Collaborative Expertise To Drive The Future Of AI In Healthcare

Going forward, you can expect this shift in healthcare and treatment to only pick up steam. This is because of AI's critical role in analyzing the enormous amount of data being generated. This analysis offers insights into the greatest challenges and opportunities in the healthcare space. You can expect to see benefits that support the overall employee experience, from cost savings to improved clinical outcomes. To fully understand the future of healthcare and AI, it's critical to look at what’s happening in the world and where that leaves the industry.

How AI In Healthcare Is Increasing Value And Improving Outcomes

Patients have been generating ever-increasing amounts of data, with telehealth and virtual primary care solutions fueling this trend. A desire to receive care away from the doctor's office and hospital means that AI applications will have even more data to enhance analysis and influence recommendations. Think of hospitals using machine learning and AI technology to improve disease predictions for conditions such as cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease. In one instance, researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center worked with IBM Watson's Genomic product to perform big data analysis and identify treatment options for patients with tumors that featured genetic abnormalities. Health insurers often have some of the largest health data repositories that continue growing rapidly. The more data we have, the more powerful and accurate predictions it makes.

Going Beyond Clinical Into Meaningful Human Connection

Applications have extended well beyond traditional clinical boundaries. AI software is being used to support workplace wellness, earning higher levels of trust for wellness messaging. In fact, a global survey of 8,300 human resources (HR) managers found that 64% of workers trusted conversations with chatbots over communication with their managers.

In a time where employers are grappling with mental health in the workplace, this is a powerful finding. AI's "discretion" and objectivity around personal matters are discussed in HR spaces to encourage employee comfort in initiating potentially embarrassing or uncomfortable conversations.

AI has also made great strides in expanding the capabilities of wearable technology – a category of sensor devices worn as accessories. Wearable technology can help people connect and support each other while working remotely or at multiple locations. Virtual wellness activities can include tracking fitness or exercise, sleep habits, meditation, or drinking enough water.

AI and machine learning goes beyond providing valuable insights into current health issues. Employers can receive predictive insights that alert them to important trends, patterns, and risk factors for serious conditions such as thyroid disease, stroke, or opioid dependence. Then, AI can deliver action steps to help leaders intervene with effective treatments, disease management resources, and risk mitigation strategies. These insights can also make it possible to create plans for care efficiency, identifying drug savings, and helping employees avoid unnecessary procedures. The same can be said about virtual primary care solutions that use AI to narrow down hundreds of millions of medical data points, guiding managers and employees in making better healthcare decisions.

The Future Of AI In Healthcare Promises To Be Far-Reaching And Impactful

You can expect to see more hospitals diving into AI, too. A national study of 200 revenue cycle, finance, IT, and C-suite decision-makers found that, by 2023, 98% of healthcare leaders plan to use AI in revenue cycle management to improve results in areas such as claims accuracy and claim denial rates.

In the world of employee well-being, new technology like emotion recognition technology is one example of a tool companies are looking for to help measure employee satisfaction. This branch of AI registers employee emotions, potentially helping companies assess real-time connections, ushering in a new era of employee wellness and proactive support.

AI will continue to be a key driver in healthcare technology and innovation –– enabling employers, employees, and healthcare professionals to take past information, learn from it, adjust it, and realign it with future care predictions. Optimizing technology in this way will help lead to better benefit plan decisions and smarter ways to support organizational health, as well as help improve whole-person care.

The Virtual Primary Care experience is offered through an arrangement with Hydrogen Health.