As artificial intelligence in healthcare expands, organizations have been establishing a dedicated leadership position for its oversight.
In 2023, hospitals and health systems have been hiring chief AI officers to spearhead and oversee the integration of artificial intelligence into their healthcare practices.
Mayo Clinic Arizona, based in Phoenix, named Bhavik Patel, MD, its new chief AI officer in September. In the role, Dr. Patel focuses on developing AI models that can automate information contained within medical information, such as medical images or texts, or that extract biomarkers.
Dr. Patel told Fox News that a chief AI officer offers essential supervision to guarantee that the deployment of AI adheres to ethical standards, is responsible and complies with regulatory guidelines.
"In essence, the chief AI officer is not just a technocrat, but a visionary leader, ensuring that the organization navigates the AI-driven paradigm shift in healthcare with agility, responsibility and a patient-centric approach," he told the news outlet.
Additionally, Dr. Patel said the role can maximize healthcare organizations' use of resources, foster collaboration across departments and help organizations keep up with health tech trends.
Mayo isn't the only one adding the leader to its C-suite.
UC Davis Health, based in Sacramento, Calif., hired Dennis Chornenky as its first chief artificial intelligence adviser in June. Mr. Chornenky is tasked with establishing an AI strategy for the health system, overseeing initiatives through the AI and Digital Systems Advisory Council, and leading data-sharing and AI initiatives to ensure UC Davis Health is approaching AI in a safe and ethical way.
Mr. Chorneneky told Becker's that he believes an increasing number of organizations are recognizing the significance of such a role because AI in healthcare, particularly large language models and generative AI, is still a relatively recent development. With the help of this dedicated leader, according to Mr. Chornenky, organizations can assess the technology's potential impact on patient-provider interactions.