Nation’s Leading Health Systems and Industry Experts Launch AI Care Standard™ to Guide Safety in Patient Communications

Groundbreaking initiative establishes a standard for responsible patient-facing AI

CLAYMONT, Del., Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A coalition of the nation’s most respected health systems, patient-safety leaders, and clinical and technology innovators today announced the launch of AI Care Standard™, the first-ever operational standard focused exclusively on AI that communicates directly with patients.

As AI-generated messages increasingly reach patients at scale—through portals, chatbots, care navigation tools, and automated outreach—healthcare organizations lack a clear, consistent way to evaluate patient-facing AI against the same safety standards expected of clinician-patient communication.

“AI is outpacing governance and oversight,” said Raj Ratwani, PhD, Vice President of Scientific Affairs at MedStar Health Research Institute, where he leads national research in clinical safety, human factors, and healthcare AI. “The AI Care Standard provides the structure and rigor needed to evaluate and deploy AI responsibly in one of healthcare’s highest-impact, highest-risk domains: communication with patients.”

The AI Care Standard was created to address a growing gap in healthcare: while innovation has accelerated, clear, enforceable expectations for safe, responsible patient-facing AI have not. Built for real-world use, the Standard is designed for rapid adoption by health systems, digital health companies, and care delivery organizations.

“The AI Care Standard establishes clear guardrails for how AI should be evaluated and used in patient communication—so innovation can advance without compromising patient safety, trust, or adding to clinician burden,” said M. Bridget Duffy, M.D., co-chair of the initiative and the nation’s first Chief Experience Officer at the Cleveland Clinic. “It defines a shared standard the industry can rely on as patient-facing AI becomes integral to everyday care.”

The AI Care Standard translates high-level principles into a practical, healthcare-ready framework that defines what safe, responsible AI-driven patient communication must deliver in practice: accuracy, clarity, transparency, and accountable governance.

The Standard consists of a set of 10 Core Pillars, developed by the PatientAI Collaborative™ cohort, that move beyond aspirational ethics to establish operational requirements spanning safety, equity, governance, and real-world usability for patients, families, clinicians, and care teams.

To support adoption and accountability, the Collaborative has also introduced the AI Care Standard Evaluation Framework™, a questions-driven evaluation and audit tool designed to assess whether AI systems that interact with patients meet the Standard. The framework guides organizations through a structured review of how AI-generated communication is designed, governed, monitored, and experienced by patients in real care settings.

To learn more about the AI Care Standard™, including the Core Pillars and the Evaluation Framework, visit here.

Founding members of the PatientAI Collaborative™ include:

CO-CHAIRS

Duffy, Bridget, MD — Former Chief Patient Experience Officer, Cleveland Clinic; Healthcare experience evangelist
Ratwani, Raj, PhD— Vice President of Scientific Affairs, MedStar Health Research Institute (MHRI)

CLINICAL & HEALTH SYSTEM EXPERTS

Adirim, Terry, MD, MPH, MBA — Physician Executive; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; Former VA Program Executive Director of EHR Modernization
Collens, Steven, MBA — CEO, MATTER
Dash, Dev, MD, MPH — Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford University Department of Emergency Medicine
Drenkard, Karen, PhD, NEA-BC, RN — President, Drenkard Healthcare Consulting
Erskine, Alistair, MD, MBA — Chief Information Digital Officer, Highmark Health
Gold, Jeffrey A, MD — Associate Chief Health Information Officer for Advanced EHR Training, Learning Health Systems and Data Stewardship; Co-Director, Center for AI Enabled Learning Health Science, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
Liu, Tina HsinTing, CPA, FACHE — Executive Director, Office of Enterprise Data, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
Nye, Kelly — Vice President, Marketing & Digital Strategy, HCA Healthcare
Rogers, Jeremy — Vice President, Digital Marketing and Experience, Indiana University Health
Sammer, Marla, MD, MHA, FAAP — Vice Chair, AI and Innovation; Professor, Baylor College of Medicine / Texas Children’s Hospital
Woods, Adrienne, MPH — Vice President, Digital Engagement, Hackensack Meridian Health

PATIENT, CAREGIVER, AND CONSUMER ADVOCATES

Daley Ullem, Beth, MBA — President, Quality and Safety First; Co-Founder, Patients for Patient Safety US
Hemmelgarn, Carole — Co-Founder, Patients for Patient Safety US
Sharp, Janae — Executive Director and Founder, Sharp Index

TECHNOLOGY ADVISORS

Patzer, Aaron, MSEE — CEO, Vital
Sterling, Nick, MD, PhD — Chief Medical Information Officer, Vital

EXECUTIVE LEADS

Dow, Christine, MBA — Founder & Managing Partner, Wheel+Dow
English, Kathy, BSN, RN — Chief Marketing Officer, Vital
Wheelan, Julie, MBA — Founder & Managing Partner, Wheel+Dow

About the PatientAI Collaborative™

The PatientAI Collaborative™ is a cross-sector coalition of health systems, clinicians, patient advocates, researchers, and industry leaders working to advance safe, responsible, and human-centered AI in healthcare. Convened to address the rapid expansion of AI-driven communication with patients, the Collaborative develops practical standards, evaluation tools, and shared guidance to help healthcare organizations and digital health companies deploy patient-facing AI in ways that protect patient safety, preserve trust, and support clinicians. Visit www.aicarestandard.com.

Wheel+Dow, LLC

Strategy, executive advisory, and program management for the AI Care Standard™ initiative were provided by Wheel+Dow, an independent health and consumer wellness brand and growth consultancy with deep experience working alongside health systems, nonprofits, and technology innovators.

Media Contact: Marcia Rhodes / [email protected]
Supreme Communications

SOURCE PatientAI Collaborative

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