WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.879 - Hello, everyone. This is Erica Spicer Mason with 2 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:05.359 - Becker's Healthcare. Thank you so much for tuning 3 00:00:05.359 --> 00:00:07.779 - in to the Becker's Healthcare podcast series. 4 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:10.400 - Today, we're going to talk about how health 5 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:12.580 - system leaders are thoughtfully evaluating 6 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:15.380 - AI powered clinical decision support 7 00:00:15.714 --> 00:00:18.114 - and what it takes to successfully introduce those 8 00:00:18.114 --> 00:00:19.815 - tools into clinical workflows 9 00:00:20.195 --> 00:00:23.315 - while maintaining clinician trust and focusing on better 10 00:00:23.315 --> 00:00:24.135 - patient care. 11 00:00:24.675 --> 00:00:27.234 - So joining me for this discussion, we have 12 00:00:27.234 --> 00:00:29.654 - Allison Schneider, the director of applications 13 00:00:30.035 --> 00:00:32.270 - at Aspen Valley Health in Colorado. 14 00:00:32.969 --> 00:00:35.229 - And Allison will share how her team approaches 15 00:00:35.450 --> 00:00:36.270 - new technologies, 16 00:00:36.969 --> 00:00:39.630 - the factors that guide their AI adoption decisions, 17 00:00:39.689 --> 00:00:41.710 - and also what they've learned from implementing 18 00:00:42.090 --> 00:00:44.649 - clinical key AI to support clinicians at the 19 00:00:44.649 --> 00:00:45.469 - point of care. 20 00:00:45.835 --> 00:00:47.994 - Allison, without further ado, I wanna welcome you 21 00:00:47.994 --> 00:00:49.594 - to the podcast, and thank you so much 22 00:00:49.594 --> 00:00:50.655 - for being here today. 23 00:00:51.195 --> 00:00:53.054 - Of course. Thanks for that awesome introduction. 24 00:00:53.914 --> 00:00:56.715 - As mentioned, my name is Allison Schneider, and 25 00:00:56.715 --> 00:00:59.354 - I'm the director of IT applications at Aston 26 00:00:59.354 --> 00:01:00.174 - Valley Health. 27 00:01:00.539 --> 00:01:02.460 - I joined Aston Valley Health about four years 28 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:04.000 - ago as an IT analyst, 29 00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:07.040 - supporting EPIC's ClinDoc and STORK applications. 30 00:01:08.299 --> 00:01:10.140 - In that role, I was able to work 31 00:01:10.140 --> 00:01:12.620 - closely with our clinical teams and understand how 32 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:13.120 - technology 33 00:01:13.875 --> 00:01:16.435 - directly impacts and affects, their day to day 34 00:01:16.435 --> 00:01:16.935 - experience. 35 00:01:17.875 --> 00:01:20.935 - From there, I became our clinical applications manager, 36 00:01:21.555 --> 00:01:24.834 - overseeing the clinical applications within EPIC at Aston 37 00:01:24.834 --> 00:01:25.575 - Valley Health. 38 00:01:26.129 --> 00:01:27.890 - And after a little over a year in 39 00:01:27.890 --> 00:01:28.549 - that position, 40 00:01:29.010 --> 00:01:31.969 - I transitioned into my current director role where 41 00:01:31.969 --> 00:01:34.629 - I now oversee all of our applications, including 42 00:01:34.689 --> 00:01:36.629 - EPIC at Aspen Valley Health. 43 00:01:37.010 --> 00:01:38.769 - Just a little bit about what I really 44 00:01:38.769 --> 00:01:39.269 - enjoy, 45 00:01:39.915 --> 00:01:42.575 - within this work is being at the intersection 46 00:01:42.635 --> 00:01:43.375 - of technology, 47 00:01:44.155 --> 00:01:46.575 - clinical care, and operational strategies. 48 00:01:47.115 --> 00:01:49.995 - Ultimately, our goal, at Aspen Valley Health is 49 00:01:49.995 --> 00:01:52.900 - to make technology work better for the people 50 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:54.760 - providing the care and most importantly, 51 00:01:55.140 --> 00:01:55.880 - our patients. 52 00:01:57.380 --> 00:01:59.859 - Such a great intro, Allison. Thanks for telling 53 00:01:59.859 --> 00:02:01.880 - us a bit more about yourself and, 54 00:02:02.900 --> 00:02:04.579 - and really your role. It sounds like you've 55 00:02:04.579 --> 00:02:06.165 - got a lot on your plate, and it's 56 00:02:06.165 --> 00:02:08.664 - a very dynamic position to be in. But 57 00:02:08.805 --> 00:02:10.485 - I love your note there about, you know, 58 00:02:10.485 --> 00:02:13.465 - the the continued focus on excellent patient care. 59 00:02:13.764 --> 00:02:15.284 - And that's really what where I wanted to 60 00:02:15.284 --> 00:02:16.745 - start our conversation today. 