Discover critical AI considerations to transform healthcare

The healthcare sector is currently navigating a complex landscape of challenges. Economic pressures and staff shortages are driving healthcare organizations to increase technology spending, aiming for greater efficiency, and improved patient care delivery. As healthcare leaders embrace artificial intelligence (AI), they face the challenge of balancing agility with the need for successful, outcome-based implementations. Using data from electronic health records (EHRs), medical imaging, pathology, and other core datasets can enhance diagnostic accuracy and treatment effectiveness for patients.

I recently moderated a webinar, Discover critical AI considerations to transform healthcare, that highlighted key findings from a Forrester Consulting study. The study, commissioned by AWS Marketplace in June 2024, focused on critical inflection points enabling AI integration into healthcare ecosystems. It examined opportunities and challenges for healthcare innovation and the need for healthcare providers and organizations to modernize their core applications. The research also assessed the necessity of updating technology infrastructure in the healthcare industry.

Industry leaders from Forrester Consulting, PathAI, Pieces, and CareJourney by Arcadia joined me to discuss AI in healthcare. We explored how AI solutions with tools and insights can empower healthcare organizations (HCOs) to balance innovation, patient care, processes, and compliance.

Key findings from Forrester

Forrester Principal Analyst Arielle Trzcinski revealed the key findings according to Forrester’s research (Figure 1).


Figure 1 – Forrester survey summary

These findings underscore the industry’s eagerness to harness AI’s power while grappling with its complexities.

Insights from healthcare industry leaders

The webinar benefited from the insights of three other panelists:

• CEO Dr. Ruben Amarasingham, Pieces – Pieces specializes in generative AI and machine learning (ML) solutions for clinical teams. Their tools save up to 60 minutes per 12-hour shift, allowing healthcare providers to focus on patient care, potentially improving outcomes, and job satisfaction.
• Chief Growth Officer Nick Brown, PathAI – PathAI provides a digital pathology platform that enhances diagnostic accuracy and efficiency through AI. It addresses pathologist shortages using remote consultations, potentially reducing errors, and accelerating the diagnostic process.
• GM of Provider Intelligence Joe Mercado, CareJourney by Arcadia – CareJourney delivers analytics tools for healthcare providers to optimize value-based care performance. CareJourney enables data-driven decisions, identifies high-risk patients, and improves population health management through healthcare data analysis.

Read on for a summary of the topics discussed in the panel Q&A session. You can view the Discover critical AI considerations to transform healthcare webinar for the full panelist discussion.

Future of AI in healthcare

All panelists agreed that AI’s role in healthcare will continue to expand with prospects including:

• Personalized medicine – AI-enabled tailored treatment plans based on individual patient data.
• Early disease detection – Improved identification of diseases at earlier stages.
• Operational efficiency – AI-driven process automation to streamline administrative tasks.
• Drug discovery – Accelerated drug development processes.

Defining AI best practices

The panel emphasized the need for establishing and adhering to AI best practices:

• Data governance – Robust protocols to ensure data quality and reliability.
• Transparency – Explainable AI algorithms to build trust in recommendations.
• Continuous monitoring – Regular assessment of AI system performance.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration – Bringing together diverse expertise for responsible AI development.

Use case selection

Experts stressed the importance of carefully selecting AI implementation use cases:

• Start small – Begin with well-defined high-impact projects.
• Address pain points – Focus on areas where AI can solve existing challenges.
• Consider resource requirements – Evaluate data, infrastructure, and expertise needs.
• Align with organizational goals – Ensure AI initiatives support broader strategic objectives.

Impact of policy and training

Our discussion highlighted the crucial roles of policy and training:

• Regulatory compliance – Ensure adherence to evolving healthcare regulations.
• Data privacy – Implement robust policies to protect patient data.
• Staff training – Invest in comprehensive programs to equip professionals with the necessary skills.
• Change management – Develop strategies to address resistance and foster innovation.
• Ethical guidelines – Establish clear frameworks addressing bias, fairness, and patient autonomy.

About AWS Marketplace and next steps

How can your organization begin addressing challenges like those discussed in the webinar?

AWS Marketplace is a curated digital catalog that makes it easy for customers to find, buy, deploy, and manage third-party software, services, and data. It offers quick, easy, and secure deployment, flexible consumption and contract models, and streamlined procurement and billing operations. Over 330,000 organizations, large and small, use AWS Marketplace monthly to accelerate digital transformation and improve efficiencies across their enterprises. Research from Forrester estimates it takes half the time to find, buy, and deploy solutions through AWS Marketplace compared to other channels.

Visit Healthcare solutions and software in AWS Marketplace to discover a wide variety of healthcare solutions that will enhance your AI and data capabilities, improve patient outcomes, and foster collaboration across your organization.

View Discover critical AI considerations to transform healthcare to learn more about the topics discussed in this post.

Conclusion

Healthcare is entering a critical phase with AI set to streamline operations and enhance medical practices while the industry continues to navigate persistent challenges. Organizations must balance technological innovation with patient-centric care, regulatory compliance, and ethical considerations. By strategically implementing AI and investing in staff development, healthcare providers can unlock advancements in personalized medicine and early disease detection. Having an ongoing learning process positions the healthcare sector to take advantage of AI to improve outcomes and shape the future of healthcare delivery.

About the author

Michael Leonard is responsible for developing AWS Partner Organization healthcare partnerships and growing healthcare vertical business in AWS Marketplace and AWS Data Exchange. His previous role was as a principal product manager on the AWS Storage Gateway team. Over the past 20 years, Michael has progressed through various roles in business development, product management, and engineering. In addition to AWS, Michael has worked for Commvault, Iron Mountain, Merge Healthcare, and GE Healthcare. He built and managed teams to develop healthcare IT solutions focused on medical imaging, EHR systems, hybrid cloud storage services, and data protection solutions.