The Joint Commission, a healthcare standard-setting organization, is partnering with the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), an organization focused on responsible health AI, to speed up the development and adoption of AI best practices and guidance in the U.S. healthcare system.
The two organizations aim to leverage their combined experience to jointly develop a suite of AI playbooks, tools and a new certification program based on "the Joint Commission's platform for evidence-based standards and CHAI's consensus-based best practices for health AI."
The first guidance will be accessible in the Fall of 2025, with AI certification to follow.
"In the decade ahead, nothing has the capacity to change healthcare more than AI in terms of innovation, transformation and disruption," Dr. Jonathan Perlin, president and CEO of The Joint Commission, said in a statement.
"While it is impossible to predict exactly what healthcare will look like over that time, AI’s integration and potential to improve quality patient care is enormous, but only if we do it right. By working with CHAI, we are creating a roadmap and offering guidance for healthcare organizations so they can harness this technology in ways that not only support safety but engender trust among stakeholders."
Dr. Brian Anderson, president and CEO of CHAI, said that partnering with The Joint Commission means CHAI can help healthcare organizations utilize AI and the numerous benefits that new technologies bring.
"Together, we’re leading the transformation of data-driven healthcare, one where AI is embedded into every healthcare program, regardless of population, geographic area or resources, to elevate patient safety and quality and ultimately improve health outcomes for all," Anderson said in a statement.
THE LARGER TREND
According to a 2024 study by Forrester, 46% of U.S. healthcare organizations are in the initial implementation stages of generative AI. The study authors concluded that although the industry is embracing the use of AI, guidance on implementation is necessary for all organizations to protect their staff, patients and operations.
In January, HIMSS TV spoke with Matt Kull, chief information and digital strategy officer for Inova Health System, about Inova becoming the first in the nation to achieve The Joint Commission’s Responsible Use of Health Data Certification.
"What The Joint Commission has put together and proposed to us and a couple of other health systems as being their pilots, was that we want to make sure that there is structure and governance and reliability and accountability around how you are managing data for non-patient encounter events," said Kull.
In 2024, CHAI partnered with the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to support and advance NAM’s Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct (AICC) project.
The groups agreed to share expertise and align work group efforts to support and advance the AICC project, a NAM initiative that provides a guiding framework to ensure the effective use of AI algorithms in health, healthcare and biomedical science.
