Dr Iyer on Digitizing NCCN Guidelines for AI at the Point of Care

Renuka Iyer, MD, chief medical officer of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), explains how the organization is digitizing its clinical practice guidelines so that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can read them accurately. In this interview from the 2026 North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) Symposium, she also outlines 3 ways NCCN is working to make the guidelines more accessible at the point of care. The discussion centers on how structured, verifiable guideline content can reach the places where treatment decisions are made.

Iyer says 59 of the 92 NCCN guidelines have now been digitized using structured data. She notes that large language models (LLMs) struggle to read algorithms. To address this, NCCN has converted the guidelines into carefully annotated sections so that the closed AI built within the NCCN guidelines can read them more accurately.

Iyer also points to a key difference between this approach and other AI tools. The NCCN system is a closed loop with guideline scientists working behind it, so the organization can verify and cross-check the reports it generates. She says other AI tools currently available do not offer that level of validation.

The first route to the point of care, Iyer explains, is the digitized guidelines themselves, along with an AI tool that will soon be available within them. The guidelines are also licensed to OpenEvidence, a platform she notes clinicians frequently consult, particularly in community oncology.

The second route is a broader effort to build an AI-enabled care environment. This includes work on interoperability standards and on immediate prior authorizations, with the goal of ensuring patients receive the drugs they need at the point of care. Iyer identifies 2 foundational steps in that effort:

• Standardized terminology for regimens and lines of therapy
• Converting all content, including the compendia, into Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) format

The third route is continuing education. Iyer observes that people are excited about AI and want to use it. They still need guidance on how and where to apply these tools. Through its continuing education efforts, NCCN aims to support everyone using the guidelines at the point of care.