The Human Side of AI: Predicting Spine Surgery Outcomes

Ever since Corey Walker, MD, became a spine surgeon, the traditional measure of success focused on how well a patient was able to walk, bend or move after spine surgery. Now, with the help of artificial intelligence, Walker is measuring success differently. "The unique thing we're doing with this project is really focusing in on the pain medication part of it, because opioid addiction continues to be a challenge, and we are looking for ways to improve pain management after surgery," Walker said. Walker's team, in collaboration with the Cedars-Sinai Department of Computational Biomedicine, is using artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict which patients are most likely to successfully manage their pain post-surgery, and which patients might need additional assistance. "This project uses artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze millions of data points and predict which patients may need additional help with pain management after surgery," said Jason Moore, PhD, chair of the Department of Computational Biomedicine and acting professor of Medicine.