61 00:02:17.284 --> 00:02:19.625 - Even in our own reporting at Becker's, we've 62 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.079 - we've outlined how Aspen Valley Health has this 63 00:02:22.079 --> 00:02:24.419 - reputation for really embracing innovation 64 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:28.079 - while staying deeply committed to patient care. So 65 00:02:28.079 --> 00:02:30.900 - when a new tool like AI comes across 66 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:33.534 - your desk and in your role, how are 67 00:02:33.534 --> 00:02:35.775 - you deciding whether it's the right fit for 68 00:02:35.775 --> 00:02:36.514 - your organization? 69 00:02:38.254 --> 00:02:40.414 - Very hot topic. I'm sure not just at 70 00:02:40.414 --> 00:02:41.474 - Aston Valley help, 71 00:02:42.174 --> 00:02:43.954 - but specifically for ABH. 72 00:02:44.495 --> 00:02:45.155 - We typically 73 00:02:45.775 --> 00:02:47.794 - take, an epic first approach. 74 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:50.639 - So before introducing another platform, we look at 75 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:52.560 - what Epic already has to offer or has 76 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:54.259 - on its road map for the future. 77 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:57.520 - Epic is moving, as we know, incredibly quick 78 00:02:57.520 --> 00:02:59.599 - in the AI space, and that gives us 79 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:02.180 - a strong foundation for evaluating new capabilities. 80 00:03:03.465 --> 00:03:06.424 - But being available doesn't automatically make a tool 81 00:03:06.424 --> 00:03:09.144 - the right fit, especially for Aspen Valley Health, 82 00:03:09.465 --> 00:03:11.164 - being a critical access hospital. 83 00:03:11.944 --> 00:03:14.185 - We look at whether it solves a clearly 84 00:03:14.185 --> 00:03:15.084 - defined problem, 85 00:03:15.384 --> 00:03:17.405 - integrates into existing workflows, 86 00:03:18.040 --> 00:03:20.379 - protects patient information, and genuinely 87 00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:22.860 - improves the clinician or patient experience. 88 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:25.480 - We also consider how it fits within the 89 00:03:25.480 --> 00:03:28.040 - direction established by our AI council that we 90 00:03:28.040 --> 00:03:30.460 - have at Aspen Valley Health and then ultimately 91 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:32.379 - as an organization as a whole. 92 00:03:33.025 --> 00:03:35.205 - For us at Aspen Valley Health, 93 00:03:35.584 --> 00:03:38.644 - AI should not be technology for technology's sake. 94 00:03:38.784 --> 00:03:41.204 - Ultimately, we are aiming for it to address 95 00:03:41.264 --> 00:03:43.824 - a real need and create measurable value without 96 00:03:43.824 --> 00:03:45.525 - adding unnecessary complexities 97 00:03:45.985 --> 00:03:47.364 - to our existing workflows. 98 00:03:48.870 --> 00:03:51.750 - Yeah. Sounds like a really sound process that 99 00:03:51.750 --> 00:03:53.449 - that your team has outlined, Allison. 100 00:03:54.150 --> 00:03:55.750 - And kind of in the same vein, I 101 00:03:55.750 --> 00:03:57.610 - wanted to also touch on the concept 102 00:03:57.990 --> 00:03:58.730 - of trust. 103 00:03:59.349 --> 00:04:01.655 - I know trust comes up as an issue 104 00:04:01.715 --> 00:04:04.534 - with AI frequently, whether we're talking about clinicians 105 00:04:04.754 --> 00:04:05.495 - or patients. 106 00:04:06.514 --> 00:04:08.854 - So from your lens, what are the nonnegotiables 107 00:04:09.555 --> 00:04:11.175 - for for earning that trust? 108 00:04:11.875 --> 00:04:13.814 - For sure. That's another great question. 109 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:16.639 - Ultimately, the patient has to remain at the 110 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:19.199 - center of every conversation. That is the first 111 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:19.699 - nonnegotiable 112 00:04:20.080 --> 00:04:22.639 - for us at Aspen Valley Health. Some other 113 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:24.259 - things that we take into consideration 114 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:27.540 - is we need appropriate privacy and security protections, 115 00:04:28.595 --> 00:04:31.894 - transparency about how the technology is being used, 116 00:04:32.435 --> 00:04:35.634 - reliable clinical content, and clear human oversight is 117 00:04:35.634 --> 00:04:38.514 - also really important for us and definitely a 118 00:04:38.514 --> 00:04:39.014 - nonnegotiable. 