This past week, several Tech CEOs appeared with the president to talk about investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure in the United States. One of the CEOs discussed the seemingly unlimited potential that AI can deliver in the medical industry, suggesting that AI can help identify and isolate certain cancers early in their development, develop a vaccine, and talk more about “cure” than simply managing these diseases.
To the skeptics, that may sound more like science fiction than science. What most agree on, though, is that AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we conduct business, and that is certainly true for the medical industry. Quicker, more accurate medical diagnoses can be achieved already through AI, with advanced data analysis. Some point to the future when there may be AI-assisted robotic surgeries performed with the guidance of a physician on a computer somewhere else – such as when there is a need for surgical intervention on a battlefield, in a submarine, or even in outer space.
But meanwhile, back here on Planet Earth, let’s look at what AI can presently do for the medical industry in terms of reducing human hours and making systems run more efficiently. Here are a few ways it can help.
- Streamlined automation. With the assistance of AI, many routine administrative tasks such as appointment scheduling, billing, and data entry can be handled by AI, which in turn takes the pressure off healthcare professionals to fulfill these tasks when their time could be better served in other areas, such as patient care.
- Patient monitoring: Wearable devices which, when integrated with AI can monitor a patient’s vital signs and notify providers of changes or potential health issues. This can free up healthcare providers to be able to spend more time with patients who need the attention.
The magazine TechTarget suggests a few additional ways that AI can help in the medical industry. These include:
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs). These records store vast quantities of patient information. Formats within the EHRs can vary, making keeping records up to date and accessible a challenging and time-consuming ordeal. AI can streamline these processes, freeing up time for clinicians and administrative personnel. AI tools, including healthcare extraction tools, enable the sought after information to be accessed quickly. AI tools leverage natural language processing, where algorithms detect key components of language and utilize this to parse the rough test to find the sought after information. AI can sort through inconsistencies in medical records and convert those into the “language” of the EHR. Humans normally need to translate the data but AI tools can automate the process.
A Netsuite article cites the benefits of AI as helping in critical areas in the medical industry including:
- Transforming healthcare data management with sophisticated algorithms to organize and analyze large volumes of datasets from different sources including EHRs, insurance claims, financial data, clinical notes and imaging studies. This can create a comprehensive view of patient care and organizational performance in one database. These capabilities reduce the time and resources required to manage data while making sure data is consistently structured, clean and readily available for analysis.
- Providing greater administrative and operational efficiency by automating routine tasks such as appointment scheduling, billing and claims processing. AI tools quickly and accurately process larger volumes of data, meaning no need for manual entry and hands-on attention. AI-based scheduling systems analyze historical patient data, provider availability and resource utilization patterns to generate optimal schedules that minimize wait times and maximize resource allocation. Similarly, AI-driven billing and claims management systems automatically code and process claims, while detecting billing discrepancies or potential fraud before they occur.
- AI-powered inventory management tools help with forecasting demand for medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, surgical equipment, cleaning and maintenance supplies, cafeteria goods and even office supplies. These tools analyze historical inventory data, purchasing records and patient-utilization patterns to inform purchasing and stocking decisions. With more data and details, hospitals and healthcare providers can maintain more appropriate stock levels, reducing the risk of critical shortages that could delay surgeries, interrupt treatments or compromise emergency care, while also minimizing costs due to overstocking, expired medications or obsolete equipment.
- Financial Management: AI makes it easier to manage finances, from billing to budgeting. Tools can quickly detect and fix errors in medical coding during billing, reducing the chance of claim denials and speeding up payments. These tools can also predict which claims are likely to be denied by analyzing past denial patterns and highlighting potential issues before submission, giving billing staff the chance to work out issues proactively. Additionally, AI tools can analyze large quantities of financial data, including past payment patterns and patient demographics.
- AI systems with advanced analytics and algorithms can identify supply chain issues and predict potential disruptions in advance, examining historical data on supply and demand, lead times and transportation routes.
- AI can also automate aspects of compliance monitoring and reporting, once exclusively done by humans. These tools help with coding and billing guideline compliance, and even potential HIPAA violations and patient privacy breaches.
Artificial Intelligence is in many ways still in its infancy stages. Yet we are already seeing concrete evidence of how it can improve efficiencies with regard to streamlining document management, improving efficiency, and saving time. Whether a medical facility’s interest in improving documentation processes, improving efficiencies, or giving the medical staff a break from some of the more tedious chores (or a combination of all three), AI can be a great partner for any medical practice.
For all its advantages, though, it’s worth remembering that the best AI is only as good as the system that it supports. That’s where we come in. If you are looking for systems to help automate and store documents, and protect your information, from document storage to network protection (IT), visit https://pulsetechnology.com or give us a call at 888-357-4277. You might say that Pulse Technology has the perfect Rx for medical facilities and their technology needs.
