What’s happening: At this year’s Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) and Hospital Council Conference, thought leaders and cutting-edge practitioners convened for conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) in health care and how it may evolve in the future.
What else to know: About 350 people, including frontline patient safety professionals, chief nursing officers, and hospital leaders, attended the event at Lake Tahoe Oct. 20-21.
The two-day conference examined various aspects of AI in health care, from its growing impact on telehealth and behavioral health, to AI modeling techniques developed by HQI to minimize hospital visits and readmissions for septic shock or sepsis. Other sessions focused on the effect of AI on staff workloads, and why human intelligence will always be needed in health care. A panel discussion featuring three University of California Health chief AI officers, moderated by Hospital Council President & CEO Bryan Bucklew, highlighted how the UC Health System is successfully integrating AI into its operations while recognizing challenges along the way.
Non-AI topics included a session with author Stephen Shedletzky on the value of hospitals adopting a “Speak-Up Culture” — where employees are empowered to voice their concerns and feedback — and a discussion of the future of nursing and why innovative leaders must embrace industry disruption to reshape the profession.
The closing keynote speaker was hall of fame swimmer and journalist Diana Nyad, who shared her approach to achieving big goals in work and in life. At age 64, Nyad became the first person to swim the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida.
