The healthcare industry is rapidly evolving, driven by digital advancements, artificial intelligence (AI), and a pressing need to address capacity challenges.

At the recent Becker's Health IT + Digital Health + Revenue Cycle Conference, Sameer Badlani, executive VP and chief strategy officer and digital officer at Fairview, shared his outlook on healthcare innovation over the next few years. While AI continues to dominate discussions, Dr. Badlani emphasized the need for cautious, thoughtful application rather than a focus on novelty.

"AI has been around for 30-40 years," Dr. Badlani explained, recalling his early exposure to neural networks and machine learning in 2000. Previously, AI was confined to research labs and then large corporations with significant data science resources, such as Expedia for flight pricing and scheduling.

Today, however, AI is entering the "developer's era," according to Dr. Badlani. Unlike the past, where AI required specialized knowledge and resources, anyone with an email account can now access AI tools like ChatGPT. This democratization of AI, he noted, makes it impossible to control its use and suggests the need to embrace crowdsourcing to drive AI innovation.

For hospitals without extensive budgets, Dr. Badlani suggests leveraging networking and crowdsourcing to maximize AI’s potential. He also warned that inflated expectations could lead to disillusionment, advising healthcare organizations to apply AI pragmatically and remain committed even if the initial hype fades.