Many AI conversations inside health systems begin with the technology: the vendor, the use case, the pilot, the cost and ROI. But at Northwestern Medicine’s Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute in Chicago, the conversation begins with the organization’s identity.
“What we find critically important in any AI or clinical implementation journey is having complete clarity around who we are, what our operations look like, and what we’re trying to do to support patient health,” Kannan Mutharasan, MD, medical director of health network development at the institute, said on an episode of the Becker’s “Cardiology + Heart Surgery Podcast.” “That’s step zero.”
That step unlocks clarity around where AI can help and what the ROI should be, Dr. Mutharasan said.
The institute has formalized this approach in a new core laboratory within its Center for Artificial Intelligence, called the Artificial Intelligence Clinical Implementation Core Laboratory. The lab is designed to bring together patients, external partners and colleagues across Northwestern Medicine on AI implementation work in cardiovascular care.
“We’ve been partnering closely with our innovation and analytics teams to take a multidisciplinary approach to AI across the cardiovascular service line,” Sarah Plaskett, PA-C, vice president of operations for the institute, said on the podcast. “These conversations are ongoing, and that ongoing vetting process is itself an important part of sustainability within any AI framework.”
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