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Thank you for reading our blog. Paul and I will continue to publish "Dispatch from the Digital Health Frontier" on https://www.mayoclinicplatform.org/blog/ .
Dispatch from the Digital Health Frontier
As president of the Mayo Clinic Platform, I lead a portfolio of new digital platform businesses focused on transforming health by leveraging artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and an ecosystem of partners for Mayo Clinic. This is made possible by an extraordinary team of people at Mayo and collaborators worldwide. This blog will document their story.
Latest posts
Machine Learning Can Make Lab Testing More Precise
An analysis of over 2 billion lab test results suggests a deep learning model can help create personalized reference ranges, which in turn would enable clinicians to monitor health and disease better. Paul Cerrato, MA, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform and John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Almost every patient has…
Gastroenterology Embraces Artificial Intelligence
AI and machine learning have the potential to redefine the management of several GI disorders. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Colonoscopy is one of the true success stories in modern medicine. Studies have demonstrated that colonoscopy screening detects the…
Societal Resilience Requires a Public Health Focus
We must make a serious commitment to increase financial resources and provide better analytics for real world evidence/real time data in support of public health. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Public health has been underfunded for decades. That neglect has had…
Reimagining the FDA’s Role in Digital Medicine
In addition to evaluating the safety of software as a medical device (SaMD), the agency needs to devote more resources to evaluating its efficacy and quality. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. The FDA’s approach to software as a medical device (SaMD) has been…
Secure Computing Enclaves Move Digital Medicine Forward
By providing a safe, secure environment, novel approaches enable health care innovators to share data without opening the door to snoopers and thieves. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. We know that bringing together AI algorithms and data in ways that preserve…
Breast Cancer Screening: We Can Do Better
The three risk assessment tools now in use fall far short. Using the latest deep learning techniques, investigators are developing more personalized ways to locate women at high risk. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. The promise of personalized medicine will…
Can Social Determinants of Health Predict Your Patient’s Future?
The evidence is mixed but suggests that these overlooked variables have a profound impact on each patient’s journey. This article was written by Tim Suther, Nicole Hobbs, Jeff McGinn, Matt Turner with Change Healthcare, John Halamka, MD, MS, president of Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform. By one estimate, social…
We Need to Open Up the AI Black Box
To convince physicians and nurses that deep learning algorithms are worth using in everyday practice, developers need to explain how they work in plain clinical English. Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, and John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. AI’s so-called black box refers to the fact that much of the…
The Future Belongs to Digital Pathology
Advances in artificial intelligence are slowly transforming the specialty, much the way radiology is being transformed by similar advances in digital technology. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Any patient who faces a potential cancer diagnosis knows how important…
Shift Happens
Dataset shift can thwart the best intentions of algorithm developers and tech-savvy clinicians, but there are solutions. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Generalizability has always been a concern in health care, whether we’re discussing the application of clinical…
Causality in Medicine: Moving Beyond Correlation in Clinical Practice
A growing body of research suggests it’s time to abandon outdated ideas about how to identify effective medical therapies. Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, and John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. “Correlation is not causation.” It’s a truism that researchers take for granted, and for good reason. The…
Taking Down the Fences that Divide Us
Innovation in healthcare requires new ways to think about interdisciplinary solutions. Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform and John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. During the 10 years we have worked together, John and I have written often about the power of words like transformation , optimism, cynicism, and…
Identifying the Best De-Identification Protocols
Keeping patient data private remains one of the biggest challenges in healthcare. A recently developed algorithm from nference is helping address the problem. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. In the United States, healthcare organizations that manage or store…
Learning from AI’s Failures
A detailed picture of AI’s mistakes is the canvas upon which we create better digital solutions. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. We all tend to ignore clichés because we’ve heard them so often, but some clichés are worth repeating. “We learn more from failure than…
A Paradigm Shift in Digital Health
Innovation is best scaled when pipelines are replaced with platforms. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. The Digital Health Frontier includes cutting edge predictive analytics, machine learning enhanced algorithms and big data analytics. But for these innovations to…
When AI Meets SDOH
Artificial intelligence can help identify and address the social determinants of health. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Machine learning is getting better at predicting things. There are now algorithms that improve the detection of diabetic retinopathy, predict…
The Digital Reconstruction of Healthcare is Upon Us
The transition from brick and mortar to digital medicine will profoundly impact the way clinicians and patients interact—and will likely improve clinical outcomes. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Paul Cerrato and I are excited to finally announce the publication…
AI-Enhanced Cardiology Takes Another Step Forward
Combining a convolutional neural network with routine ECGs detected low ejection fraction, a signpost for Asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction (ALVSD) may not be the…
A Unique Partnership Delivers Acute and Holistic Home Care
Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, and Medically Home join forces to offer patients the best of both worlds, forging a partnership that has the potential to redefine the hospital industry. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. One of the problems facing most patients who…
Health Data Privacy Gets the Attention It Deserves
The Partners in Privacy Conference gathered world-class experts to address some of health care’s most vexing problems. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. The challenges involved in keeping patient and consumer health data private may seem daunting. Still, a recent…
It’s OK to Break the Rules Now and Then
Technological innovation sometimes requires we take risks — and question the tenets of evidence-based medicine. John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. It’s challenging at times to know when to follow the rules and “color inside the lines” and when to ignore those lines…
Can AI Reinvent Radiation Therapy for Cancer Patients?
John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Of all the advances in health care artificial intelligence (AI), medical imaging is probably the most remarkable success story. Two prominent examples come to mind: Machine learning has helped improve the screening and diagnosis of…
A Heart Held Humble Levels and Lights the Way
Observations on executive training & executive rest John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Humility is not a very popular word among business and health care executives. Often considered a sign of weakness, this personality trait is not often applauded in executive…
Health Care Needs Better Marketing, Too
John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform, and Paul Cerrato, senior research analyst and communications specialist, Mayo Clinic Platform, wrote this article. Inspiration comes in all sizes and shapes. Neil deGrasse Tyson, a world-renowned astrophysicist and director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, continues to inspire us with words like, “The good thing about science is that…