Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) Releases Comprehensive Governance Playbooks to Streamline AI Implementation for Health Systems

New guidance across 8 domains developed by broad team of CHAI members provides a step-by-step roadmap for transparent, trusted AI governance

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) released its series of in-depth governance playbooks. Developed by a series of CHAI community workshops and workgroups that included 150+ health AI leaders, these playbooks provide the essential baseline controls necessary for healthcare organizations to implement AI safely and transparently. They provide examples, suggested implementation guidance, tools, and resources to help with the application of controls – all with the goal that organizations can integrate these controls into existing processes. Therefore, offering a standardized approach to governance that can be adapted for any organization's unique context.

"We've been hearing the increased need from our members for practical, consistent, and comprehensive guidance for responsible AI deployment," said Dr. Brian Anderson, CEO of CHAI. "Our working groups set out to tackle this challenge, and I'm encouraged by how much collaboration from across the industry occurred to deliver today's playbooks. These efforts don't just help to define responsible AI, they intend to make it usable for healthcare delivery organizations across the country – regardless of resource level and all with the goal of translating AI innovation into high-quality care for every patient."

CHAI's playbooks were developed through a series of workshops, multiple calls for feedback, and collaboration across 100+ healthcare organizations, including academic medical centers, regional care facilities, community health centers, and more to ensure they reflect the needs of diverse care settings. These playbooks also provide a framework to achieve the voluntary certification Joint Commission is developing and will soon release.

"We wanted to make sure the playbooks reflected the realities of the organizations that would use them," said Merage Ghane, PhD, Director of Responsible AI at CHAI. "What are the challenges, lessons learned, and resources needed to make responsible AI actionable, were just a few of the questions that guided our work."

While the playbooks define the baseline controls for responsible AI, they are intended to be interpreted within the specific context of each organization, hospital, and health system. They address eight critical elements of responsible AI use:

• Organizational AI Policy
• Organizational Structure
• Organizational Resources
• Responsible AI Lifecycle Management
• Risk and Impact Assessments
• Responsible Data Management and Use
• Third Party Management
• Education, Training, and Feedback

"We see firsthand that AI is changing healthcare at a scale never seen before," said Dr. Jonathan Perlin, President and CEO of Joint Commission. "These new playbooks are another step forward in the promise made last year by Joint Commission, CHAI, and other groups to help ensure healthcare organizations are prepared to implement AI safely and responsibly for the best possible patient care and outcomes for all."

"These resources bring much needed structure to one of the most important challenges in healthcare AI: turning good intent into governed, measurable, and sustained practice," said Taylor Rhodes, Responsible AI Program Director at Mercy Health. "They give health systems a common operating language for responsible AI while still allowing each organization to adapt governance to its own mission, workflows, maturity, and risk tolerance. This work reflects where healthcare AI governance must go next – not just setting expectations, but building the repeatable evidence, ownership, and oversight needed to adopt AI safely, transparently, and with trust."

"The CHAI governance playbooks represent a constructive and practical addition to support responsible AI use in health care, particularly within community health centers and safety-net settings," said Chandra Beasley, Director of IT at the South Carolina Primary Health Care Association. "The guidance reflects an understanding of the capacity constraints, shared-services models, and regulatory responsibilities that characterize the health centers we support. It offers a risk-based, scalable approach that can be adapted to local context. Ultimately, the playbooks provide a useful reference for health centers seeking to approach AI adoption in ways that promote patient safety, advance health equity, and maintain trust in community-based care."

The CHAI governance playbooks are publicly available here. For more information on membership, access to the playbooks, or the CHAI Partner Program please visit www.chai.org. These playbooks will serve as a guide for CHAI's Governance Platform Partners to map to controls, giving health systems a transparent way to identify solutions aligned to a consistent framework.

About Coalition for Health AI (CHAI)
CHAI was started by clinicians. The coalition's mission is to build the broadest possible consensus across the health ecosystem to help ensure health AI is trusted, secure and safe. The CHAI membership is open and rapidly expanding. Today, we consist of more than 3,000 members including health systems, patient advocacy groups, academia, and a wide range of industry start-ups and incumbents. CHAI is committed to convening and dialogue to achieve consensus. There are no limits to who can join and participate. Learn more about CHAI membership at chai.org/membership.

Media Contact
Andrea Heuer
Coalition for Health AI (CHAI)
917.914.5563
[email protected]

SOURCE Coalition for Health AI