The Permanente Medical Group this week announced the new Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research Augmented Intelligence in Medicine and Healthcare Initiative Coordinating Center, or AIM-HI.

KP is also making $3 million in new funding available for other health systems able to show real-world results where artificial intelligence and machine learning improved patient outcomes.

WHY IT MATTERS
With backing from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, AIM-HI will disburse grants worth as much as $750,000 to help promote the use of AI to innovate care delivery. The program will focus on research toward evaluating ways algorithms can enhance diagnostic decision-making in healthcare.

A national advisory committee and expert reviewers from Kaiser Permanente will assess proposals and work closely with the selected project teams during their two-year grant period.

"We're aiming to cut through the buzz around AI in healthcare to prove the promise and positive impact of this exciting technology for improving patient outcomes," said Dr. Vincent Liu, MD, principal investigator of AIM-HI.

A request for proposals is now open, with letters of intent due June 30, 2023. Learn more at kp.org/aim-hi.

THE LARGER TREND
Kaiser Permanente notes the promise of AI algorithms with key imperatives such as early warning systems for patient safety interventions.

"Our early warning systems are at work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to identify high-risk hospitalized patients," said Dr. Stephen Parodi, executive vice president of The Permanente Federation, in a statement. "One of these programs has saved an estimated 500 lives a year. With this initiative we hope to support the spread of impactful work in health systems of all sizes across the country."

AIM-HI also hopes to capitalize on large language models such ChatGPT for tasks such as streamlining clinical notes, and explore computer vision technology to analyze medical images for tumors, cancers and surgical guidance.

Kaiser has long been at the leading edge of technology innovation, of course, whether innovating its own AI and ML deployments to gain substantial clinical ROI or opening a medical school with an intensive focus on virtual reality.

ON THE RECORD
"In addition to supporting algorithmic research, the AIM-HI program will develop best practices and improve the capacity for AI/ML deployment in diverse healthcare settings," said Liu. "It's vital that we use these powerful tools thoughtfully and in a way that scales to benefit patients, physicians and care teams."

Mike Miliard is executive editor of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.