Close to 1,000 doctors, researchers, scientists, and hi-tech leaders gathered this week at Reichman University in Herzliya for Lema’anchem’s third annual conference on artificial intelligence in healthcare, where senior officials said AI is rapidly becoming the standard of care. Prof. Ran Balicer of Clalit said radiologists and other physicians who decline to use approved AI tools could soon be seen as falling below accepted practice, potentially exposing them to malpractice claims.
President Isaac Herzog, in a greeting sent from overseas, called the collaboration between Lema’anchem, leading medical centers, and academic experts a “force multiplier” in addressing national challenges. He praised the NGO, a past recipient of the President’s Volunteer Award, for professional and compassionate patient support.
AI seen as emerging standard of care
“In a not-too-distant time frame, a physician who interprets imaging without AI will not be practicing to standard and may be at legal risk,” Balicer said, adding that “the human eye cannot detect what an AI system can.”
A CEO panel featured Dr. Eitan Wertheim of Clalit Health Services, Prof. Eli Sprecher of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), Sigal Dadon-Levy of Maccabi Health Services, Prof. Orly Weinstein of Sheba Medical Center, and Dr. Michal Mekel of Rambam Health Care Campus. Wertheim said AI is already a primary decision-support tool for multiple conditions.
Dadon-Levy noted that documentation can consume up to 40% of a doctor’s time and stated that Maccabi has introduced an AI visit-summary system that records, processes, and drafts clinical notes for physician approval. Mekel said Rambam’s emergency department deployed an AI-based patient-management tool that proposes differential diagnoses and workups, emphasizing it supports rather than replaces clinicians.
Check Point founder and Israel Prize laureate Gil Shwed compared the AI wave to the internet revolution, saying those who opt out will be left behind. “The challenge is real, but our world is better than it was 30 years ago, and it will be better with AI as well,” he said.
Among those attending were Beny Steinmetz, chair of Lema’anchem’s Friends Association, Baruch Sheinberg, president of the conference, and businessman Benny Algam. The event was moderated by broadcaster Guy Zo-Aretz.
Reichman University presses for support of medical students
Prof. Uriel Reichman, Reichman University’s founding president and board chair, urged the government to end what he called unequal treatment of his school’s medical students, including wounded IDF veterans. He said public universities receive roughly 80,000 shekels per medical student and that the Health Ministry offers up to 360,000-shekel loans, convertible to grants upon returning to practice in Israel, for students who study medicine abroad, but not for Reichman’s students.
Reichman said the realistic annual cost to train a physician in Israel is 100,000 shekels, mostly covered by the state for other medical schools, and called for equal support for Reichman’s students. He noted that students at the new Dina Recanati School of Medicine contributed 13,000 reserve-duty days in the past two years. About one-third of these students come from Israel’s geographic and social periphery. This year, 155 new students are severely wounded IDF veterans, with 57 more who began their studies last year.
Prof. Arnon Afek, founding dean of the Dina Recanati School, said that 40% of students identify as traditional to ultra-Orthodox, emphasizing the successful integration of Haredi students in medicine. He added that while the school performs cadaver dissections as required by the Council for Higher Education, in his view, the requirement is unnecessary.
Dr. Miri Mizrahi-Reuveni, the school's head, emphasized the importance of research alongside early hands-on clinical exposure, starting from the first year.
Prof. Ayal Hendel of Bar-Ilan University outlined advances in gene therapy that replace defective genes with healthy ones, saying the approach is already yielding cures in specific cases. Dr. Nitzan Gonen presented laboratory-grown testicular organoids, which have potential implications for previously intractable infertility.
Prof. Eran Meshorer of the Hebrew University said embryonic stem cells open new avenues for modeling human diseases and early development, with clinical trials underway for regenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s. Prof. Irit Avivi, head of hematology at Ichilov, said AI is likely to become integral to physician workflows within a decade, improving accuracy, efficiency, and outcomes.
The program also featured Shahar Karni, founder and CEO of “Pnuta,” and Prof. Yuval Ebenstein of Tel Aviv University, founder of JaxBio, on AI-driven gains in blood-test interpretation.
Unity, outreach, and next steps
Clalit chair Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yohanan Locker saluted conference chair Yossi Erblich, Lema’anchem’s founder and chairman, for supporting medical students during wartime. Erblich said hospitals model unity, with Israelis from all backgrounds sharing waiting rooms without prejudice, adding, “After two difficult years of war, the nation seeks hope and cohesion. We must export this model beyond hospital walls.”
Former hostage Noa Argamani attended as an honored guest, drawing a standing ovation from participants.
Dr. Gadi Neuman, Lema’anchem’s vice president and head of research and innovation, said the organization handles approximately 30,000 requests annually and has recently opened an in-house mental-health counseling unit, which has grown rapidly amid the crises of the past two years.
Prof. Joseph Press, the organization’s president, said a new rehabilitation center for young people with anorexia is a top priority for the coming year, aiming to provide comprehensive care to help patients recover and return to healthy lives. “This will bring real hope to hundreds of patients and families,” he said.
“Within a decade at most, AI will be an integral part of physicians’ work,” Avivi said. “It will sharpen precision, raise efficiency, and improve results.”