119 00:04:40.115 --> 00:04:42.610 - The AI that we are, you know, bringing 120 00:04:42.610 --> 00:04:45.350 - into our system should ultimately support our clinicians 121 00:04:45.569 --> 00:04:48.129 - and not replace their judgment or create another 122 00:04:48.129 --> 00:04:49.910 - disconnected step in their workflow. 123 00:04:50.689 --> 00:04:53.730 - The integration is also extremely important for us, 124 00:04:53.730 --> 00:04:56.654 - especially coming from the technology side. We ask 125 00:04:56.654 --> 00:04:59.375 - whether the tool can complement our existing epic 126 00:04:59.375 --> 00:05:02.675 - workflows and provide information at the right moment. 127 00:05:03.134 --> 00:05:05.074 - Trust develops when clinicians 128 00:05:05.375 --> 00:05:06.514 - understand the tool, 129 00:05:07.055 --> 00:05:09.314 - know its limitations, and see that it consistently 130 00:05:09.534 --> 00:05:12.089 - supports safer and more efficient care overall. 131 00:05:14.009 --> 00:05:16.089 - Mhmm. Yeah. So it sounds like really what's 132 00:05:16.089 --> 00:05:18.750 - important here is keeping patients at the center 133 00:05:18.889 --> 00:05:21.229 - of every conversation when it comes to AI, 134 00:05:21.610 --> 00:05:23.709 - ensuring that it's secure, protected, 135 00:05:24.329 --> 00:05:26.569 - that the clinical content is reliable, and that 136 00:05:26.569 --> 00:05:29.774 - it's integrated, whether that's in clinician workflows or 137 00:05:29.774 --> 00:05:31.074 - on the technology side. 138 00:05:32.175 --> 00:05:33.935 - So I'm curious. Is there a tool that 139 00:05:33.935 --> 00:05:36.014 - comes to mind that you've recently brought on 140 00:05:36.014 --> 00:05:38.194 - that that clears that bar in those expectations? 141 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:41.639 - Yeah. That's another great question. A tool that 142 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:44.360 - we recently introduced to Aston Valley Health was 143 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:45.579 - Clinical Key AI. 144 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.000 - We were super drawn to Clinical Key, because 145 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:49.740 - it addresses 146 00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:51.660 - very practical challenges, 147 00:05:52.514 --> 00:05:55.735 - including the clinicians need to find relevant evidence 148 00:05:55.795 --> 00:05:57.175 - based information quickly, 149 00:05:57.634 --> 00:06:00.274 - often while caring for a patient, while managing 150 00:06:00.274 --> 00:06:03.334 - several competing priorities. So super quick and reliable. 151 00:06:04.035 --> 00:06:04.535 - Mhmm. 152 00:06:05.069 --> 00:06:05.569 - Absolutely. 153 00:06:05.949 --> 00:06:08.509 - And I'm hoping to know too. So with 154 00:06:08.509 --> 00:06:10.669 - Clinical Key AI, what really drew you to 155 00:06:10.669 --> 00:06:12.269 - the tool, and what were you hoping to 156 00:06:12.589 --> 00:06:14.269 - or what were you hoping it would solve, 157 00:06:14.269 --> 00:06:15.089 - I should say? 158 00:06:15.469 --> 00:06:17.469 - Definitely. So our goal was to give our 159 00:06:17.469 --> 00:06:21.245 - clinicians faster access to more synthesized clinical information 160 00:06:21.245 --> 00:06:23.485 - to support their decision making. Right? On the 161 00:06:23.485 --> 00:06:25.985 - floor, things can happen really quickly, rapidly, 162 00:06:26.444 --> 00:06:29.165 - specifically in our emergency department. And just as 163 00:06:29.165 --> 00:06:31.644 - importantly, we wanted that information to be accessible 164 00:06:31.644 --> 00:06:34.569 - within their existing workflows rather than requiring them 165 00:06:34.569 --> 00:06:37.470 - to leave Epic and search through multiple external 166 00:06:37.529 --> 00:06:38.029 - resources. 