Last year, Joint Commission and the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) developed a partnership to accelerate the development and adoption of AI best practices and guidance across the U.S. healthcare system. As a result of that work, last week CHAI released AI in healthcare governance playbooks, and this week Joint Commission launched a Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare (RUAIH) Certification.

The certification program focused on recognizing hospitals, critical access hospitals, and health systems in the U.S. that demonstrate they have the governance, safeguards, monitoring processes, and education in place to use AI responsibly in healthcare settings. RUAIH was developed after Joint Commission convened more than 20 key coalitions and groups with expertise in both healthcare and technology.
 
“Joint Commission’s goal is to provide governance support for delivering the safest and highest quality care for U.S. health systems across the care continuum. With more than 80% of physicians currently using AI in professional settings, there is a fast-growing need for universal standards for implementing this transformational technology in responsible ways,” said Jonathan B. Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO, Joint Commission, in a statement. “AI has the potential to unlock discoveries and improve quality, safety, and operating efficiency. With this new certification, Joint Commission is providing healthcare organizations with the blueprint for safely and appropriately using AI.”
 
The voluntary RUAIH certification program focuses on the safe, reliable, transparent, and ethical use of AI by healthcare organizations – it does not validate or certify individual AI products or tools. The certification standards are organized around five major areas: governance; effective data management; risk and bias reduction; monitoring, evaluating, and validating safety performance, effectiveness, and responsible use; and transparency, education, and training.
 
In a statement, Aaron Miri, executive vice president and chief digital information officer for Baptist Health, explained why the certification is valuable to his organization. “It is critical that hospitals have a framework to follow for this emerging and evolving technology,” he said. “This new certification from Joint Commission has been long-awaited by our organization and many others across the industry as AI tools become increasingly embedded in our clinical, operational, administrative, and care-support workflows.”
 
In a statement, CHAI CEO Brian Anderson, M.D., stressed that the Joint Commission certification and CHAI's recently published governance playbooks are tightly aligned on the need for responsible and transparent AI in healthcare. “We believe this alignment will greatly reduce confusion and help to accelerate rapid and responsible adoption of AI in healthcare.”

While the playbooks define the baseline controls for responsible AI, they are intended to be interpreted within the specific context of each organization, hospital, and health system. They address eight elements of responsible AI use:

• Organizational AI Policy
• Organizational Structure
• Organizational Resources
• Responsible AI Lifecycle Management
• Risk and Impact Assessments
• Responsible Data Management and Use
• Third Party Management
• Education, Training, and Feedback

CHAI’s playbooks were developed through a series of workshops, multiple calls for feedback, and collaboration across more than 100 healthcare organizations, including academic medical centers, regional care facilities, community health centers, and more to ensure they reflect the needs of diverse care settings.