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While many health organizations are focusing more on health equity, disparities in mental health are leading to deaths that could have been avoided.

The Satcher Health Leadership Institute, part of the  Morehouse School of Medicine, examined the toll of disparities in mental health in a 

In an analysis of data between 2016 and 2020, the institute estimates there were 116,722 preventable deaths among members of minority groups. The institute also estimated the total cost of those disparities reached $278 billion over that four-year span.

Daniel Dawes, executive director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute, said the report is the culmination of “a 15-year dream of studying the economic burden of mental health inequities in the United States.”

“I think we expected that the numbers were going to be quite frightening, and that’s probably an understatement,” Dawes told 

Even though Dawes described those figures as “astronomical,” he also said it was certainly a low estimate. Nearly 6 million Americans were excluded from the data sets, including those in the military, residents of nursing homes, and those who are incarcerated. Many are the most marginalized and medically underserved, he said.

“Lives are being lost, yes, but also decisions are being made based on inaccurate data, which quite frankly, is perpetuating that ongoing cycle of inaction,” Dawes said. “So that’s why this is huge.”

, Dawes discussed the factors contributing to inequities in mental health and what healthcare leaders and policy makers can do to close those disparities. 

(See excerpts of our interview with Dennis Dawes in this video. The story continues below the video.)

Bryan Stevenson says ‘health equity is really health justice’

David Satcher, the former U.S. surgeon general and founder of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute, has said, “There is no health without mental health.”

Plenty of factors are preventing members of racial and ethnic minority groups from their optimal mental health, Dawes said.

“What we found in our study is, there really is a link between race, economics and mental illness,” he said.

“We know that they’re exacerbated by, when we talk about the social determinants of health, those are the structural conditions that all of us are born into, that we live in, that we die in,” Dawes continued. “Are we able to access transportation? How about getting quality education? Can we access employment, true employment opportunities? Housing is a major one as well.”

Collectively, when members of underserved communities have trouble accessing those basic needs make it extraordinarily difficult to be healthy.

These barriers to mental health, and all health, didn’t just happen to members of racial and ethnic minority groups, Dawes stressed.

“This society has intentionally erected barrier after barrier to weaken their bodies and hasten their deaths,” Dawes said.

“We know it is not an accident,” he said. “It is not an organic outcome when we see these health disparities, these health inequities, among racial and ethnic minority groups.”

Hispanic, Black Americans saw larger drops in lifespan in pandemic

Political determinants of health, which determine how resources are allocated and how policies shape communities, play a major role in shaping those social drivers, Dawes said. “Those factors have led to the higher rates of health inequities,” he said.

The stigma surrounding mental health is also a barrier that must be addressed, Dawes said. Many members of minority communities also have a distrust of the medical establishment. Such distrust stems from decades past, including the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study of Black men, who weren’t given penicillin or even informed consent about the nature of the study.

“Stigma has played a long role,” he said. “You go into the 1800s when blacks were excluded from mental health services, because they weren’t deemed as having the capacity to have a mental illness.

“We know there is still a huge stigma … There is significant mistrust because these population groups were experimented on, either systemically or mentally,” Dawes said. “For us, it is really important that we address the issue in a very wholesome manner. If we don’t, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

It’s critical to educate the public on the nature of mental illness, Dawes said.

“Mental illness is a chronic disease. It is not an acute or temporary condition,” he said.

“I think for too long in our country, mental health, behavioral health has been relegated to an inferior position. On this hierarchy of chronic diseases, it falls really low.”

Hospitals and healthcare systems can play a significant role in addressing the disparities in mental health.

“Healthcare administrators, healthcare executives, really could help us bolster greater attention that is paid to this critically important issue, if they were to prioritize it, if they were to ensure that there is parity between mental health and physical health, and actually dedicate the investments, the time and attention to it, so that we could elevate whole health,” Dawes said.

Members of minority communities often don’t come in contact with any health services, and Dawes said it’s even worse when talking about behavioral health services.

Because of that, Dawes said, “It’s absolutely critical that we integrate primary care and behavioral healthcare.”

Health groups say it’s time to integrate behavioral health and primary care

Only 13.5% of children in minority groups have access to behavioral health services, Dawes said. Many Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American communities rely on emergency departments or federally qualified health centers for their health needs.

“If they are able to touch our primary care system, if they’re able to go to the community health center, for instance,  imagine how much healthier we could help them become, if we were able to offer those services within those settings,” Dawes said.

