Go to any healthcare conference and a speaker is bound to mention a new use of artificial intelligence. Now, as the technology becomes more and more mainstream, a pair of industry experts are creating a new organization that seeks to legitimize and promote AI and other cutting edge technologies in healthcare. 

Founder and former CEO of the American Telemedicine Association Jonathan Linkous and Mary Ann Liebert, CEO of Mary Ann Liebert Inc., have launched a new organization called PATH (Partnership for Automation and Innovation in Healthcare) that will work as an advocacy alliance to promote AI, robotics, and automation in healthcare. 

“AI and related innovations have already enabled industries such as banking, aviation, and entertainment to grow, provide higher- quality products, and allow consumers greater choice,” Linkous, who will serve as CEO of the new organization, said in a statement. “With spiraling costs, increasing need, decreasing resources, and rapidly advancing technologies, healthcare desperately needs to catch up.” 

The organization was founded with the goal of bringing together stakeholders, including health systems, payers, regulators, and other industry players, and finding ways to use technology to reduce cost and expand healthcare while improving the delivery of medicine, according to a statement. 

PATH will be membership based, and has already opened membership to the public and industry members. The organization will also be hosting an inaugural summit in Washington DC from September 30 to October 2, but details on the event are still trickling out. 

PATH’s website lists four major objectives: hosting an annual summit where thought leaders can collaborate; promoting the recognition and acceptance of the new technologies; overcoming barriers, including regulatory obstacles, provider and consumer acceptance, and payer policies; and developing a greater capacity for the technology in healthcare. 

The board of advisors includes leaders from Qualcomm Life, InTouch Health, The Global Telemedicine Group, and Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson health. 

Linkous spent 24 years at the American Telemedicine Association, which was founded in 1993 to promote access to medical care for consumers and health professionals. Since then, telemedicine made strides toward becoming a mainstream service in healthcare. 

While there are other AI-focused organizations, notably the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, this new alliance will focus exclusively on healthcare. 

“I am excited about the formation of PATH and look forward to combining forces to help bring these lifesaving technologies to patients in need,” Liebert said in a statement.