GI Genius: Advancing Early Cancer Detection

Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer when detected early. At OSF HealthCare, advancing early detection is central to delivering high-quality cancer care across the Ministry. Through the expanded use of GI Genius, an AI-powered clinical decision support tool for colonoscopy, OSF HealthCare is improving adenoma detection rates (ADR) and reducing variation in clinicians’ performance.

Launched as a pilot in partnership with OSF Innovation and clinical leaders, GI Genius has now expanded across multiple OSF facilities. Early results demonstrate meaningful improvements in detection performance and the potential to reduce colorectal cancer risk and mortality at scale, turning emerging technology into measurable patient impact.

Background

OSF is an integrated health system serving patients across Illinois and Michigan. With a strong commitment to innovation, OSF continuously evaluates and deploys technologies that enhance clinical outcomes, standardize excellence across sites of care, and improve the patient experience.

As part of its broader focus on advanced, high-quality care, OSF seeks solutions that can elevate diagnostic accuracy across the Ministry. Colonoscopy quality, measured in part by adenoma detection rate, represents a critical opportunity to improve outcomes across the Ministry.

The Challenge: Variation in Adenoma Detection

ADR is a key quality metric in colonoscopy and a strong predictor of long-term patient outcomes. Research shows that:

• A 1% increase in ADR is associated with a 3% reduction in colorectal cancer risk
• The same 1% increase corresponds to a 5% reduction in colorectal cancer-related mortality

While national ADR benchmarks have risen to 35% or higher, significant variation still exists among clinicians. Even small differences in detection performance can translate into missed precancerous polyps, delayed diagnoses and poorer outcomes.

OSF recognized the need for a scalable, evidence-based approach that could support clinicians in real time while also providing transparency into performance and offering improvement opportunities.

The Solution: GI Genius

GI Genius is an AI-powered tool designed to assist physicians during colonoscopies by identifying potential polyps in real time. Acting as a second set of “digital” eyes, the system highlights areas of concern on the screen as the procedure is underway. This method supports, but doesn’t replace, clinical judgment.

Pilot and Evaluation

The genesis of the GI Genius initiative reflects the culture of innovation at OSF. The idea to explore AI-assisted colonoscopies was brought forward by gastroenterologist Omar Khokhar, MD, whose frontline clinical experience highlighted both the opportunity to improve ADR and the potential of emerging technology to support that goal. OSF actively encourages all Mission Partners to identify challenges, propose solutions and champion ideas that can improve care. Dr. Khokhar’s leadership exemplifies how innovation at OSF begins with those closest to the work and is strengthened through organizational support.

In 2024, the Performance Improvement team at OSF Innovation partnered with Dr. Khokhar to launch the GI Genius pilot using their discovery, validation and pilot framework. The pilot focused on assessing both clinical impact and feasibility across real-world practice settings.

Key elements of the pilot included:

• Deployment of GI Genius units at selected sites
• Baseline measurement of ADR prior to go-live
• Ongoing performance tracking after go-live
• Clinician-level and site-level analysis of outcomes

The technology was paired with robust analytics support from the Healthcare Analytics team at OSF Innovation. This combination enabled clinicians to not only use AI at the point of care, but also receive clear, personalized feedback on their own ADR performance over time.

The pilot emphasized transparency, learning and clinician engagement, ensuring that AI adoption was grounded in trust, data and real clinical value.

Results and Impact

Early results from the pilot showed an average 6.5% increase in the adenoma detection rate across several sites and clinicians.

In multiple locations:

• ADR increased by double-digit percentage points after GI Genius implementation
• Improvements translated into estimated reductions in colorectal cancer risk and cancer-related mortality
• Thousands of patients’ lives were positively impacted through enhanced detection

While results varied by site and clinician, the overall trend demonstrated that AI-assisted colonoscopies could help raise performance, support consistency and catch more precancerous lesions before they progress.

Just as importantly, clinicians gained clearer insight into their own performance, enabling data-informed improvement without adding unnecessary burdens to their workflow.

Scaling Across the Ministry

Based on the pilot’s success, OSF approved the broader deployment of GI Genius across the Ministry with strong support from hospital and clinical leaders.

By the numbers:

• Since 2024, 24 GI Genius units have been deployed across 14 OSF facilities
• An additional 12 units at four more facilities are targeted for deployment by 2027

This expansion reflects an ongoing commitment to provide consistent, high-quality cancer diagnostics regardless of where patients receive care.

Positioning for the Future of Cancer Care

The expanded use of GI Genius supports broader efforts by OSF to strengthen its cancer services and deliver advanced care across the system. By combining clinical expertise, AI and analytics, OSF reduces unwarranted variation in clinician performance, improving early detection and reinforcing its role as a leader in cancer diagnosis. This initiative demonstrates how thoughtful implementation of AI can produce real-world impact for both patients and clinicians.