Telehealth has been showing more potential to expand access to behavioral health services. 

Mayo Clinic researchers have found a high degree of accuracy in psychiatry diagnoses through telehealth

 among those struggling with substance use.

Telemedicine can potentially help those in underserved communities, Dawes said, but there are still some barriers to improve access.

“I think we also need to address the digital divide in communities of color,” Dawes said. “There are so many folks that don’t even have broadband access, who would need that in order to access telepsychiatry or telehealth services. I think if we can get over that gap, that chasm, then I think we would see greater results.”

Outside the health industry, the federal government needs to invest more in mental health and substance use, he said.

“We often see the federal budget giving basically cents to the dollars that physical health conditions like diabetes and cancer and heart disease have,” Dawes said.

Dawes said he hopes the study drives greater attention to the glaring gaps in mental health and the economic burdens from those disparities.

“It was sobering, but it was also vindication of what we had anticipated was the result,” Dawes said. “I think it provided the tangible evidence that we needed in order to demonstrate this is a real problem and is worthy of our attention.”

Articles

The Morehouse School of Medicine examined the toll of inequities. Daniel Dawes of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute spoke with Chief Healthcare Executive about the need for equity in behavioral health.

Mental health disparities led to nearly 117,000 deaths: ‘It is not an accident’

A Massachusetts state agency has signed off on a plan by Mass General Brigham to reduce spending, and the agency would like more authority to control healthcare costs.

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, an agency focused on reducing the growth in healthcare spending, voted this week to approve a plan by Mass General Brigham designed to produce $127.8 million in annual savings. 

The Massachusetts commission hailed the plan as the first ever required by the agency and the first of its kind in the nation. Citing concerns about Mass General Brigham's spending, the commission ordered the health system to develop a performance improvement plan in January.

Mass General Brigham aims to generate most of the savings ($90 million) in price reductions. The rest of the savings are expected to come from reducing utilization ($32.4 million) and shifting care to sites with lower costs ($5.4 million). The proposal also calls for improving accountability through value-based care, the commission said.

The state commission and Mass General Brigham have wrangled over the cost saving plan for some time. Mass General Brigham initially proposed a plan that would have found $70 million in annual savings, but then revised the proposal at the behest of the commission.

Mass General Brigham is embarking on a nearly $2 billion plan to expand its facilities, a plan that was also modified after state officials expressed concerns. 

Mass General Brigham is also expanding its home hospital program

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, which was formed 10 years ago, is 

also pushing for greater power to control healthcare prices

The commission said in a statement that it should have “greater oversight tools, including authority to impose escalating financial penalties to deter excessive spending.”

In addition, the commission is calling for Massachusetts to take further steps to reduce the growth in healthcare costs, including caps on hospital price increases; more scrutiny of provider mergers and expansions; and greater oversight of the pharmaceutical sector, including prices. (Read the agency’s 

Massachusetts has greater hospital utilization than the national average, the commission said. Massachusetts inpatient stays are 7% higher than the U.S. overall, while emergency department visits are 11% higher, and outpatient visits are 42% higher than the national average. The commission said the difference has closed somewhat in recent years.

“The long-term systemic factors underlying high spending growth persist, and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has only added new headwinds,” Deborah Devaux, chair of the health policy commission, said in a statement. “We must continue to address affordability challenges or the Commonwealth will not be able to meet its cost containment goals. Today’s report makes strong recommendations for all stakeholders to address these challenges.”

The commission points to price increases as the need for more action. From 2018 to 2020, hospital prices for procedures in inpatient settings rose 7.9%, and they increased by 7.1% for services in hospital outpatient departments. Prices for services in physician offices rose 3.2% over that time.

From 2017 to 2020, consumers paid 50% more for a 30-day supply of prescription drugs for chronic conditions, according to the commission.

David Seltz, executive director of the health policy commission, said the agency is looking for new ways to constrain the rise of healthcare costs.

In a statement, he said the commission’s recommendations reflect “the willingness to change course and provide a new, progressive blueprint to address the most important challenges facing our health care system today.”

they are facing serious financial difficulties

Hospitals are projected to lose billions of dollars this year, and 

more than half of all hospitals are expected to finish 2022 in negative margins

, according to a recent report by the American Hospital Association. Hospitals are reporting higher labor costs as well as staffing shortages around the country.

