A reimbursement framework for artificial intelligence in healthcare

Responsible adoption of healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) requires that AI systems which benefit patients and populations, including autonomous AI systems, are incentivized financially at a consistent and sustainable level. We present a framework for analytically determining value and cost of each unique AI service. The framework’s processes involve affected stakeholders, including patients, providers, legislators, payors, and AI creators, in order to find an optimum balance among ethics, workflow, cost, and value as identified by each of these stakeholders. We use a real world, completed, an example of a specific autonomous AI service, to show how multiple “guardrails” for the AI system implementation enforce ethical principles. It can guide the development of sustainable reimbursement for future AI services, ensuring the quality of care, healthcare equity, and mitigation of potential bias, and thereby contribute to realize the potential of AI to improve clinical outcomes for patients and populations, improve access, remove disparities, and reduce cost.