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<\/a>\nThe paper details how Included Health developed and piloted a clinically governed AI assistant designed to provide safe, accurate health guidance for routine questions while escalating higher-risk situations to qualified clinician support. At a time when more people are turning to public AI tools for quick medical answers, the paper makes the case for a different model in healthcare: one built to recognize risk and communicate limitations clearly, with appropriate human oversight.<\/p>
\n\u201cAt Included Health, we believe healthcare AI should be held to a higher standard than general-purpose tools. People deserve timely support, but they also need a model they can trust to provide accurate, safe guidance,\u201d said Ami Parekh, MD, chief health officer at Included Health. \u201cThat means building for the realities of care from the start \u2014 being clear about what AI should and should not do, recognizing when risk is higher, and making sure clinical expertise is part of the experience when it matters most.\u201d<\/p>
\nThe model reflects Included Health\u2019s broader AI + EQ approach<\/a> and is built around four core principles:<\/p> \nDuring the seven-week pilot, Included Health deployed the risk-stratified assistant to 50% of its patient population and manually reviewed 100% of clinical interactions daily. Clinical review found the approach maintained a high level of safety, and reduced unnecessary handoffs for standard-risk questions by 65%, giving more members instant and clinically-appropriate guidance for their healthcare needs. Patient experience also remained high and on par with the comparison group.<\/p> \n\u201cWe believe the framework described in this paper offers a practical blueprint for how healthcare organizations can deploy patient-facing AI with safety, transparency, and human oversight built in from the start,\u201d said Ankoor Shah, MD, vice president of clinical excellence at Included Health. \u201cThat is the standard this industry should be building toward \u2014 and the kind of governance that can help raise the bar for how these tools are deployed and trusted across healthcare.\u201d<\/p> \nThe full paper, \u201cBlueprint for Safety: Implementing a Clinically Governed AI Digital Assistant for Patient Guidance,\u201d appears in the July 2026 issue<\/a> of NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery.<\/p> \nAbout Included Health<\/b><\/p> \nIncluded Health is a new kind of healthcare company that delivers personalized all-in-one healthcare to millions of people nationwide. We provide healthcare access, answers, and advocacy through a modern experience designed to treat people better \u2014 mind, body, and wallet. It\u2019s all included: comprehensive virtual and in-person care, system-wide navigation and care coordination, and 24\/7 support for every clinical and administrative need. Our members see better doctors, experience better outcomes, and have more healthy days, all at lower cost. Learn more at includedhealth.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n