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission reached an agreement with Mass General Brigham on a plan to reduce spending. The state agency wants more authority to control hospital costs, including financial penalties.

After pushing a major health system to cut costs, a Massachusetts agency wants more power

President Joe Biden says he wants to end hunger in America by the end of the decade, and the White House touted commitments from healthcare organizations to address food insecurity.

Biden hosted a conference on hunger in Washington Wednesday. It was hailed as the first conference on hunger at the White House in 50 years. 

Healthcare leaders say that it’s impossible to improve health equity without helping the millions of Americans who are hungry. One in 10 U.S. households had food insecurity in 2021, according to the 

“Everyone, everyone has an important role to play, local, state, territory, and Tribal governments and the federal government as well; the private sector; civil society; agriculture; philanthropy; academia,” Biden said.

Several health organizations pledged to do more to fight hunger. Here's a rundown of the healthcare groups, hospitals and companies who are making commitments to expand access to healthy food and training for healthcare providers.

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine committed to donating $24.1 million in education coursework in nutrition and food as medicine to doctors nationwide.

The ACLM will donate $22 million for continuing medical education to 100,000 doctors and other medical professionals. The ACLM will also donate $2.1 million to cover half the cost of training in lifestyle medicine for one primary care provider at each of the nation’s 1,400 Federally Qualified Health Centers.

"It is clear that simply managing the symptoms of chronic disease with ever-increasing quantities of expensive medications and procedures without addressing the root causes of those diseases is a failure of our health care system,” ACLM President Cate Collings said in a 

The Rockefeller Foundation and the American Heart Association, with the Kroger grocery chain, announced a plan to mobilize $250 million to build a national 

. The effort is slated to launch in the spring of 2023. The groups said it would develop tools to address health equity, expand access to food and reduce healthcare costs.

 announced a commitment of $8.4 million to promote nutrition equity and security. Anne Klibanski, president and CEO of Mass General Brigham, said the system is eager to join a national effort. "We know that access to healthy, nutritious food can have a monumental impact on patients’ health outcomes and it is disproportionately impacting underserved communities in every city and state,” she said in a 

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville will invest $4.8 million to help implement a Lifestyle Medicine curriculum in all interested medical schools, the White House announced.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation will launch a two-year, $3.5 million initiative to expand access to healthy food and the “food is medicine” movement in North Carolina.

Nemours Children’s Health, the pediatric health system, plans to expand access to donation programs and develop educational tools to reduce food insecurity and health disparities.

Nemours Children's Health's first chief equity officer looks at equity beyond medicine

Boston Medical Center plans to build farms at two new facilities in 2023, the White House said. The farms will supply produce to hospital patients, cafeterias, and its food pantry, where doctors can refer their patients for free food.

How Boston Medical Center uses remote monitoring to track vulnerable patients

The Association of American Medical Colleges participated in the conference. The AAMC plans to work with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to hold the inaugural Medical Education Summit on Nutrition Practice. It’s slated to take place in 2023.

The American Academy of Pediatrics will work with Share Our Strength, a nonprofit focused on ending hunger, to offer training to all 67,000 pediatricians who are members of AAP. The training will involve screening for food insecurity and helping educate doctors on resources that can help patients.

The president hosted a conference on nutrition and health. Some health groups are investing money and resources to expand access to food and training to physicians.

Biden wants to end hunger by 2030. These health groups vowed to fight food insecurity.

While telehealth is gaining in popularity, a new report by athenahealth reveals patients and providers are using virtual care differently.

Jessica Sweeney-Platt, vice president of research and editorial strategy at athenahealth

 released today by athenahealth, the Massachusetts-based healthcare technology company. Female physicians are also more likely to use telemedicine than male doctors.

Jessica Sweeney-Platt, vice president of research and editorial strategy at athenahealth, talked with 

“The data absolutely say and absolutely show that male providers and male patients are significantly less likely to use telehealth than either female providers and female patients,” Sweeney-Platt said.

In addition, Black and Hispanic patients are using telehealth more than white patients, but they’re less likely to see the same provider. The study also found patients are turning to telehealth for mental health and to manage chronic conditions.

Hospital and health system executives should think about ways to use telehealth to connect with patients. “It is filling very real care gaps for patients,” Sweeney-Platt said.

(See excerpts of our conversation with Jessica Sweeney-Platt in this video. The story continues below the video.)

