Top 25 health systems' most-successful digital projects of '24

Health systems experienced another year of digital advancement in 2024, with more big EHR moves and a push toward generative AI.

Here are the most successful IT projects and top digital trends of the year, as told to Becker by the head technology leaders at the top 25 health systems across the U.S.:

Bobbie Byrne, MD. CIO of Advocate Health (Charlotte, N.C.): One of our biggest focuses has been artificial intelligence. That began with creating a robust AI governance framework that aims to be equitable, ethical, valid, reliable, transparent, accountable, and impactful. Every AI solution we consider is evaluated internally according to this framework — before implementation and regularly afterward.

Our framework has enabled us to safely and responsibly roll out dozens of AI solutions in 2024 that have dramatically reduced the administrative burden on our clinicians and teammates. These include tools to ambiently document clinic visits and simplify clinician note-taking, tools to empower our clinical teams by drafting initial responses to patient messages that the team then edits before sending, and tools that find and summarize the most relevant information across a patient's chart.

Rohit Chandra, PhD. Chief Digital Officer of Cleveland Clinic: AI-powered scribes have the potential to be the year's most promising digital trend. The combination of technology and product, and the initial experience, suggest that easing the documentation burden is likely to not only save time but allow providers to fully engage with patients during their interactions.

Eric Goodwin. CIO of Universal Health Services (King of Prussia, Pa.): A number of digital transformation projects are yielding positive results in our hospitals this year. A new mobile app for our providers connects them with the full care team and enables mobile chart review, documentation, order entry, and improved patient care transitions across our hospitals. Over a thousand providers routinely access this new technology each month.

We have additionally launched an innovative online surgery scheduling platform, allowing surgery practices to manage block time and bookcases. Real-time communication and chat between the hospitals and the surgery practices plus electronic document exchange is a key benefit. The majority of our elective cases are now booked via this new system, reducing traditional phone calls and faxes to the hospitals.

Finally, we recently launched a new app for patients and their family members to utilize during their hospital stay. Live as of last month at an early adopter site, the app engages patients and families in their care, enhances communication and feedback with nursing, and through advanced AI tools provides improved hospital information.

Ed McCallister. CIO of UPMC (Pittsburgh): UPMC's most successful IT project of 2024 was the progress our team has made on our journey to creating a single, unified electronic health record with Epic. It is important to clarify that our transition to Epic is not solely an IT project. This project brings together clinical, operational, and technical experts from across UPMC with a vision to enhance patient care, streamline operations, and transform the overall UPMC experience. The efforts of our team in 2024 have set us on a favorable trajectory for our upcoming go-lives, which are scheduled for 2025 through 2026.

Transitioning to a single EHR will not only simplify our environment but also unlock significant opportunities for innovation. This move will enhance our ability to leverage advanced technologies, such as AI and analytics, provide a robust foundation for innovation, and allow us to develop and implement new solutions with greater agility and effectiveness. We anticipate having a single EHR will transform our capabilities and provide us with the ability to innovate in a way that can only be imagined.

Michael Pfeffer, MD. Chief Information and Digital Officer of Stanford Health Care (Palo Alto, Calif.): I am proud to highlight the successful launch of our ambient AI scribe initiative in 2024. This project represents a significant advancement in our digital health capabilities, leveraging AI to streamline clinical documentation workflows. By utilizing DAX Copilot, we have empowered our healthcare providers to focus more on the patient-clinician relationship rather than on documentation, thereby decreasing after-hours time spent in the electronic health record, reducing burnout, and improving patient satisfaction. This project has been well-received by our clinicians and is a testament to our commitment to innovation and to reducing administrative burden in healthcare.

Industrywide, one of the most promising health IT trends we've observed in 2024 is the increased adoption of AI-driven solutions in healthcare. Organizations are increasingly recognizing the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance decision-making, personalize patient care, and increase operational efficiencies. As we move forward, I anticipate that the integration of AI in healthcare will continue to evolve, paving the way for improved patient experiences and outcomes on a broader scale.

Michael Reagin. Chief Technology Officer of Banner Health (Phoenix): One of the most promising trends is the use of generative AI to automate and accelerate tasks, reducing the administrative burden in healthcare. Its ability to generate, personalize, and summarize content will streamline processes in areas like revenue cycle, supply chain, and other back-office functions. By implementing best practices and a human-in-the-loop approach, we can ensure a smooth and effective integration, setting the stage for a more efficient future in healthcare.

