At the HIMSS25 pre-conference Behavioral Health forum on March 3 in Las Vegas, a panel of experts who work for Centerstone’s Institute for Clinical Excellence and Innovation discussed artificial intelligence (AI).
Tyler Roebke, CCO, started by mentioning the challenges of recruiting staff in the behavioral health field. He said that trying to work with clinicians more efficiently, considering caseloads and documentation requirements, brought them to AI solutions.
“AI offers some novel approaches where maybe existing technology has provided a satisfactory solution,” noted Bradley Bills, VP of systems development. “It’s not for the sake of AI; it’s about moving our business forward and solving real problems that our staff face.”
We needed to upgrade our Electronic Health Records (EHR), Ashley Newton, CEO, weighed in. “We knew that we had a problem with the documentation burden.” A more intuitive system, she continued, combined with AI that helped with documenting, was well-received by the staff.
For the tools we are rolling out, they are all optional, Bills pointed out. “They're there to make recommendations, but staff are still completely responsible for the decision to use them.”
AI is not a replacement for clinical judgment, Newton underscored. The organization needs to set boundaries and policies around AI use, Roebke stated. “There’s really no law that says that you must get someone’s consent to use an AI tool," Newton stated that she looks at how vendors incorporate and anticipate research relating to AI.