Telehealth bill enjoys wide support, but Senate passage isn’t guaranteed

In 2021, male clinicians were 24% less likely to see patients in telehealth appointments than female physicians, according to the report. The report found the disparity widened throughout the year.

Male patients also used telehealth appointments 15% less than female patients, the report stated. Patients who visited one male provider had 60% lower odds of adoption compared to patients with a female provider.

While Sweeney-Platt said the gender differences among providers are clear, she said, “What’s harder to determine is whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Is this a problem? I don’t know,” she said. “It’s consistent with other studies that have been done both using athenahealth data and other data that show very different practice patterns between male clinicians and female clinicians.”

Female physicians tend to spend more time with patients

, and some have fewer visits in a day. As a result, while female physicians may be doing more to meet their patients needs, they can end up earning less if they see fewer patients. A study published in the 

 in October 2020 found women primary care physicians spend, on average, an additional 2.4 minutes with their patients, and they generated 11% less in annual revenue.

With male physicians using telehealth less, should health system leaders spur them to see more patients virtually? Sweeney-Platt said it’s a tough question.

“I don’t know whether there is something that can or should be done about it but I think it’s interesting to add that insight,” she said. “These gender practice patterns seem to be showing up even in a relatively more recently widely adopted modality like telehealth. So we’re seeing in-person practice patterns playing out across virtual care as well.”

Telehealth diagnosis shows high level of accuracy, study finds

More doctors are using telehealth as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Four out of five doctors (80%) saw patients via telemedicine in 2022

, according to a recent survey on physicians usage of digital tools from the American Medical Association (in 2016, only 14% engaged in virtual visits).

Black and Hispanic patients are taking advantage of telehealth, and they are more likely to engage in telemedicine than white patients, the study found.

However, Black and Hispanic patients are less likely to see one dedicated clinician or provider.

“If a white patient is using telehealth, it is more likely they are seeing a single provider across both in-person and telehealth visits,” Sweeney-Platt said. “Whereas if a Black or a Hispanic patient is using telehealth, it is less likely that the next visit that they have in person or telehealth will be with the same provider.”

Sweeney-Platt said the study raises interesting questions for hospitals and health systems.

“I think it’s an interesting challenge for health system executives to think about the role and the importance of continuity of care in the quality experience that they are providing to patients,” Sweeney-Platt said.

“This is consistent with another finding from the study which is that practice-level demographics were very important in terms of the likelihood of a patient using or not using telehealth,” she added. “So basically, if a practice decides that telehealth is a valuable form or a valuable means through which to engage with their patients, to provide access to patients, then patients not surprisingly will be more likely to use telehealth.”

Health system leaders should examine “the ways in which telehealth can be used to encourage continuity of care, as opposed to maybe further fragmenting the care experience,” Sweeney-Platt said.

Using telehealth to improve equity and access

Many health advocates say telehealth offers promise in making it easier for patients to access mental health services, and the report suggests patients find virtual care an appealing option.

One out of four survey participants (25%) said they scheduled a telehealth visit to address a new mental health concern, and 23% of respondents said they were more likely to seek mental health support because of the availability of telehealth.

That was “a very gratifying part of the findings,” Sweeney-Platt said.

“Telehealth does seem to be opening up access to services that people have had trouble accessing before, whether that was because of the time it takes to be treated for a mental health condition as opposed to a physical health condition,” she said.

“If the situation is acute, it could be once a week that you have to get to your clinician, maybe twice a week, maybe even more,” Sweeney-Platt added. “A virtual option removes some of that friction of having to take all of that time out of what is probably already a fully allocated schedule if you’re working, or you’re taking care of kids, or in school.”

Researchers found patients with substance use were 

less likely to have an overdose if they had telehealth appointments

Roughly a quarter (23%) of respondents said telehealth visits involved regular appointments to deal with chronic conditions.

“Patients with chronic conditions are more apt to use telehealth,” Sweeney-Platt said. “They are more apt to therefore have a higher number of visits, which is probably consistent with what you want for those patients, finding a way to further engage them in their own healthcare.”

At this point, there’s not much evidence suggesting telehealth is reducing touchpoints to the healthcare system, Sweeney-Platt said. And she noted some worry that’s a problem, because telehealth isn’t replacing in-person visits.

“That’s where I think the nuance of the story gets really interesting,” Sweeney-Platt said. “You do need more touchpoints. You don’t need to have them face to face.”

