CHIME19 Fall CIO Forum: Dr. Eric Topol on the Future of AI in Healthcare

Recently, Dr. Eric Topol captured vivid images of his heart, abdomen and left foot, among other things, using only a handheld ultrasound tool and a smartphone.

“A total-body medical selfie,” said Topol Wednesday at the CHIME19 Fall CIO Forum in Phoenix, where the photos were projected onto screens during his closing keynote address. “This all took a matter of minutes.”

But when Topol experienced abdominal pain, his doctor ordered a standard CT scan, which ultimately captured the same details. The cost: $2,800.

SUBSCRIBE: Become an Insider for access to exclusive HealthTech videos, white papers and articles.

This was one of several examples that Topol, a well-known doctor, author and founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, cited in his speech. Intuitive technologies that use artificial intelligence and deep learning — and in some cases leverage tools that many people already own, he said — boost accuracy in diagnosis, save money and ease physician burnout.

Functions can be as simple as Apple Watch’s electrocardiogram application, which can detect atrial fibrillation before an adverse event. Or they can be complex: AI-assisted colonoscopies that identify polyps and signs of cancer in less than a second have been developed in Japan.

“You don’t want to go through this procedure and have things that are missed,” Topol said.