more quickly to the changing landscape of healthcare data and AI.
Q: Then you say the clinic is creating a data and AI innovation ecosystem to connect with industry innovators, validate opportunities and accelerate results. Discuss your work here to inform your colleagues who may be preparing to dive in.
A. In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the pace at which new technologies emerge far outpaces our ability to independently adopt them and use them effectively to build new solutions. Recognizing this, our strategy places an emphasis on creating a data and AI innovation ecosystem, designed to foster the engagement of industry pioneers, streamline the validation of emerging opportunities and drive the realization of tangible results speed up.
Our engagement with external innovators is guided by a series of critical considerations. We look for solutions that address concrete challenges, are ethically based, free from bias, and have demonstrated efficacy in other healthcare settings. We prioritize solutions that can be deployed quickly and have the inherent flexibility to adapt to technological advances.
Our team is committed to building a robust foundation that supports our innovation ecosystem. By making these foundational elements accessible, we aim to empower not only our own innovators, but also our partners and employees across the industry, so they can quickly navigate from ideation to implementation.
This strategic focus on building and sustaining an innovation ecosystem represents our commitment to staying at the forefront of healthcare technology. It’s about more than just keeping up with change; it’s about leading the charge, breaking new ground and shaping the future of healthcare through continued innovation and collaboration.
Q. Then you say that it is necessary to activate the organization. Please describe what you mean here.
A. In the long term, we want every healthcare provider at Cleveland Clinic to engage in AI. Our approach to integrating artificial intelligence into our organization means we are starting the journey to integrate it into our cultural DNA. We have a multi-pronged approach to this:
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First, we prioritize education and awareness to demystify AI for our healthcare providers, highlighting the innovative solutions we implement and their potential to improve patient care and operational efficiency. This fundamental step is crucial to generating new ideas.
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Second, we are dedicating efforts to identifying high-value use cases where AI can have a significant impact, for example by improving patient outcomes, increasing diagnostic accuracy, or improving operational efficiency. This focus allows us to channel our resources and energy to areas with the most substantial potential benefits.
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Finally, we strive to activate the innovation potential within our team of world-class physicians. By creating an environment that encourages research and provides the necessary tools and support, we empower our physicians to experiment with and apply AI in meaningful ways. This effort to inspire internal innovation is a testament to our commitment to fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration and innovation.
Together, these efforts ensure that Cleveland Clinic not only remains a leader in healthcare innovation, but also sets a benchmark in adopting and applying AI to improve both patient care and operational excellence.
Q. You say there needs to be a different focus on talent – upskilling and reskilling and bringing in new talent for a generational change in the way you deliver healthcare services. How do you deal with this challenge?
A. To meet generational change, a comprehensive talent strategy that focuses on upskilling the current workforce, reskilling people in evolving roles and attracting new talent is essential. Initiatives such as continuing education programs and digital learning platforms provide current employees with the opportunity to improve their skills in emerging technologies such as AI and data analytics.
At the same time, we are working to create clear career paths and cross-functional training programs for caregivers transitioning to a new role, so that the workforce remains versatile and adaptable.
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