Dan Roth, MD. Chief Clinical Officer of Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.): In 2024, one of our proudest achievements was the implementation of campaigns through Epic's Cheers application. This has allowed us to proactively reach patients in a personalized way, helping them manage their health and access the care they need. It's a true reflection of our commitment to listening, partnering, and making healthcare easier. The project has delivered significant results: Breast cancer was detected in more than 400 women following overdue mammograms, more than 4,000 patients received essential follow-up care for diabetes, more than 22,700 patients completed blood pressure reviews and more than 245,200 patients were vaccinated for influenza at a Trinity Health facility. These results underscore how thoughtfully applied technology can drive real improvements in patient care and health outcomes.

We are seeing AI technologies in healthcare take significant strides toward practical, real-world applications. These advancements are beginning to address critical challenges, driving efficiency, making it easier for our patients, and transforming processes to deliver better care. Looking ahead, the potential for AI to further streamline operations and improve patient outcomes is incredibly promising.

Sara Vaezy. Chief Strategy and Digital Officer of Providence (Renton, Wash.): I am really proud of the work we've been doing on supporting the physician in-basket and the overall trend of utilizing conversational AI and large language models to do that. It's going to just keep accelerating, and it's going to support direct access for patients without adding burden to clinicians.  Here is another opinion about using chatbots for patient messaging.

2025 promises to be even more interesting when AI learns more.

Top 25 health systems' most-successful digital projects of '24

Breakthrough In Preemptive Detection Of AI Hallucinations Reveals Vital Clues To Writing Prompts That Keep Generative AI From Freaking Out

AI offers tremendous advantages in medicine, however like a child it requires watching. Adolescents also exhibit this trait and can be compared directly with AI being impulsive,  and poor judgment.  The adolescent brain is undeveloped as compared to mature adults. AI and LLM are much the same, adolescent, and lacking experience.

In case you don’t already know, an AI hallucination is when generative AI and large language models (LLMs) produce erroneous results that are essentially made-up confabulations. This occasional act of AI-powered fiction-making is so far not readily predictable, is hard to prevent, and undermines a sense of trust in what the AI generates. 

Some AI researchers insist they are inevitable and unstoppable. However 

This is a topic for another time.

Breakthrough In Preemptive Detection Of AI Hallucinations Reveals Vital Clues To Writing Prompts That Keep Generative AI From Freaking Out

How Venture Capital Mass Murdered Digital Health Startups

Thank you  Sergei Polevikov

 Welcome to AI Health Uncut, a brutally honest newsletter on AI, innovation, and the state of the healthcare market. If you’d like to sign up to receive issues over email, you can do so here.

Perhaps the “murder” theme isn’t the most well-timed.

For those who’ve followed my work, you’ll know I’ve spent significant time dissecting the “pump and dump” schemes in venture capital. Until now, the bulk of my analysis has been laser-focused on the “pump” phase—examples abound here, here, and here. 

There are two phases at work as illustrated below.

What could possibly go wrong?

According to their VC overlords, the IPO was the ultimate goal, the champagne-popping celebration of success. Instead, these companies—corrupted by venture capital’s destructive “champagne and cocaine” mentality—found themselves woefully unprepared for the disciplined, public-facing demands of life as a publicly traded company. The VC's goal is to 'sell'. That is plain and simple. The companies they invest in have stellar credentials, a market need, a good design, acceptance by providers and/or patients, and exponential growth.

MBA schools apparently teach graphs, business models, spreadsheets, and a few ethical constraints.

Greed played a large role in the debacle. It all begins when venture capital is used to buy other companies in unrelated activities. The idea of further exponential growth leads to overspending, increased overhead, and purchasing other businesses that VCs know less about than the original acquisition. The VCs have no real interest in the core content of digital businesses. 

Take Teladoc for instance. Teladoc was a very successful early adopter of telehealth, doing very well until they allowed themselves to seek V.C. After the infusion of capital Teladoc purchased  Livongo, a company focused on remote monitoring and management of diabetes, blood pressure, and weight management. Smart devices, expert support, and health management strategies available at no cost through your company benefits. 

Here are more details of the evolving pandemic of VC infection

2️⃣ Google’s $100 Million Bet on Amwell Evaporates. Poof... 🪄

3️⃣ Another Telehealth Magic Trick: Glen Tullman’s $18.5 Billion Lemon Sale of Livongo to Teladoc Shareholders. Tullman successfully ran Allscripts, a well-known EHR vendor, then went on to run Transcarent, an application for businesses to use for self-insurance.

