Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy represented the healthcare industry recently on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to educate federal lawmakers about artificial intelligence.
The 32-hospital system was the lone healthcare participant Nov. 22 in the Coalition for Health AI's inaugural CHAI on the Hill Day that brought together policymakers, industry leaders and subject matter experts to discuss healthcare AI use cases and regulations.
"We're already seeing the tremendous potential AI holds to revolutionize patient care, but it has to be used responsibly, with patients and caregivers at the forefront," Mercy President and CEO Steve Mackin said in a Nov. 25 statement. "At Mercy, we are committed to utilizing AI to enhance care and save caregivers time as well as build trust and confidence in how this technology makes a positive difference in patient care."
Mercy pointed to its work with Microsoft on generative AI for patient communications and scheduling and an internal chatbot for employees with human resources-related questions, and its collaboration with Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic that uses AI to analyze deidentified patient data for new ways to diagnose and treat disease.
Regulation of healthcare AI is still in the early stages, with the incoming Trump administration indicating that it will lean toward industry self-governance of the technology.
The Coalition for Health AI, which aims to create standards and an evaluation framework for the technology, has more than 1,300 members, including health systems, tech companies, academia, government organizations, and advocacy groups.