We all knew it would be arriving soon, it was just a question of when. According to two hospital CEO’s and a digital health care executive, the time is now! Al has entered the healthcare arena. Hospitals, medical billing companies, physician office’s, etc., have all jumped onboard the Al train.
According to Paige Bennett (Crain’s Cleveland Business), Cleveland Clinic has begun exploring how to use Al in patient-caregiver interactions. Dr.Tom Mihaljevic, C.E.O. and President of the Clinic included the topic in his State of the Clinic address to the Clinic’s_ 81,000 caregivers. The Clinic is piloting an Al scribe powered by Nuance, a computer software company. The digital healthcare program will capture conversations between the patient and the provider and then in turn, summarize it in a digital medical note. Dr. Mihaljevic believes that this will give more time to the caregivers in order to have more meaningful interactions between themselves and the patient.
Also being piloted is an Al interface that will answer questions for patients rather than a provider. According to Mihaljevic, blind surveys have shown that patients have often found the Al-generated responses more compassionate, detailed, and timely than those written by caregivers.
University Hospitals (UH) based in the Cleveland area, has also taken bold steps in the Al initiative in 13 of its hospitals and dozens of outpatient locations. According to UH Chair of Radiology Dr. Donna Plecha they have been working with different companies in the Al space for years. The Al partnership which UH began rolling out at the beginning of this year, helps radiologists detect problems that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. The health system announced plans to deploy clinical tech company Aidoc’s platform aiOS across their hospitals and outpatient locations. This will provide UH access to 17 FDA-cleared Al algorithms for triage, quantification, care coordination and give immediate access to critical patient information, the health system says.
UH C.E.O. Dr. Cliff Megerian believes it is important to approach Al’s role in the health care space with the right amount of excitement and caution.
“I think we need to be very careful and not jump the gun and take baby steps as it relates to the implementation of artificial intelligence,” Mihaljevic said.
Jesse Corn, CPO with Zivian Health, is a member of the Forbes Business Council. He believes Al is a complete game-changer. In Forbes Dec. 1, 2023, he lists what he sees as the Pro’s and Cons of Al in healthcare.
The Pros and Benefits of Al In Healthcare
- Early Detection and Diagnosis
- Personalized Treatment Plans
- Telemedicine
- Remote Monitoring
- Enhanced Administrative Efficiency The Cons of Al In Healthcare
- Ethical Dilemmas
- Diagnostic Accuracy
- Data Privacy and Security
- High Implementation Costs
- Job Displacement
Jesse believes incorporating Al into healthcare has the potential to revolutionize patient care, improve outcomes, and streamline operations however it is critical to address the associated challenges, such as data privacy, diagnostic accuracy, and ethical considerations.
“As we continue to navigate along this transformative journey, a cautious and intentional balance between Al and human intervention will be key to responsibly harnessing the full potential of this transformative technology in healthcare,” according to Jesse.
How will Al impact us individually, as well as from a business perspective? Only time will tell.
There is, however, one aspect that I believe we all can agree upon….. Caution is of the utmost importance, as we move forward into the unchartered waters of our BRAVE NEW WORLD!
If you are interested in learning about healthcare opportunities we have for sale, or if you own a facility and would like to sell, you can reach out to Nancy Diller-Shively at nancy@ahcteam.com or (330) 612-2721.
Sources: Paige Bennet Crains Business & Jesse Corn CPO Zivian Health/ Forbes Dec. 1, 2023
