HealthCareCAN is the national voice of action for hospitals, health authorities, healthcare and health research organizations across Canada. HealthCareCAN advocates in support of health research and innovation and enhanced access to high-quality health services for people across Canada and empowers health professionals through our best-in-class learning programs.
HealthCareCAN welcomes the opportunity to provide our input to the federal government’s consultation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Compute.
HealthCareCAN is committed to advancing the Canadian health sector’s leadership role in AI, seeking to contribute to the development of AI strategies that will drive innovation, enhance healthcare delivery, and strengthen Canada’s position in the global AI landscape. Recognizing the importance of AI in transforming the healthcare sector, HealthCareCAN aims to ensure that Canada’s AI initiatives are aligned with the needs of healthcare providers and patients alike.
HealthCareCAN, in collaboration with our members, specifically our Vice Presidents of Health Research (VPRs) Committee with members from health organizations across Canada, has identified several considerations for the federal government’s as it moves forward in securing Canada’s AI Advantage.
AI has the potential to transform and enhance healthcare delivery for providers and patients, leading to better health outcomes. High-demand areas for enhanced AI compute resources include imaging data, pathology, and predictive analytics, where the volume and complexity of data make AI an invaluable tool for enhancing diagnostics and decision-making.
The demand for AI compute resources in Canada’s health system is substantial, but the successful implementation of AI within healthcare depends on improving basic infrastructure first.
Interoperable electronic medical record (EMR) systems across institutions and the country, or at least standardized data models and legal frameworks for health data access, are critical for maximizing AI’s potential within the health sector. Healthcare organizations continue to highlight the inefficiencies caused by the current fragmented EMR systems across institutions, provinces and territories that prevent AI technology from being utilized. To address this, establishing clear interoperability standards and mandatory specifications for EMR systems is essential to ensure health records are accessible and usable for AI applications across the country.
Feedback from our members organizations indicates current access to computing resources needs include:
HealthCareCAN member’s key challenges in accessing compute resources include:
The health system must prioritize investments in robust information technology (IT) infrastructure, including adequately staffed IT departments, updated networks, and functional EMRs. By building this foundational capacity, Canada can support the adoption of AI across diverse healthcare settings, ultimately improving patient outcomes and system efficiency.
HealthCareCAN members have identified that to grow and scale their businesses or conduct research, they require access to:
To support infrastructure needs, existing programs and support mechanisms that could be leveraged include:
To support access to AI compute in the short term, the following new approaches should be considered:
The demand for AI compute resources within the health system is not only substantial but rapidly expanding, particularly in critical areas such as medical imaging, pathology, and clinical documentation. These domains generate vast amounts of data, making them ideal candidates for AI-driven innovations aimed at enhancing diagnostic accuracy, decision-making, and overall efficiency in healthcare delivery. This growing demand highlights the urgent need for sovereign and secure compute infrastructure that can support both current and future healthcare needs, as the digitization of clinical workflows and the integration of AI tools become increasingly widespread.
However, the readiness of healthcare organizations to adopt and implement AI technologies varies significantly. To address this inconsistency, it is essential to build capacity across the health system by ensuring that all organizations have access to robust, Canadian-owned compute resources that meet stringent privacy and security standards. HealthCareCAN members have emphasized the benefits of Canadian-owned infrastructure, including subsidized and controlled costs, adherence to local privacy laws, enhanced security and reliability, and the potential to leverage renewable energy sources. Additionally, comprehensive training and support mechanisms are necessary to equip healthcare professionals and organizations with the skills and infrastructure required to fully leverage AI technologies, thereby enabling a consistent and sustainable adoption of AI across the entire health system.
HealthCareCAN members identified several opportunities to incorporate Canadian-made computing hardware and software as part of Canadian AI Sovereign Compute Strategy, including:
Regarding attracting and retaining AI talent in Canada, HealthCareCAN members indicated the need to:
Collaboration models that would help support the industry/academic partnerships include:
HealthCareCAN and our members propose that, although all the models would be beneficial to address the immediate needs when working towards long-term infrastructure development, the optimal strategy/model for serving the health system and healthcare organizations is to focus on investing in the development of robust and secure infrastructure.
Specifically, we recommend a model where government funding is directed towards building scalable, hospital-standard-compliant computing facilities. This approach ensures the creation of high-performance, Canadian-owned infrastructure that can securely handle sensitive personal health information (PHI). By prioritizing long-term infrastructure development, we can achieve both immediate and sustainable improvements in computational resources, aligning with the unique needs and security requirements of the healthcare sector.
Investing in domestic compute infrastructure will require balancing priorities and addressing various stakeholder needs across the AI ecosystem. HealthCareCAN members noted that it is crucial to understand the unique requirements of different industry players and the research community to ensure that the solutions implemented have a lasting and positive impact.
In the next five years, the priority components or elements of National AI Compute Infrastructure include:
SUBMITTED
September 6, 2024
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Marissa Persaud
Research and Policy Analyst
mpersaud@healthcarecan.ca
Jonathan Mitchell
Vice President – Research and Policy
jmitchell@healthcarecan.ca
