Unity Health Toronto has effectively harnessed AI in its hospitals by maintaining a clear vision for value creation, meticulously planning for deployment from the prototype stage, and integrating clinicians and leaders – the people who will ultimately use the AI tools – into the development process.
Muhammad Mamdani, Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health, and his team shared their expertise with Swedish regions through webinars this spring (watch three recorded seminars here). Recently, a Canadian delegation visited Sweden to gather insights from Swedish experiences.
Mamdani envisions immense potential for collaboration between Sweden and Canada, emphasizing their shared values of curiosity and practical application:
"We share similar values—being inquisitive about what can be done and practical in achieving outcomes."
Unity Health’s applied AI team has implemented over 50 AI models across its three hospitals, establishing itself as a global leader in this field. AI is one of the network's core strategic areas and is deeply ingrained in the network's operations.
Last week, AI Sweden welcomed a delegation from Unity Health as part of a collaboration initiated in the fall of 2023. The Canadian delegation met with Swedish hospitals and regions and visited innovation ecosystems in Gothenburg and Stockholm, including AstraZeneca at GoCo Health Innovation City, KI Science Park, and KI Innovations.
"Learning from global leaders in AI usage is crucial for bringing valuable knowledge back to Sweden. Unity Health has shared its expertise through spring webinars, and their visit deepened those discussions, enabling them to bring Swedish insights back to Canada," says Lorna Bartram, Transformation Strategist - Healthcare at AI Sweden.
Several potential collaboration areas were identified throughout the week, including AI applications in production and resource optimization. These areas align with Sweden's challenges of tight regional budgets and staffing shortages.
"There are some projects we should start with that are very tangible, practical, and applied to make a difference. For example, on the administrative level, how do we make our flow more efficient and minimize ‘no shows’? Many patients are scheduled but don't show up. There are gaps in the schedule. How do we fill those gaps efficiently so our clinicians can provide services more effectively and patients can get care faster?" says Mamdani.
A key lesson was the importance of addressing quick-win projects with precise, immediate needs and visible operational impacts. These projects can serve as proof of concept and build momentum for more ambitious initiatives.
"It's important to focus on projects we can do fairly quickly. Down the road, as we learn and mature, we can focus on larger projects that will more significantly impact the care we deliver to patients," says Mamdani.
Juulia Suvilehto, Data Scientist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, is one of the Swedish healthcare representatives who participated in all webinars:
"Learning from Unity Health's experience developing and deploying practical data science solutions has been inspiring. It has prompted us to rethink how we organize our internal work, prioritize projects, and ensure our initiatives reach deployment rather than stopping at the proof-of-concept stage," she says.
"It's challenging to pinpoint one most important lesson," she notes. "Every session had several 'aha' moments. But if I had to choose one, it would be their practice of only starting a project after evaluating how the solution will provide value. This approach has inspired us at Sahlgrenska University Hospital to be more explicit about the expected benefits of a project from the very early stages," says Juulia Suvilehto.
Johan Åhlén, Chief Architect & Chief Data Officer at Region Skåne, echoes this sentiment:
"We have gained tremendous value by learning about their organizational structure, processes, resources, and competencies. The most important lesson for me is building strong internal and external collaborations, such as with academic centers and industry," he says.
In December 2023, AI Sweden and Unity Health signed a letter of intent to collaborate on integrating AI in health care. The partnership will focus on identifying valuable applications and implementing AI in health care settings. The collaboration started in 2024, with plans to scale up in 2025.
Unity Health, comprised of St. Joseph’s Health Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Providence Healthcare, serves patients, residents, and clients across the full spectrum of care, spanning primary care, secondary community care, tertiary and quaternary care services to post-acute through rehabilitation, palliative care and long-term care, while investing in world-class research and education. It has built and launched over 50 AI models and other analytical tools to support healthcare and administrative staff. These tools range from monitoring hospitalized patients to simplifying scheduling. Consequently, the quality of care has improved with tangible reductions in mortality and readmissions, and the work environment for staff has become more balanced. For instance, a patient monitoring model allows for better distribution of responsibilities among staff, resulting in a more even workload across the care team.
"We are very grateful for how generously Unity Health has shared practical examples of operationalizing AI development and implementation. There has been great engagement from Swedish hospitals and regions, and we now look forward to the next phase of identifying concrete collaborations," says Nina Lahti, Transformation Strategist - Healthcare at AI Sweden.
Presentations from three of the seminars are now available:
Introduction to Unity Health Toronto: An introduction to how Unity Health Toronto has built its AI lab, the skills and teams they have recruited, the resources they have at their disposal, and the goals that drive their innovation efforts.
AI Development and Implementation at Unity Health: A description of the process from idea to implemented AI solution, with a continuous focus on creating actual value in the organization.
Data Management and Integration at Unity Health: About the underlying work with data, the challenges involved, and the skills needed to create the conditions for AI applications in healthcare.
We've gathered our episodes related to AI in healthcare for you to enjoy. Among other things, you will learn more about our knowledge exchange with Unity Health Toronto, how to work with AI in a systematic way, and what it's like going from pilot to production.