Artificial intelligence is here to stay in healthcare, and the industry’s biggest companies, such as CVS Health, are making significant contributions to the technology.
But deploying AI requires a workforce that is ready for the revolution. Against this backdrop, CVS rolled out its internal AI Learning Academy. The academy aims to educate employees about the real-world applications of technology and how it can impact and improve workflows.
This program was built in collaboration with internal human resources and technology leaders. Greg Karanastasis, CVS’ senior vice president of talent development, told Fierce Healthcare that the goal is to build something bigger than just a training program.
“I don’t think of the goal of learning as training anyone,” he says. “The way I thought about this was, ‘What is AI? What is AI not? What can AI do for them? What can’t they do? How can we give people confidence in their understanding? And how is AI going to change the experiences they see every day?'”
Another element of the program was to allay workers’ fears that AI technology would replace them. Sherif Kamel, corporate chief digital and technology officer, said in an interview that employees are well aware of the layoffs and the role AI will play in them.
Therefore, making sure employees understand that technology is not a threat, but supports their daily work, is important to ensure they see the benefits, he said.
“We never thought of it as a replacement for individuals,” Kamel said. “It’s like a way to package up all the things you don’t want to do every day and let AI do it for you.”
He said that assurance was gained by involving not only engineers but also the human resources team.
CVS has made significant investments in both patient care and internal AI implementation, so employees feel the technology is pervasive in their workflows, Karanastasis said. What they were unclear about, he said, was how exactly they were supposed to use it.
That’s why when we rolled out the AI Learning Academy, the training was tailored to the needs of individual teams, highlighting how AI specifically benefits them and how it impacts their daily work. The program will also feature speakers who will discuss the ethical and safe use of AI, giving workers an outside perspective on the topic, Kamel said.
“To really understand the technology, you have to do this in pocket work, because it’s not the technology that’s introduced first, it’s the workflow processes that you need to understand. Break those down into tasks, and then think about where the technology can help your employees,” Karanastassis said.
Kamel said employees often find themselves in two positions. Many people voluntarily sought out AI training in advance and were very enthusiastic about leveraging the technology. Some rejected the use of AI outright and told their teams they would not use it.
Meeting different groups where they are and bridging gaps was a challenge the team had to address through the Learning Academy, he said. It also further emphasized the need to personalize training for different segments, Kamel said.
“When you do an AI week for a finance team, it’s different when you do an AI week for a pharmacy team, because you have to lead by example,” he said.
Mr. Karanastasis said that certain customized workshops are combined with basic AI literacy training as a foundation.
In addition to ensuring different parts of the business implement the program, Karanastassis said it’s important to ensure company leaders are working with the AI Learning Academy and engaging front-line teams on how CVS is using AI.
“I would say they were drawn to this because they know what this means for their future employees,” he said.
Beyond the impact of technology on day-to-day work at CVS, the academy also provides an opportunity for employees to gain skills that they can carry with them even after they leave the company, Kamel said. As AI becomes more widespread, there will be an overall higher expectation that workers will feel some level of comfort with it, he said.
“This is part of investing in the team, whether they stay with the same organization, have liquidity or decide to leave the company,” he said. “We try to equip them with skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.”
