< + > Three Steps to Unlock the Power of AI for Healthcare Transformation

The following is a guest article by Emmanuelle Hose, Global Vice President of Industry Solutions at Rimini Street

The use of AI in the healthcare market is booming, having reached $22,449.3 million in 2023 and is expected to grow 37.5% annually through 2030. From enhancing patient care and streamlining administrative processes to aiding in medical research and diagnostics, AI is revolutionizing healthcare. Yet, this promise comes with challenges that healthcare leaders must navigate to fully realize AI’s benefits and avoid potential pitfalls.

Healthcare organizations are increasingly pressured to innovate and adapt, all while still managing IT costs. As cloud costs increase and AI’s implementation becomes increasingly complex, succeeding with this technology requires having a dynamic, flexible IT strategy. This article explores three key steps to help healthcare CIOs and IT leaders unlock AI’s full potential without compromising security, regulatory compliance, or budget integrity.

Prioritize Data Quality for AI Success

High-quality data is the cornerstone of effective AI solutions. But for healthcare organizations, ensuring data quality isn’t just about improving AI outcomes – it’s also vital for patient safety and care. This means clean, accurate, and complete data is fundamental to operational efficiency, improving patient care, and clinical decision-making.

For this reason, healthcare organizations must assess their data systems to ensure they have centralized, safe, and compliant repositories. These key questions can help in the assessment:

• Are processes in place to validate and clean data before it’s used in AI processing?
• Are there standardized protocols for data collection that ensure compliance with regulations such as HIPAA?
• Is the infrastructure in place to continuously monitor data quality over time and ensure seamless data integration across various platforms and systems?

As healthcare leaders integrate advanced AI solutions within their enterprise, ensuring data integrity from the outset is a critical step in successful AI implementation.

Ensure Security and Regulatory Compliance

In healthcare, data security is paramount. In fact, 14 million patients in the US healthcare sector were affected by security breaches in 2024. Integrating AI without proper security measures can expose organizations to vulnerabilities, risking both patient data and business operations. The rise of AI in healthcare has introduced new attack vectors, making robust cybersecurity essential. 

Implementing AI responsibly requires adopting a proactive approach to security and implementing robust data governance practices. To help safeguard AI deployment and build trust in AI technologies, healthcare IT leaders must ensure that new investments won’t compromise security and will be used safely and ethically across the organization. 

Meeting compliance and regulatory requirements, such as HIPAA or GDPR, is critical for healthcare organizations. And with regulatory measures continually evolving at local, national, and global levels, healthcare leaders also face the ongoing challenge of maintaining compliance. Achieving this requires AI tools to be deployed in ways that are both legally compliant and aligned with best practices for data protection and patient care.

Optimize ERP for AI Integration

Large-scale AI implementations, especially those tied to extensive ERP upgrades pushed by software vendors, can be costly and disruptive. This can be especially disruptive for healthcare companies operating on systems that are highly customized to fit their specific needs. 

Instead of opting for vendor-imposed overhauls, healthcare organizations can adopt a “composable ERP” approach and innovate around the edges of their infrastructure. This empowers them to maximize their existing IT investments and, by integrating best-of-breed AI technologies into their current enterprise systems, organizations can quickly benefit from AI capabilities tailored to their specific needs. 

With a composable ERP strategy, IT leaders reduce reliance on vendor-driven upgrades and maintain control over technology decisions. Collaborating with third-party IT support professionals – instead of marching to the beat of software vendors – can further extend the value of current ERP systems while accelerating AI adoption and helping ensure flexibility and long-term adaptability.

Realizing the Benefits of AI: A Strategic and Sustainable Approach

A critical component to AI success in the healthcare industry’s current digital landscape lies in an adaptable, secure, and patient-centric approach to AI deployment. 

Healthcare IT leaders must focus on building a solid foundation of high-quality data, implementing robust security and compliance protocols, and utilizing flexible IT support strategies that help enable them to maximize existing investments while enabling AI integration.

By taking these steps, healthcare organizations can harness the transformative power of AI to drive efficiencies, enhance patient care, and achieve sustainable growth, all while avoiding unnecessary costs and disruptions to the organization.

About Emmanuelle Hose

Emmanuelle Hose has over 25 years of proven experience in the IT industry, leading enterprise software sales, service, and development operations across 3 continents: Europe, North America, and Oceania. After serving in several executive roles with global software companies, Ms. Hose was recently leading Rimini Street business operations across Australia and New Zealand, delivering exceptional service to our clients, accelerating sales growth, and extending the leadership position of Rimini Street in the software support market across the region.