🚨 Pulse of Innovation 🚨

Breaking news in the healthcare AI

AI is used to improve the health of Veterans

This Memorial Day, we honor our veterans and celebrate how AI revolutionizes their healthcare. Advanced AI systems are improving clinical documentation, streamlining care coordination, and enhancing medical outcomes. These technologies are working on improving the care we provide to our Veterans and recognizing their invaluable service to our nation. Some key highlights are below:

• AI-To-Go Tool: A cloud-based pipeline for tracking AI models from validation to enterprise implementation, allowing comparison and clinician feedback.

• Digital Command Center (DCC): Uses predictive analytics and AI to improve data tracking, operational efficiency, and care coordination.

• Suicidal Ideation Text Screening: An AI-powered engine to quickly identify and assist Veterans in crisis by filtering text responses.

• Smart Wearable Pilot: Collaboration with Stanford and DoD to enhance health monitoring through AI-powered wearables, focusing on PTSD and suicidality detection.

• VA has published various use cases of AI and funding opportunities to collaborate with VA: VA AI Inventory.

  

  Source: https://www.research.va.gov/naii/ 

   

🧑🏼‍🔬 Bench to Bedside👨🏽‍🔬

Developments in healthcare AI research and innovations

AI-based Cancer Detection for Veterans: A step forward to personalized care

• The VA Office of Research and Development has established Precision Oncology programs using AI targeting lung, prostate, breast, and oropharyngeal (OPC) cancers to study and improve outcomes addressing the real-world healthcare needs of Veterans.

• The AI-based Risk Stratification for Oropharyngeal Carcinomas (AIROC) platform will use data from 1,000 veterans with OPC, along with information from the Computer Vision and Machine Learning (CoMPL) in Precision Oncology hub, to build algorithms that can assess treatment response to chemo-radiation therapy.

• The goal is for AIROC to analyze diagnostic images like CT scans, pathology slides, and clinical data to predict which OPC patients may benefit from less intensive treatment to achieve comparable outcomes to help clinicians make informed and personalized decisions to improve survival and quality of life for veterans with OPC.

👩‍⚕️AI in the Clinic 🏥

Real-world and practical use of healthcare AI in clinic

Veterans Affairs - AI Tech Sprint 2024

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is organizing an AI Tech Sprint to develop AI-driven solutions for better documentation of clinical encounters and integration of community care data. This initiative aims to enhance medical record-keeping efficiency, reduce administrative burdens, and improve care coordination for veterans.

• Track One: Ambient Dictation for Clinical Encounter Notes: Develop an AI tool to generate high-fidelity, traceable records from ambient recordings, ensuring interoperability with VA systems and high-security standards. Winners:

  • Nuance Healthcare

  • Abridge 

  • Knowtex 

  • Althea Health 

  • Transcribe MD

• Track Two: Community Care Document Processing (CCDP): Create an AI system to process and summarize community care records, integrating structured data into VA's EHR and data platforms. Winners:

  • Palantir Technologies 

  • Althea Health 

  • Abstractive Health 

  • Commure 

  • Transcribe MD

🩺 Start-Up Stethoscope 💵 

Trending startups and technologies impacting clinical practice

AI-powered detection of high-risk burn wounds to guide treatment: Great potential for active service personnel

• Spectral AI is a Dallas, TX-based company that specializes in the use of AI-powered algorithms to identify high-risk burn wounds (with 92% accuracy) that may require more aggressive treatment and frequent assessment to guide treatment decisions. They have developed the DeepView platform that captures high-resolution aerial images of burn wounds and identifies wounds with a high risk of complications and delayed healing. In addition, this technology is also used for diabetic foot care to identify high-risk wounds.

• This technology has great potential for active service personnel who have been injured during their service with burn wounds, as well as veterans who have been suffering from diabetic wounds. The company has secured over 150 million dollars in multiple government funding, including a $1 million DoD grant for initial development, BARDA grant of $149 million for miniaturization of their technology, and a $500,000 contract with the US government to use the DeepView technology. A startup with potential for active service personnel.

  

🤖Patients First, AI Second🤖

Ethical and regulatory landscape of healthcare AI

VHA Aligns with Leading Health Care Organizations to Ensure Trustworthy Use of AIContext. 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has joined forces with over 28 private healthcare providers and payers to promote trustworthy AI in healthcare. This initiative aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration's Executive Order 14110, aiming to ensure safe and responsible AI use. Key actions include establishing a Trustworthy AI Framework, launching AI Tech Sprints, and implementing AI Oversight and Review Boards. These efforts underscore VA's commitment to enhancing veterans' healthcare through secure and effective AI technologies.

• Trustworthy AI Framework: Developed guidelines to ensure AI tools are safe, ethical, and effective.

• AI Tech Sprints: Initiated to foster innovation and practical AI solutions in healthcare.

• AI Oversight and Review Boards: Established to monitor and regulate AI use, ensuring compliance with ethical standards.