Kaiser Permanente’s AIM-HI grants $750,000 to five healthcare projects exploring AI and ML’s impact on patient care. From pediatric asthma to cardiac amyloidosis, these initiatives aim to revolutionize healthcare practices. This funding, backed by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, signifies a pivotal step in demonstrating the real-world clinical value of these technologies.
Kaiser Permanente’s AIM-HI has recently allocated funding to five healthcare organizations dedicated to researching the potential of AI and ML tools in enhancing diagnostic decision-making. This initiative, the Kaiser Permanente Augmented Intelligence in Medicine and Healthcare Initiative (AIM-HI) Coordinating Center, has granted funding to these projects aimed at leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to elevate patient care standards.
The recipients of this grant—each awarded up to $750,000—span a range of innovative endeavors. These grants, facilitated by support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, intend to showcase the tangible clinical value of integrating these cutting-edge technologies into healthcare practices.
In the competitive selection process, AIM-HI received over 120 applications exploring various facets of health AI and ML applications, such as predictive analytics, language modeling, and computer vision. Dr. Vincent Liu, the principal investigator of AIM-HI and a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, expressed the challenge of choosing among the multitude of impactful projects. The final selections aimed to create a balanced portfolio addressing real-world healthcare challenges across diverse technologies, care settings, and patient demographics.
The five grant recipients and their respective projects are as follows:
1. “Generalizing an AI/ML Model for Pediatric Asthma Care in Safety Net Health Settings” by Dr. Cesar Termulo, Jr. from Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas.
2. “High Throughput Precision Identification of Cardiac Amyloidosis in a Diverse Population” led by Dr. David Ouyang from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
3. “Precision Resuscitation with Crystalloids in Sepsis (the PRECISE trial)” led by Dr. Sivasubramanium Bhavani from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
4. “Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Point-of-Care Artificial Intelligence” led by Dr. Fatima Munoz from San Ysidro Health in San Diego, California.
5. “Advancing Novel Approaches and Best Practices for Effective AI-Enabled Diagnosis using Randomized Trials, Algorithmovigilance, and Proactive Risk Assessment” led by Dr. Peter J. Embí from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Each project will span three years and benefit from the support provided by the AIM-HI Coordinating Center and Advisory Committee.
Stephen M. Parodi, MD, the executive vice president of The Permanente Federation and The Permanente Medical Group, emphasized the promise these diverse projects hold in advancing healthcare capabilities through innovative AI implementation, to enhance patient outcomes responsibly.
These investments coincide with ongoing discussions about the ethical implementation of health AI. Recently, at the 2023 Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Annual Meeting, 28 key stakeholders in healthcare, including payers and providers, pledged to champion the ethical and responsible use of AI in healthcare.
This voluntary commitment involves aligning industry efforts with the FAVES principles: ensuring AI applications are fair, appropriate, valid, effective, and safe. These principles were outlined in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing (HTI-1) rule.
Furthermore, each participating provider and payer aims to develop AI tools geared toward optimizing healthcare delivery, promoting health equity, and expanding access to affordable care.
AIM-HI’s funding signals a strategic move toward ethical AI implementation in healthcare. The commitment of 28 industry stakeholders to uphold FAVES principles underscores the responsible use of AI technology. Kaiser Permanente’s initiative not only advances innovative healthcare solutions but also ensures their ethical and beneficial deployment. Through these grants and ethical commitments, AIM-HI contributes significantly to shaping the future of healthcare through AI and ML advancements.
