Artificial intelligence (AI) integration into health care, has surged, reshaping practices and perspectives. At the forefront of this transformation are professionals like Andreas Macura, Scott Lowry, and Daniel Kvak, recent participants of the HMS Designing and Implementing AI Solutions for Health Care program, which recently relaunched in a new asynchronous format as AI in Health Care: From Strategies to Implementation to meet the increased demand for high-quality training on AI in health care.

Since completing the executive education program, these professionals in the health care industry have reflected on their learnings and shared their insights on the promise and challenges of AI within their organizations, as well as thoughts on the potential of AI to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes. 

Andreas Macura, Chief Product Officer, AlgoDx

Working at AlgoDX, a company that concentrates on using AI for disease detection and management, Andreas Macura saw a need to build out his personal knowledge of AI in health care. Macura acknowledges, “[The program] broadened my views and understanding, despite not being a machine learning expert myself,” highlighting the valuable insights gained from the program and emphasizing the diverse range of topics covered.

When considering AI in the health care industry more broadly, Macura notes the need to bridge technical concepts with practical applications, especially in health care settings. He emphasizes the need for companies to develop effective communication and product development strategies to facilitate AI solution adoption among health care providers.

Looking ahead, Macura envisions AI playing a crucial role in health care, accentuating the importance of optimizing AI performance while acknowledging regulatory challenges and concerns about overreliance on AI.

Scott Lowry, Project Coordinator, Connecticut Health AI Collaborative

Reflecting on his experience in the program, Scott Lowry offers perspectives on the challenges and potentials of AI implementation in health care. Lowry’s diverse career journey from banking to entrepreneurship and now to AI advocacy as part of an organization dedicated to advancing health care through the power of AI enriches his understanding of evolving AI applications.

Lowry is particularly focused on and aware of the generational and infrastructural obstacles to AI adoption. He stresses the need for collaborative and collective efforts to address the ethical, practical, and systemic challenges that influence AI’s role in health care.

Lowry articulates his vision for democratizing AI solutions in health care, particularly for smaller institutions and rural settings, where resource constraints and entrenched practices pose significant challenges. "After assessing health care, I realized that large hospitals have sufficient resources," he states. "However, smaller hospitals in remote areas lack access to AI technologies, which may take a decade to reach them. This disparity is unfair to patients in these underserved areas who deserve better care." To address this, he has proposed establishing a health AI collaborative involving major health systems along with smaller hospitals partnering with university computer science divisions. He feels such collaborations are essential for advancing treatment strategies, such as for neuroendocrine tumors, as they leverage expertise from both medical and technological fields.

Daniel Kvak, Chief Executive Officer, Carebot

Daniel Kvak leads a company dedicated to developing AI solutions for clinical practices that diagnose patients via imaging tests (X-ray, CT, MRI, and others). He stresses the importance of understanding clinical implications alongside computational operations. He shared, "I need to understand what these clinical indications mean...Are there any other chances to assist even if the AI fails?"

His focus on clinical validation and real-world testing showcases a diligent approach to addressing AI implementation challenges, including regulatory compliance and clinician acceptance. His strong belief that interdisciplinary collaboration is at the intersection of AI and medicine has led him to pursue additional education, including a second PhD focusing on bridging computational expertise with clinical understanding.

Kvak also sheds light on the broad impact of AI in health care, stressing both the promise and the challenges ahead. Through initiatives like decision support systems, AI holds the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy and streamline workflows, particularly in routine tasks like chest X-ray interpretation. However, hurdles include skepticism among clinicians to the ongoing quest for standardized clinical indications and validation processes. Despite these challenges, Kvak remains optimistic about the future of AI in health care, advocating for a nuanced approach that addresses niche clinical needs and fosters clinician collaboration.

Insights Gained and Ongoing Learning

The journeys of Macura, Lowry, and Kvak reflect the challenges and opportunities presented by AI integration in health care and highlight the value of continuous learning and collaboration in navigating this evolving field. As AI reshapes health care practices, professionals equipped with a deep understanding of AI principles and real-world implementation are poised to drive meaningful change in the industry.

The new online, asynchronous AI in Health Care: From Strategies to Implementation program explores the opportunities and complexities of applying AI in the unique cultural, economic, and business contexts of health care.