AI in Healthcare 2020 Leadership Survey Report: C-level healthcare leaders are leading the charge to AI

AI has earned the attention of the C-suite, with some 40% of survey respondents saying their strategy is coming from the top down. The top 5 key stakeholders in decision-making are the CEO, CIO, CFO, COO and CMO. And who else is on the team? The chief technology officer, CMIO, chief of radiology, chief nursing officer and chief analytics officer.

Pairing the C-suite with IT, 83% of strategy is established. Clinical departments are overseeing strategy in about 15% of organizations while a small percent (2%) look external for guidance and strategy.  

When the C-suite speaks, 34% tell us their organizations are advanced, using and developing AI for several years, and proficient in its use, while 31% are planning to deploy next year or assessing to deploy in the future.

IT leading the charge

Leadership of AI efforts is the charge of information technology for the majority of health systems (31%), while administration leaders the charge in 23% of systems. Radiology, analytics and medical informatics make up the balance.

The CIO is the overseer of AI in most healthcare systems (27%), with the CEO taking the reins in 13% of organizations. Also taking charge are CFOs, CMOs, CMIOs, chief technology officers, chiefs of radiology and some newer titles: chief AI officer, chief analytics officer, chief innovation officer, chief digital officer, chief performance officer, chief data officer and chief transformation officer.

The CIO also controls the data, according to 42% of respondents. Managing clinical data also is the responsibility of medical and nursing informatics (18%), radiology (11%), administration (10%),  
and analytics (9%).

Paying the bill

While the CIO also oversees the finances in a quarter of health organizations, administration holds the purse strings in 43%. Finance, radiology, medical informatics and analytics make up the balance of the rest.

""
Mary C. Tierney, MS, Vice President & Chief Content Officer, TriMed Media Group

Mary joined TriMed Media in 2003. She was the founding editor and editorial director of Health Imaging, Cardiovascular Business, Molecular Imaging Insight and CMIO, now known as Clinical Innovation + Technology. Prior to TriMed, Mary was the editorial director of HealthTech Publishing Company, where she had worked since 1991. While there, she oversaw four magazines and related online media, and piloted the launch of two magazines and websites. Mary holds a master’s in journalism from Syracuse University. She lives in East Greenwich, R.I., and when not working, she is usually running around after her family, taking photos or cooking.