167 00:06:38.729 --> 00:06:40.349 - So clinicalkey.ai, 168 00:06:40.649 --> 00:06:42.329 - really cleared the bar for us because it 169 00:06:42.329 --> 00:06:44.810 - supported a real clinical need, came from a 170 00:06:44.810 --> 00:06:48.044 - trusted content provider, and could ultimately be integrated 171 00:06:48.044 --> 00:06:50.785 - into our environment that our clinicians already use. 172 00:06:51.964 --> 00:06:54.285 - Great to hear that you're seeing early success 173 00:06:54.285 --> 00:06:55.104 - with the tool. 174 00:06:55.564 --> 00:06:57.425 - I'm curious, Allison. How have clinicians 175 00:06:57.884 --> 00:06:59.805 - taken to it so far? And and is 176 00:06:59.805 --> 00:07:02.169 - there a moment or even an example that 177 00:07:02.169 --> 00:07:03.550 - really captures how 178 00:07:03.930 --> 00:07:05.850 - the staff are finding and using evidence in 179 00:07:05.850 --> 00:07:07.709 - the middle of a busy clinical workday? 180 00:07:08.649 --> 00:07:10.589 - Of course. That's another great question. 181 00:07:10.970 --> 00:07:13.470 - So far, the response has been very positive. 182 00:07:14.225 --> 00:07:17.824 - Obviously, with NEAI, there's some natural and initial 183 00:07:17.824 --> 00:07:18.324 - hesitation 184 00:07:18.704 --> 00:07:20.805 - whenever we do introduce a new tool, 185 00:07:21.185 --> 00:07:22.805 - especially within health care. 186 00:07:23.425 --> 00:07:25.665 - Something that has helped with this adoption is 187 00:07:25.665 --> 00:07:28.564 - having clinical key AI, like I said, integrated 188 00:07:28.704 --> 00:07:30.779 - directly into our Epic system. 189 00:07:31.080 --> 00:07:33.740 - So our clinicians can access it without significantly 190 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:36.300 - disrupting their workflows, which has been super helpful. 191 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:39.980 - Overall, we've seen particular value in our emergency 192 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:40.779 - department 193 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:43.985 - where our physicians often need to evaluate a 194 00:07:43.985 --> 00:07:46.564 - broad range of possibilities very quickly. 195 00:07:46.944 --> 00:07:50.225 - Clinical key AI can help them explore and 196 00:07:50.225 --> 00:07:52.964 - develop a differential diagnosis by some synthesizing 197 00:07:53.345 --> 00:07:54.805 - relevant clinical information 198 00:07:55.185 --> 00:07:56.564 - at the point of care. 199 00:07:57.290 --> 00:08:00.430 - Instead of spending valuable time reviewing extensive literature 200 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:02.910 - and, searching several different resources, 201 00:08:03.449 --> 00:08:06.270 - clinicians can get the pertinent information more efficiently. 202 00:08:06.889 --> 00:08:09.689 - It isn't making the clinical decision for them, 203 00:08:09.689 --> 00:08:12.384 - but instead, it's helping them find and evaluate 204 00:08:12.384 --> 00:08:14.705 - evidence more quickly so that they can apply 205 00:08:14.705 --> 00:08:15.845 - their own expertise. 206 00:08:17.264 --> 00:08:19.504 - Yeah. And such an important distinction, Allison. I 207 00:08:19.504 --> 00:08:21.845 - appreciate you making that as I know, that 208 00:08:22.144 --> 00:08:24.144 - goes right back into the trust factor that 209 00:08:24.144 --> 00:08:26.350 - we were talking about and, you know, still 210 00:08:26.350 --> 00:08:28.129 - having a human in the loop here. 211 00:08:28.590 --> 00:08:30.670 - And, you know, this has been so helpful 212 00:08:30.670 --> 00:08:33.009 - to hear what your journey has looked like. 213 00:08:33.230 --> 00:08:35.870 - For another leader or peer who might just 214 00:08:35.870 --> 00:08:39.490 - be beginning to explore clinical decision support tools, 215 00:08:39.945 --> 00:08:41.785 - What's one lesson that you would share from 216 00:08:41.785 --> 00:08:43.705 - Aspen Valley Health that you'd want them to 217 00:08:43.705 --> 00:08:44.684 - hear or to know? 218 00:08:45.225 --> 00:08:47.144 - For sure. This has been a big journey 219 00:08:47.144 --> 00:08:49.304 - for us. And as we know, AI is 220 00:08:49.304 --> 00:08:50.365 - coming out rapidly. 221 00:08:51.545 --> 00:08:53.304 - So a lot of quick decisions on our 222 00:08:53.304 --> 00:08:55.230 - end and how we wanna roll it out. 223 00:08:55.629 --> 00:08:57.870 - My biggest recommendation would be to begin with 224 00:08:57.870 --> 00:08:59.570 - the problem, not the product. 