Becker's Hospital Review

61 CIO / HEALTH IT The 'huge gap between hype and reality' for healthcare AI By Giles Bruce W hile generative artificial intelligence will "completely" reshape primary care, there's still a "huge gap between hype and reality" for healthcare AI, a Mount Sinai Health System leader told Becker's. For instance, most primary care visits will one day be transcribed by AI, which will know who's talking and put it into context via the patient's EHR before automatically creating a summary, said omas Fuchs, chair of AI and human health at the New York City-based health system. "All conversations will be AI-supported in the future. Primary care will change completely," he said. "But I think that's clear to see for everyone already." Mount Sinai is piloting generative AI for chatting with patients, triaging messaging for physicians, and creating safe chat environments for providers, he said. e health system uses a HIPAA-compliant GPT model from Microso. It is also employing large language models to extract patient phenotypes from deidentified EHR data for research in areas such as genomics and pathology, as well as teaching medical students about their optimal usage. But while healthcare AI has "enormous potential," there is also a significant amount of noise to sort through, Dr. Fuchs said. He gave the example of pathology, which has only one AI solution that's been approved by the FDA. "So if you contrast that with the hype and the 12,000 health tech startups and so forth, there's a huge gap between hype and reality," he said. "ere's, of course, a long way to go. We're just scratching the surface with what's possible with generative AI and large language models. But we are, as an institution, committed to use it where it makes sense." n Why digital transformation raises ethical questions in healthcare By Naomi Diaz O ne of the greatest challenges health systems face when it comes to digital transformation is striking a balance between leveraging advanced technology and maintaining patient privacy, data security and ethical considerations, according to Terri Couts, RN, chief digital officer of Sayre, Pa.-based the Guthrie Clinic. "Digital transformation often involves the collection, storage and sharing of vast amounts of personal health information," Ms. Couts told Becker's. "Ensuring the security of this data against cyberattacks, unauthorized access and breaches is critical." Ms. Couts said digital transformation in healthcare can sometimes raise ethical questions related to patient consent, transparency and the appropriate use of technology. "For instance, issues like telemedicine's impact on the doctor-patient relationship, the use of artificial intelligence in diagnosing and treating patients, and the potential for biased algorithms can all have ethical implications that need to be carefully addressed," she said. In addition, not all patients have equal access to technology, which could exacerbate existing health disparities, according to Ms. Couts. "Health systems need to ensure that their digital initiatives don't exclude certain segments of the population from accessing quality care," she said. In order for health systems to have a comprehensive approach to digital transformation, organizations must consider not only the technical aspects of digital transformation but also its impact on patient care, privacy, ethics and equitable access, according to Ms. Couts. n "Digital transformation oen involves the collection, storage and sharing of vast amounts of personal health information. Ensuring the security of this data against cyberattacks, unauthorized access and breaches is critical." — Terri Couts, RN

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