New whitepaper: Highlighting AI investments and procurement in healthcare

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

With Sweden's healthcare system under increasing pressure, a new whitepaper by AI Sweden aims to provide healthcare leaders with practical tools and insights to navigate the challenges and opportunities of adopting artificial intelligence.

A preview of some of the pages in the whitepaper

Whitepaper available for download as a full-length version or as a short version in Swedish.

The Swedish healthcare system is facing significant challenges. According to the Swedish Association for Local Authorities and Regions (SKR), regions and municipalities are expected to face deficits totaling SEK 30 billion in 2024. Rising costs, high inflation, and workforce pressures are adding strain to already stretched resources.

There is a lot of unrealized value in AI that can already make a difference in healthcare today. Many tools and solutions are ready to be used and can help streamline workflows, improve resource allocation, and support medical decision-making. The challenge lies in getting started – turning the opportunities into practice. Currently, development is being slowed down by lengthy procurement processes, fragmented working methods, and the lack of standardized methods for evaluating results.

Lorna Bartram

AI Transformation Strategist - Healthcare at AI Sweden

The whitepaper explores how AI can address systemic issues such as financial strain, workforce shortages, and growing patient demands while offering a framework to assess its impact effectively.

"We’ve received inquiries from multiple sources about whether there’s a model for AI investment and procurement in healthcare. We realized that this is an area lacking knowledge and structured approaches. In this first effort, we provide concrete examples of cost calculations and methodologies used by various regions. We see that collaboration among regions could be pivotal in sharing insights on investment evaluations, and we believe a national-level group is needed to jointly address these issues," says Lorna Bartram.

The whitepaper addresses several central areas

AI use cases in practice: Examples like AI for breast cancer detection in Stockholm and fall prevention in Västra Götaland show how targeted solutions can reduce costs, prevent errors, and improve patient outcomes.
The importance of ROI analysis: By offering a detailed framework, the whitepaper helps decision-makers calculate the financial and operational impacts of AI investments, emphasizing the need for both short-term and long-term evaluation.
Challenges and recommendations: It highlights barriers such as inconsistent IT infrastructure, knowledge gaps, and lengthy procurement processes. The paper also suggests practical steps, like piloting AI tools on a smaller scale and fostering collaboration between regions to share learnings.

The whitepaper aims to help decision-makers in the healthcare sector standardize how they evaluate AI's impact, fostering more collaboration and knowledge-sharing across regions. By introducing consistent frameworks and fostering collaboration, AI Sweden aims to promote the widespread adoption of impactful and sustainable AI tools.