HMSOM Professor Proposes Model to Leverage A.I. in Healthcare

AI Ethicist and Physician Dr. Charles Binkley publishes a Nature research review—co-authored by two of his students—illustrating a strategic AI framework to optimize use and maximize ROI.

A new commentary in the journal Nature Digital Medicine by a Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM) educator, featuring two of his students, provides a critical strategic roadmap for the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

The analysis, led by Charles E. Binkley, M.D., FACS, HEC-C, calls for fundamental shifts in AI tool development and application, moving usage outcomes from simple diagnoses to patient care and longer term treatment trajectories for maximizing return on investment (ROI).

Co-authored—among others—by two of his medical students at HMSOM, the publication is a research review and commentary identifying a crucial gap and inherent problem in current AI development.

While heavy concentration on diagnostic algorithms in machine learning is necessary, the paper contends, it too often comes at the expense of technologies that can also assist in predicting clinical outcomes and optimizing patient care trajectories.

“Healthcare firms can lose sight of the reasons they innovate, beyond just for innovation’s sake," said Dr. Binkley, director of AI Ethics and Quality at HMSOM. “Hospitals face a critical challenge in choosing AI tools using models that are safe, effective, and financially sound.”

Addressing this challenge head-on, the study illustrates a comprehensive framework for leveraging AI more effectively, with a given that users maintain responsible data stewardship.

The practical, four-pronged framework calls for:

• vetting any AI solution for alignment with the hospital’s strategic goals,
• top-down buy-in from a dedicated executive sponsor,
• a thorough risk assessment from multiple stakeholders, and
• diligent measurement and monitoring of defined value to determine impact.

This model is designed to be readily adaptable for any health system, regardless of its size or resources.

Collaborating with a writing team of HMSOM students and faculty—with staff across the Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) network—Dr. Binkley’s in-house efforts build on previous Nature journal articles, various studies in AI strategy and governance—including authoring a book on AI in bioethics—to the benefit of clinical care.

In his cross-functional collaboration, Dr. Binkley thanked HMH Chief Quality Officer Jose Azar, M.D., for his help as a senior author in leading the formation and organization of the paper, as well as HMH Chief AI Officer Sameer Sethi, for his design of the adoption framework.

“I’m thrilled to continue researching with HMSOM and HMH at the forefront of responsible and effective AI implementation,” said Dr. Binkley, “By providing a scalable roadmap for healthcare organizations nationwide to conduct their due diligence in AI adoption, we can help ensure tangible and demonstrative improvements in patient care and treatment outcomes.

“We must move past treating AI as a novel technology, and utilize it as a significant and sustainable business investment,” he added.