4️⃣ The “Amazon of Healthcare”

5️⃣ Amwell’s 1.9-Star Customer Reviews

6️⃣ Amwell’s Biggest Customers

7️⃣ VC Bros’ Magic Trick: Pump, Dump, Disappear

8️⃣ The ‘Champagne and Cocaine’ of COVID Overspending: The Telehealth Crash

9️⃣ Amwell’s Volatility and Illiquidity: A 1999 Internet Startup Vibe from the Parents’ Basement

🔟 Splitting Shares Is Worse Than Splitting Hairs

1️⃣1️⃣ Amwell’s Survival Scenarios: Slim Pickings

1️⃣2️⃣ My Thoughts on the Telehealth Market in 2025 and Beyond

The Health AI IPO Checklist: How to Spot the Next Unicorn or Sniff Out the Next Donkey

Just look at the list of recent digital health startups turned IPO compiled by Blake Madden. It’s a bloodbath of red.

How Venture Capital Mass Murdered Digital Health Startups

How it works.

Let me pause here for a second. Most people don’t realize how tech giants like Google and Microsoft invest in healthcare. These corporations sprinkle a little bit of money ($100 million is a drop in the bucket for Google) across multiple startups in diverse areas: telehealth, mental health, AI, therapeutics, etc., and see what sticks. It’s like playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey while blindfolded. Most of the time, the tail doesn’t fit, but they are waiting for that one big time when it finally fits.

Admittedly I do not know much about business, however, in my later years, I read a lot. I know now why I chose to be a doctor even if it is much more difficult now.

I feel for my younger brethren. Many now realize their mistake and are looking for exit strategies. Physicians no longer are in control. The strict moral and ethical codes have been ripped from Hippocrates to the Mark Cubans, 

1.     Alexis Ohanian 167

2 Anupam Mittal 86

3 Arjun Sethi 71

4 Ashton Kutcher 68

The number following their names is the number of investments in healthcare each VC owns.

Top health tech companies by VC funding: 

A look at 2024 and the past decade is no indication of future success. (Fierce Health Care)

A major new report on the state of artificial intelligence (AI) has just been released.

A major new report on the state of artificial intelligence (AI) has just been released. Think of it as the AI equivalent of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, in that it identifies where AI is at today, and the promise and perils in view.

From language generation and molecular medicine to disinformation and algorithmic bias, AI has begun to permeate every aspect of our lives.

The report argues that we are at an inflection point where researchers and governments must think and act carefully to contain the risks AI presents and make the most of its benefits.

A century-long study of AI

The report comes out of the AI100 project, which aims to study and anticipate the effects of AI rippling out through our lives over the course of the next 100 years. The study was performed in 2021, and three more years have passed.

AI has only just begun. We confront it every day on the telephone, in chats, on the internet, when we drive our car, with image recognition and video surveillance of all public places.  Police use it for investigations and witnessing crimes at a later date.  Our smart speakers listen all the time,  although they only respond if you use a 'trigger word" such as. "Alexa'.

All of these uses are annoying and frustrating, however, it will become much worse when AI makes decisions without human oversight.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY   invited leading thinkers from several institutions to begin a 100-year effort to study and anticipate how the effects of artificial intelligence will ripple through every aspect of how people work, live, and play. 

This effort, called the One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence, or AI100, is the brainchild of computer scientist and Stanford alumnus Eric Horvitz who, among other credits, is a former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.

"We won’t be putting the genie back in the bottle," he said. "AI technology is progressing along so many directions and progress is being driven by so many different organizations that it is bound to continue. AI100 is an innovative and far-sighted response to this trend–an opportunity for us as a society to determine the path of our future and not to simply let it unfold unawares."

The unknown danger of an AI obsessing over a problem ignoring the goal it has been assigned. This is called Wireheading

Wireheading is akin to the high of a psychedelic and can be compared to hallucinating

Uses for Artificial Intelligence

There are already many practical uses for AI, some very beneficial and some annoying.

Dangers of Artificial Intelligence Automation-spurred job loss Deepfakes, Privacy violations, Algorithmic bias caused by bad data, Socioeconomic inequality, Market volatility, Weapons automatization, and Uncontrollable self-aware AI.

Is the horse out of the barn? The longer we wait to regulate the worse it will be.

                                                         Is AI in the box?

The One Hundred-Year Study on AI