On June 11, 2025, The Joint Commission announced a partnership with the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI). Together, they’re building AI “playbooks,” tools, and a certification program to guide responsible use of artificial intelligence in care delivery.
This isn’t just another press release — it’s a mission-driven move by the nation’s leading healthcare accreditor and a 3,000-member AI consortium to bring clarity and rigor to an AI landscape that’s rapidly expanding.
“AI in healthcare must deliver operational clarity, not confusion.”
By combining The Joint Commission’s evidence-based standards with CHAI’s consensus best practices, this initiative will directly reach over 80% of U.S. healthcare organizations.
The industry’s AI dilemma
Healthcare leaders are caught between excitement and exhaustion.
Executives are being bombarded with solutions that promise everything from workflow automation to diagnostic miracles. A recent survey of 400+ leaders revealed:
- Nearly all believe AI (especially generative AI) will transform clinical decision-making.
- Only 30% of pilot projects have made it into full production.
- Barely half of organizations have a clear AI strategy.
Security, data integration, and lack of talent are stalling adoption — leaving a wide gap between promise and reality.
Workforce readiness: the knowledge gap
A HIMSS/Medscape survey painted a clear picture:
- 86% of clinicians, nurses, and executives said their organizations already use some form of AI.
- 72% called out data privacy as a major concern.
Hal Wolf, CEO of HIMSS, summed it up:
“A critical knowledge gap still exists around effective AI implementation.”
Front-line teams worry about lacking the expertise and infrastructure to safely harness AI. Without trust and training, adoption hesitates.
Why the joint commission–CHAI partnership matters
The partnership provides an authoritative filter for AI in healthcare.
When every vendor claims their AI is “revolutionary,” leaders need benchmarks rooted in evidence and best practices. A Joint Commission-backed certification could become the industry’s signal of quality and safety.
“It creates accountability for AI makers and confidence for AI adopters.”
Oversight beyond vendors
The American Medical Association recently adopted policy requiring AI tools to be explainable, transparent, and independently validated. This signals a growing demand for neutral standards instead of relying on developers’ own claims.
The Joint Commission and CHAI playbooks will turn these principles into practical frameworks — giving healthcare teams a way to separate smoke-and-mirrors from true breakthroughs.
Where AI is adding real value?
So, where does AI deliver the most impact today?
The biggest wins are in operational pain points:
- Prior Authorization
- Over 70% of pre-authorizations take more than a month to get approved.
- AI can cut this drastically, supported by the new HHS HTI-4 rule pushing for real-time electronic prior authorization.
- AI Scribes
- 30% of provider organizations have adopted AI documentation assistants system-wide.
- They reduce clerical burden and clinician burnout.
- Administrative Automation
- Insurance approvals, paperwork, scheduling, logistics — AI is already delivering ROI, efficiency, and time back for patients.
By contrast, speculative AI (like autonomous diagnosis of complex conditions) still needs rigorous validation before it scales.
Responsible transformation, not hype.
Even as AI becomes a national priority (the White House’s America’s AI Action Plan lists over 90 federal initiatives), winning isn’t about deploying the most algorithms.
It’s about outcomes, safety, and trust. Success in healthcare AI will be measured by:
- Better patient results.
- More efficient operations.
- Trusted, transparent systems.
Looking ahead
The Joint Commission and CHAI collaboration could be a turning point. With real guardrails, provider and payer organizations will be able to embrace AI that works and scale it safely.
“If we do it right, 2025 will be remembered as the year we pivoted from experimentation to true AI-driven transformation — one trustworthy implementation at a time.”
At Ascertain, this isn’t just theory. We’ve built our platform around the same principles the Joint Commission and CHAI are championing: clarity, compliance, and real-world ROI. Our agentic AI automates complex, high-volume workflows like prior authorization and clinical documentation — with humans in the loop for oversight. The result? Faster decisions, reduced burnout, and scalable outcomes that leaders can trust.