Children’s Wisconsin is taking a measured approach to integrating AI, embracing the technology’s applications in medicine while remaining cautious about potential pitfalls.
That’s according to President and CEO Gil Peri, who addressed members of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee yesterday during the group’s latest meeting.
The health system is currently developing its strategic roadmap, which will be released by the end of the year. Peri said a major element of that plan involves “adopting a lot more technology to expand our care model” in the state.
He emphasized the potential for AI to help care teams “work top-of-scope” by taking over certain tasks and freeing up their time.
“If I can eliminate 20% of their daily workload that is maybe bottom of scope — not important, waste of time in their view, they will tell us that — then that means they spend more time with kids,” he said. “Or more time at home, or going to a soccer game that fills their bucket with joy, and comes back refreshed the next day.”
At the same time, the health system is exploring the use of AI in clinical applications, to improve decision-making speed and effectiveness.
“You see health care lagging a lot in AI, because of all the regulatory and risk we have. If we don’t do it right, it’s not like it’s a widget, we’re talking about somebody’s life,” he said. “So we’re very careful about it. That being said, we are making sure we are embracing it and understanding where there’s evidence that it works, we are going to be adopting it.”
Peri also noted potential applications for AI in community outreach, noting both the patients it serves and their parents are “digital natives” and the health system needs to connect with them on their own terms.
“If we’re not digital, we’re invisible in our industry,” he said. “So we’ve got to make sure when we engage with our patients and families, we have the right digital tools, the right predictive algorithms from an AI perspective to allow us to speak their language.”
In response to an audience question about the impact of private equity on health care, Peri said these firms are often seeking to address commercial markets with an unmet need for urgent care. He said these providers typically have a narrow focus and execute it well, but then “expect partners to do the rest.”
Private equity-backed health firms have been a source of controversy in the state. Ascension Wisconsin last year first announced and then reversed plans to outsource staffing of some doctors to Tennessee-based TeamHealth, after some of its nurses, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and others raised concerns about the move.
Amid this trend, Peri yesterday said Children’s Wisconsin aims to “embrace with collaboration and partnership” the private equity-backed health firms coming into the market. The health system acts as a triage and referral partner for procedures and care they don’t do.
“They oftentimes are not staffed like we will, so we want to provide them education, information, whatever that might be, again because our focus is healthy kids, regardless of where they go,” he said.
An upcoming WisPolitics-WisBusiness-State Affairs event will explore the use of AI in addressing health care workforce shortages. The panel discussion, held with event partner the Wisconsin Technology Council, is happening May 5th at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Register for the event here.
