● Precision Medicine: Physicians can be actively supplied with clinical guidelines that reflect not only accepted standards of care for common conditions, but also those that incorporate the patient’s genetic makeup, allergies, family history and other considerations that are crucial when providing precision medicine. Notably, advanced CDSS can even identify applicable clinical trials and alert clinicians when a patient exhibits the required, highly-specific conditions needed to apply.

These use cases and the myriad transformative capabilities of today’s integrated, AI-powered CDSS require diligence. Organizations should consider the following before implementing such solutions.


Today’s CDSS must be viewed through a holistic lens
Advanced CDSS that draw on the advanced AI, machine learning and analytics capabilities are powerful, but they are not solutions that can be simply turned on and left with a “set it and forget it” mindset. Some of the many considers all clinical operations should consider before implementing them include:

● Ensure that the EHR and other core systems the CDSS will integrate with are robust: This includes making sure that all APIs are up-to-date and satisfy the latest interoperability standards, including HL7 and FHIR. This can help ensure that the CDS is not only accurate, but also that false positives and erroneous alerts are kept to a minimum.

● Embrace the cloud: A properly designed cloud, designed specifically for health care and offering the most stringent security protections, not only enables organizations to effectively and cost efficiently consolidate its data in one location for analytics and to inform algorithms, but it also is crucial to ensure disaster recovery capabilities.

● Create a culture that protects patient data: This includes not only making sure that all data, including medical images and patient information, is encrypted in transit and at rest, but also that staff members are regularly trained to recognize phishing schemes and report any anomalies. Notably, in some cases synthetic “patient” data can also be used for specific use cases to provide an extra level of protection.

● Facilitate maintenance and monitoring: The CDSS must be monitored for accuracy and performance. Notably, this also includes ensuring that staff members do not fail to follow established clinical guidelines and procedures because they received trusted recommendations from the CDSS.

Not surprisingly, the use of advanced AI-based CDSS will only increase in light of these capabilities and benefits. Some estimates point to the market reaching $12.4 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.45% in the years in between.

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