URAC President and CEO Dr. Shawn Griffin joined the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast to discuss what responsible leadership requires as artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes health care.
Drawing on decades of experience as a practicing physician and former chief medical information officer, Dr. Griffin described how AI is entering clinical and operational workflows faster than regulation can keep pace. The question for leaders is not whether to adopt AI, but how to ensure it is deployed safely, ethically and transparently. “Technology is moving faster than the rules,” he said. “Organizations needed guardrails.”
That leadership mindset informed URAC’s launch of the first Health Care AI Accreditation, designed to provide independent oversight for both developers and users of AI tools. The program establishes foundational standards in governance, regulatory monitoring, data protection, ethical conduct and clinical oversight which helps organizations move forward with confidence.
“You need controls if you’re going to go fast.”
Dr. Griffin emphasized that thoughtful frameworks do not slow innovation. They enable it. “If you’re going 200 miles an hour, you still wear a seatbelt,” he said. “You need controls if you’re going to go fast.” As federal policy shifts and state requirements evolve, voluntary accreditation offers a consistent, national approach that leaders can rely on to protect patients and providers while advancing innovation.
“Our goal is to help organizations do this right,” Dr. Griffin said. “To protect their patients and their providers.”