Health system leaders should think about “the role that telehealth can and should play as part of an entire continuum of care, not just thinking of it as a separate modality sitting over here,” Sweeney-Platt said. “How can and should it fit into the touch points that a patient has with the system and integrating that into that digital journey is something really interesting.”

A report by athenahealth finds a gender gap in the use of virtual care. Jessica Sweeney-Platt of athenahealth talked with Chief Healthcare Executive about telemedicine.

Female doctors, and female patients, are more likely to use telehealth 

Consumers want more choices, and even more involvement, from healthcare providers, according to a new Kaufman Hall report.

“2022 State of the Healthcare Consumer Report”

 illustrates that consumers have higher expectations, and also are willing to get care in different ways. Many also continue to have barriers preventing them from getting the care they want.

Consumers are increasingly engaging in activities to improve their health that aren’t tied to visiting a doctor or a health system’s practice, noted Dan Clarin, a managing director at Kaufman Hall and the report’s lead author.

Health systems need to seize the opportunity to build relationships with their patients, the report stated.

“As people adopt behaviors that make them more mindful of their health and wellbeing, they are increasingly interested in integrating those activities with their healthcare experience,” Clarin said in a statement. 

“Unfortunately, the health management activities consumers engage in are often disconnected from their clinical care," he said. "By listening to their consumers and integrating their insights, health systems have an opportunity to better meet evolving consumer needs.”

The future of healthcare ‘is about the consumer’

At a time when consumers want more choices, many are frustrated with the lack of options they have, according to the report. Kaufman Hall surveyed about 3,500 consumers to gauge their views.

Roughly four in 10 (38%) of consumers surveyed who get their health insurance from their employer only have access to one plan. One third (33%) of consumers are offered two options. Consumers are getting fewer options for the health choices they want, the report stated.

More than a quarter (27%) said they are in health plans that limit where they can get care, saying only a few hospitals in their area are in their insurer’s network.

The report also noted disparities between those with commercial insurance and those relying on Medicaid. Consumers with commercial insurance engage in eight health management activities, while those on Medicaid are participating in six.

Reform to prior authorization could be coming

“Today’s insured consumers often have fewer options for health plans, which can translate into less choice for the services they are looking for,” Clarin said in the statement. “At the same time, persistent healthcare disparities are posing major public health challenges. Health systems must be able to both elevate the voice of the consumer throughout their organizations and play a leading role of lifting the health of the communities they serve.”

Most of those surveyed (70%) said they want health systems to be more involved with their health management activities.

Consumers offered three main areas where they would like to engage more with health systems: healthy eating (41%), paying for exercise programs or equipment (40%), or talking to a provider virtually about symptoms (39%).

Many consumers are managing their health without guidance from a provider, and health systems aren’t getting all the information they could on their patients. While a solid majority of patients (59%) who are obtaining mental health services said they are doing so at the direction of a healthcare provider. Conversely, only 43% who are using wearables, such as fitness trackers, are doing so at the suggestion of a provider.

Consumers say they are pursuing their health goals in different ways, with 34% saying they are managing their diet and nutrition, while 31% are suing fitness trackers, and 29% are participating in some kind of physical activity. Roughly one in five (22%) said they are receiving mental health services.

Consumers are saying they want more involvement with their providers as they seek to manage their health. That’s a key takeaway from a new report by Kaufman Hall. 

How health systems are missing opportunities to engage patients

With Hurricane Ian expected to hit Florida Wednesday, hospitals prepared for the powerful storm.

Some hospitals are transferring patients and scaling back services ahead of the powerful hurricane. Scores of hospital facilities will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. Hurricane warnings are in effect along Florida's west coast and into part of central Florida, 

The hurricane was projected to hit Florida Wednesday. More than 2.5 million people were under an evacuation order, 

. Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, implored residents not to ignore the order. 

"I urge everyone that is in an evacuation zone that has been asked to evacuate - the time is now," he said Tuesday.

HCA Healthcare operates scores of hospitals in the Sunshine State. 

 moved some patients from a few of its hospitals.

The system said Tuesday it has transferred patients from HCA Florida Pasadena Hospital, HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital and HCA Florida West Tampa Hospital to other HCA hospitals in Florida. The West Florida division also suspended services at freestanding emergency departments Tuesday night.