225 00:09:00.029 --> 00:09:02.190 - Be very clear about what challenge you're trying 226 00:09:02.190 --> 00:09:04.990 - to solve and then carefully research which tool 227 00:09:04.990 --> 00:09:06.610 - is the best fit for your organization. 228 00:09:07.625 --> 00:09:09.544 - It's also important to involve the people who 229 00:09:09.544 --> 00:09:11.245 - will actually be using the technology. 230 00:09:11.704 --> 00:09:13.945 - IT can make recommendations, and we can try 231 00:09:13.945 --> 00:09:15.884 - to support our clinicians, but, ultimately, 232 00:09:16.345 --> 00:09:18.044 - having that clinician engagement 233 00:09:18.424 --> 00:09:21.384 - and then education and ongoing support are very 234 00:09:21.384 --> 00:09:21.884 - essential. 235 00:09:22.549 --> 00:09:24.309 - And like I said earlier, there may be 236 00:09:24.309 --> 00:09:28.490 - some hesitation initially, but adoption can happen relatively 237 00:09:28.549 --> 00:09:31.110 - quickly when clinicians understand the purpose of the 238 00:09:31.110 --> 00:09:33.829 - tool, trust its underlying content, and see how 239 00:09:33.829 --> 00:09:35.829 - it can help them within their daily work 240 00:09:35.829 --> 00:09:36.730 - and their workflows. 241 00:09:38.014 --> 00:09:41.295 - Well, such helpful perspective, Allison. Thanks for sharing 242 00:09:41.295 --> 00:09:43.875 - what's worked at Aspen Valley Health and, 243 00:09:44.415 --> 00:09:46.014 - some of the, you know, challenges you may 244 00:09:46.014 --> 00:09:48.175 - have run into and how you've navigated them. 245 00:09:48.175 --> 00:09:50.675 - I think it's really helpful for listeners to 246 00:09:50.990 --> 00:09:53.230 - to hear. But before we wrap, is there 247 00:09:53.230 --> 00:09:55.069 - anything else that we haven't touched on or 248 00:09:55.069 --> 00:09:57.089 - anything else you wanted to leave listeners with? 249 00:09:57.789 --> 00:09:59.709 - For sure. I think my last piece for 250 00:09:59.709 --> 00:10:01.629 - you is that, you know, we know AI 251 00:10:01.629 --> 00:10:04.575 - is advancing incredibly quick, and it has tremendous 252 00:10:04.715 --> 00:10:06.735 - potential to improve health care workflows 253 00:10:07.115 --> 00:10:09.355 - while also reducing some of the burden of 254 00:10:09.355 --> 00:10:10.654 - the clinician experience. 255 00:10:11.195 --> 00:10:13.754 - At the same time, speech should not replace 256 00:10:13.754 --> 00:10:16.414 - thoughtful decision making. Health care organizations 257 00:10:16.715 --> 00:10:18.634 - still need to be strategic about the tools 258 00:10:18.634 --> 00:10:19.294 - they select, 259 00:10:19.829 --> 00:10:22.629 - intentional about governance, and clear about the outcomes 260 00:10:22.629 --> 00:10:24.329 - that they hope to ultimately achieve. 261 00:10:24.789 --> 00:10:27.509 - So when AI is implemented responsibly with patients 262 00:10:27.509 --> 00:10:30.629 - at the center and clinicians actively involved, I 263 00:10:30.629 --> 00:10:33.029 - do think it can be super meaningful in 264 00:10:33.029 --> 00:10:35.504 - the way that they support their care and 265 00:10:35.504 --> 00:10:38.085 - their delivery for the patients at the center. 266 00:10:38.544 --> 00:10:40.884 - Something else I just wanna throw out that 267 00:10:40.945 --> 00:10:44.304 - vendor partnership is another critical piece, you know, 268 00:10:44.304 --> 00:10:46.784 - with AI. And I just want to add 269 00:10:46.784 --> 00:10:48.964 - that we've received excellent support from Elsevier 270 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:51.399 - and that their partnership has been very valuable 271 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:54.679 - throughout our implementation and rollout specifically for clinical 272 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:56.700 - key AI. So thank you for that. 273 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:00.440 - Well, Allison, thank you again for spending time 274 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:02.679 - with us today and sharing all of your 275 00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:04.059 - great thoughts and your insights. 276 00:11:04.524 --> 00:11:06.764 - Of course, we also wanna thank today's podcast 277 00:11:06.764 --> 00:11:07.904 - sponsor, Elsevier. 278 00:11:08.684 --> 00:11:10.284 - Listeners, be sure to tune in to more 279 00:11:10.284 --> 00:11:13.404 - podcasts from Becker's by visiting our podcast page 280 00:11:13.404 --> 00:11:15.985 - at beckershospitalreview.com.