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Douglas Flora

Mar 24, 2025, 11:20

Douglas Flora: How do we implement AI in our organization when we don’t know where to start?

Douglas Flora, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare and ACCC President-Elect, posted on LinkedIn:

“‘First fire bullets, then fire cannonballs.’ – Jim Collins.

Waiting for the ‘perfect AI strategy’ is like waiting to become a professional swimmer before getting in the pool.

Every day I speak with healthcare leaders paralyzed by the same question:

‘How do we implement AI in our organization when we don’t know where to start?’ – Douglas Flora

The answer isn’t building a comprehensive, perfect AI strategy from day one. It’s about firing bullets before cannonballs.

As Jim Collins taught us in Good to Great, successful organizations don’t bet the farm on untested big ideas. They start with small, low-risk experiments (bullets) to learn what works, then commit resources to proven concepts (cannonballs).

Here’s what this looks like for AI implementation:

Start with ONE narrow problem that’s meaningful but contained.
Run a pilot with clear metrics and a 30-day timeline.
Involve frontline staff from the beginning.
Prioritize rapid learning over perfect execution.

Here are some low-risk ‘bullets’ that healthcare organizations can start with tomorrow:

Educational sessions for clinical teams (lunch-and-learns on AI basics).
Physician documentation assistance (ambient listening tools in 1-2 departments).
Radiology augmentation (AI overreads for mammograms or CT lung nodule programs).
Clinical trial matching (automated screening of candidates).
Administrative streamlining (updating tumor registries or coding assistance).
Patient outreach (AI-powered appointment reminders or satisfaction surveys).

These small initiatives require minimal investment, can be implemented quickly, and provide immediate feedback on what works in YOUR specific environment.

Remember: Your first AI initiative doesn’t need to transform healthcare. It needs to teach you what transformation looks like for your unique organization.

If you’ve started, tell us what bullet your place chose, and how it went-ok to mention specific products, our community is VERY curious about your experience!

If not, what is one small AI ‘bullet’ your organization could fire this month?”

Read more posts about AI in Healthcare at OncoDaily.com.

Douglas Flora