Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a powerful tool in Indiana’s health care system, aiding physicians in diagnosing diseases, streamlining administrative processes, and improving patient outcomes.

Hospitals, health systems, and practices across Indiana are embracing AI-powered solutions ranging from natural language processing tools that automate clinical documentation to advanced imaging systems for heart patients.

“AI has the potential to reduce burnout by cutting down on administrative burdens, especially for primary care physicians,” said Teresa Lovins, MD, chair of the Indiana State Medical Association’s Board of Trustees. “We’re seeing tools that can transcribe patient encounters in real time and even draft notes for review — it’s a game changer.”

Christopher Osan, MD, says Powers Health Partners in Valparaiso has begun using two AI-based apps. OpenEvidence is a free, unlimited app for health care professionals, featuring multimedia and clinical findings from The New England Journal of Medicine. It also offers patient handouts. It is the only AI to score above 90% on the United States Medical Licensing Examination. 

Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Copilot automates note-taking, referral letters, summaries of evidence, after-visit summaries, encounter summaries, and coaching. 

“AI, in the past six months, has changed the way I practice medicine,” Dr. Osan said. “It has freed up a lot of my time not having to be a stenographer.”

Indiana health systems lead in AI adoption
Indiana University Health has launched pilot programs using AI-driven software to support radiologists and pathologists in reviewing imaging and biopsy results. The technology flags anomalies and recommends follow-up steps, helping clinicians act faster while preserving clinical oversight.

Indianapolis-based Community Health Network is expanding the use of an AI platform that automates chart reviews. The system identifies care gaps and supports pre-visit planning, giving physicians more time for direct patient care.

Beacon Health System in northern Indiana became the first in the state to adopt the CathWorks FFRangio system, a non-invasive AI-based heart imaging platform. It transforms traditional angiograms into 3D models, allowing cardiologists to detect arterial blockages with precision.

Evansville-based Deaconess Health System is leveraging AI in its hospital operations command center to optimize patient flow, resource use, and emergency room capacity in real time.

AI is also being deployed to identify social determinants of health. Some Indiana practices use predictive modeling to find patients at risk for housing insecurity, transportation barriers or food shortages — enabling timely referrals to community resources.

AI innovation from Indiana-based companies
Indiana is also home to a growing ecosystem of health care technology companies leading the AI revolution:

• Authenticx (Indianapolis) uses AI-powered conversation analytics to help health care organizations understand patient sentiment and improve engagement, compliance, and service delivery.
• hc1 (Indianapolis) applies AI in real-time bioinformatics. Its platform enables precision testing and prescribing by analyzing lab results and clinical data to optimize care decisions.
• LifeOmic (Indianapolis) builds cloud-based platforms for precision medicine. The company’s AI tools integrate clinical, genomic, and wearable data to support personalized care and disease prevention.
• InfraWare (Terre Haute) specializes in AI-enhanced medical transcription. The InfraWare 360 platform uses speech recognition to help physicians reduce time spent on clerical work.

AI in medical school
At Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM), AI is being incorporated into various aspects of medical education and research. The school has embraced AI to enhance diagnostic capabilities, particularly in pathology, where AI tools assist pathologists in analyzing complex data more efficiently. This integration allows physicians to focus more on nuanced diagnoses, improving patient care outcomes.

IUSM also offers continuing medical education modules, such as "How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Health and Health Care," co-led by experts from IU’s Regenstrief Institute. These programs aim to educate health care professionals on the evolving role of AI in clinical settings, emphasizing both opportunities and ethical considerations.

Balancing innovation with ethics
Despite the promise of AI, medical leaders stress the importance of maintaining ethical guardrails.

"It is imperative to assure that artificial intelligence in medicine is used first and foremost as a tool for improving and streamlining essential patient care, while being always watchful for unintended consequences,” said William Pond, MD, president of ISMA.

To support responsible integration, the ISMA will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to offer continuing education and guidance on best practices.

“AI has or will touch every aspect of the delivery of healthcare,” said David Welsh, MD, MBA, ISMA past president and AMA board trustee. “Oversight of the utilization of AI needs to be under the purview of physicians, especially in the hospital setting, where care and safety standards are set by the organized medical staff. AI can and should be an aid to the physician, but it can not overrule the clinical decision-making of the physician.”

Regulation
The American Medical Association (AMA) has established a task force focused on digital health, technology, informatics, and augmented/artificial intelligence. This initiative aims to guide the ethical and effective integration of AI into healthcare, ensuring it enhances physician capabilities and patient care. The AMA refers to AI as "augmented intelligence" to emphasize its role in supporting, rather than replacing, human decision-making. The organization has developed policies addressing AI development, deployment, and use, focusing on areas such as oversight, transparency, generative AI governance, physician liability, data privacy, and the use of AI by payers and automated decision-making systems. 

Additionally, the AMA has conducted surveys to understand physician sentiments toward AI, revealing growing enthusiasm and adoption among healthcare professionals. The organization also offers resources and CME opportunities to help physicians navigate the evolving landscape of AI in healthcare.

Over the last few years, states have been developing their own laws around AI and decision-making systems. At least 550 AI bills have been introduced across 45 states, including measures to regulate data-analysis software used in job applications, mortgage lending, and other areas.

The sweeping budget reconciliation bill approved by U.S. House Republicans last week includes a freeze on any state-level AI laws for 10 years to allow Congress to consider national legislation. Exceptions would include laws that “remove legal impediments to, or facilitate the deployment or operation of” AI systems. The AI law moratorium was packaged with a $500 million appropriation to modernize federal IT programs with commercial AI systems. The moratorium still must pass the U.S. Senate, where it faces pushback from senators in both parties.

*Editorial note: ISMA is not endorsing any companies or applications mentioned in the news article.