“Our preparedness activities include ensuring our hospitals have enough caregivers, medications, supplies, food, water and generator power to care for our patients during the storm,” HCA Healthcare West Florida Division said in a 

 is postponing elective surgeries Wednesday and Thursday, and ambulatory surgery centers are closed Wednesday and Thursday as well. The hospital also advised the public that it can’t serve as a shelter in order to ensure enough resources for patients. Tampa General built a temporary wall around the hospital to protect the facility from flooding, 

, which operates a host of hospitals in Florida, is postponing elective surgeries in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties Wednesday and Thursday. Some imaging centers will either close or have limited hours over the next couple of days.

, which operates several hospitals in Florida, closed the Morton Plant North Bay Hospital Tuesday. BayCare is closing urgent care and ambulatory surgery centers will be closed Wednesday, and medical group offices will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. BayCare paused visitation at all of its hospitals Tuesday night, with only limited exceptions.

 closed urgent care centers Tuesday night, and said physician group offices would be closed Wednesday and Thursday.

 was closed Tuesday and will be closed Wednesday due to the storm.

Hospitals in Florida haven’t had to deal with hurricane preparations as much as in past years. The arrival of Hurricane Ian comes after what had started as a slow hurricane season. No hurricanes formed in the Atlantic in August, the first time since 1997 that had happened. But Ian is now 

the ninth hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season

HCA Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest health systems, tracks hurricanes and other major weather events at an emergency operations center based in Nashville, Tennessee. HCA has an incident response team of nearly 200 leaders.

This year, HCA said its emergency center began using a new algorithm to reduce hospital evacuation time.

(Note: This roundup is meant to summarize how Hurricane Ian is affecting hospitals and health systems in Florida. For the latest information on hospital services, please check with the individual hospitals and health systems.)

Hospitals and health systems have postponed surgeries and closed some facilities as the powerful storm approached. 

Hurricane Ian forces Florida hospitals to evacuate patients

Many have hailed the potential of artificial intelligence to transform healthcare.

Michael Howell, Google’s chief clinical officer and deputy chief health officer, says, “It’s hard to imagine a technology that is more hyped than AI.”

Even so, Stephen Parodi, executive vice president of The Permanente Federation, says, “Widespread AI use in healthcare is still in its infancy.”

Still, many are projecting significant growth in the prevalence of AI in medicine in the near future.

During a one-hour forum hosted by The Permanente Federation Monday, healthcare leaders, all physicians, assessed the possibilities of AI, the keys to success, and expectations on its future uses.

Artificial intelligence, healthcare, and questions of legal liability

Even in a forum where leaders talked about potential challenges, including designing technology with patients in mind and the urgent need to focus on equity, the participants spoke with enthusiasm, even excitement, about the growing role of artificial intelligence in medicine.

It’s appropriate to bring some healthy skepticism and ask questions about the potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare, Howell said.

However, Howell also said he expected, “AI will do things we didn’t think were possible.”

Edward Lee, executive vice president and chief information officer of The Permanente Federation, talked about how AI is being used across the Kaiser Permanente system.

At Kaiser Permanente, researchers have used AI to examine retinal images of patients with diabetes, to possibly determine if patients are more likely to lose their vision, Lee said.

In addition, Kaiser Permanente is using AI-powered models to analyze which patients in hospitals may be at higher risk of deteriorating or could require intensive care.  "This gives us a chance to intervene before patients get sicker,” Lee said.

Hundreds of patients have likely been saved, he said, “and that’s a conservative estimate.”

The system is using AI to analyze emails to make sure they are getting to the right member of the care team. “This helps our patients get timely responses to their health concerns,” Lee said.

Hal Wolf of HIMSS talks about hospitals, digital health and the future of healthcare

John Halamka, president of Mayo Clinic Platform, said he expected that within the next six quarters, artificial intelligence is going to be brought into the workflow of electronic health records.

The Mayo Clinic has been increasingly using AI in research. Mayo Clinic researchers have been studying the use of artificial intelligence to 

identify pregnant patients who may be at risk for complications

could have greater likelihood of suffering a stroke

When asked about when AI would gain greater prevalence, Halamka cited the author William Gibson, who once said, “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.”

“I believe the perfect storm for innovation requires technology that’s good enough, policy that’s enabling and cultural change that creates a sense of urgency,” Halamka said.

A panel of physicians and leaders in the field expressed enthusiasm for AI’s possible benefits for patients. They also said solutions must be designed with health equity in mind.