Healthcare systems in the US are utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address huge challenges, such as managing patient emails and documenting patient visits. There are different forms of AI being used to assist medical personnel with mundane activities, such as cleaning up and organizing doctor’s inboxes, translating audio conversations with patients into summaries, and creating staffing plans. This assistive AI will save providers time and reduce healthcare spending.
AI has previously been used to diagnose cancer and rare conditions, but healthcare systems are hesitant to use the technology for clinical care when the stakes are higher. To ensure AI tools can accurately produce results in a secure way, healthcare systems are testing the technology in smaller pilot programs.
Four health systems have shared how they are using AI to tackle challenges. For instance, Sutter Health in California is exploring AI solutions to manage the large volume of patient messages to providers, in partnership with Epic and Microsoft. UPMC in Pittsburgh has been using AI for many years and are testing a tool called Abridge to improve the documentation of patient visits. Tampa General Hospital is utilizing AI to improve staffing plans and provide more efficient patient flow. Finally, Ardent Health Services in Nashville has implemented virtual nurses to do the tedious, time-consuming aspects of patient care.
The mentioned company Palantir Technologies is a software company in Silicon Valley that creates data-mining software for many industries, such as government and finance. In partnering with Tampa General, it is using its software to create staffing plans based on what the nurse managers say the unit needs for each shift.
The person mentioned in this article, Dr. Albert Chan, is the Chief Digital Health Officer at Sutter Health. Chan is responsible for exploring AI solutions to address challenges that health systems face, such as managing emails and connecting with patients. He and his team are working with Epic and Microsoft to develop AI tools to enable fast and accurate responses to patient messages and improve patient care.
Overall, US health systems are utilizing AI to make mundane tasks more efficient, which will enable providers to spend less time at their desks and more time with patients. The technology is still in its infancy and further developments are needed to make sure the technology is used securely and accurately. Despite this, implementing AI in healthcare holds the potential to significantly reduce healthcare spending while improving patient care.
