Why AI offers long-term benefits in improving outcomes
The use of artificial intelligence can reduce provider burden, enabling clinicians to focus more time on curing diseases.
The integration of artificial intelligence into healthcare is transforming how diseases are managed, diagnosed and treated. The technology’s ability to engage patients and educate them about their conditions while alleviating the burden on healthcare providers enhances clinical outcomes and improves the overall healthcare experience for both patients and providers.
By fostering a more collaborative relationship, AI is paving the way for more productive clinic visits, better care and improved health outcomes.
A study entitled The Potential Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Health Care Spending highlights AI’s potential to bring significant cost savings to the healthcare industry. The study estimates that wider AI adoption could reduce annual healthcare spending by 5 percent to 10 percent, or about $200 billion to $360 billion annually in 2019 dollars. These savings are based on specific
AI-enabled use cases that are achievable within the next five years, without compromising the quality or accessibility of care. This study underscores AI’s transformative potential in enhancing care delivery and making healthcare more sustainable and efficient.
Engaging and educating patients
Patient engagement is crucial in managing chronic diseases like diabetes. When patients are actively involved in their care, they are more likely to adhere to treatment plans, make informed decisions and maintain better health outcomes. AI enhances patient engagement by providing personalized educational resources, reminders and real-time data analysis.
AI-driven applications deliver tailored content to patients, helping them better understand their conditions and empowering them to take charge of their health. For example, a patient with diabetes might receive daily tips on managing blood sugar levels, reminders to take medications or alerts about potential complications. This continuous engagement keeps patients informed and motivated, which is essential for long-term disease management.
AI also bridges the knowledge gap between patients and providers. Many patients struggle to understand medical jargon and complex treatment plans. AI tools simplify this information, presenting it in a more accessible format, ensuring that patients have the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their health. This enhanced understanding fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility in patients, which is crucial for effective disease management.
Reducing provider burden
While AI empowers patients, it also significantly reduces the workload on healthcare providers. One of the most challenging aspects of modern healthcare is the extensive documentation required in electronic health records systems. Providers often spend more time interacting with their computers than with their patients, leading to decreased job satisfaction and increased burnout.
AI technologies, such as ambient listening systems and AI-driven documentation tools, help alleviate this burden. These tools automatically generate clinical notes based on patient-provider interactions, reducing the time providers spend on data entry and enabling them to focus more on patient care. This shift from administrative tasks to patient-centered care improves provider efficiency and enhances the quality of care delivered.
AI also streamlines workload messaging and communication within healthcare teams. For example, AI-powered systems can prioritize messages based on urgency, ensuring that critical information is addressed promptly while less urgent tasks are managed efficiently. This capability reduces the cognitive load on providers, enabling them to work more effectively and with less stress.
Enhancing shared decision-making
AI in healthcare facilitates shared decision-making between patients and providers through advanced search and summarization tools. Shared decision-making is a collaborative process where patients and providers work together to make informed decisions about treatment options, considering the patient’s preferences, values and unique circumstances.
AI-driven search and summarization tools, such as search and summarization within Meditech’s Expanse, enhance this process by quickly gathering and synthesizing relevant patient information from vast amounts of structured and unstructured data within EHRs. These tools provide both patients and providers with comprehensive, data-driven insights during consultations.
For instance, when discussing treatment options for a patient with diabetes, AI can pull together relevant information from the patient’s medical history, lab results and previous treatments, as well as the latest clinical guidelines. This summarized data enables the provider to present clear and accurate options, ensuring that all critical factors are considered. Patients then can review these options with their providers, discuss potential risks and benefits, and make decisions that align with their personal goals and lifestyle.
This process not only empowers patients by making complex medical information more accessible but also supports providers in delivering more personalized and effective care.
With the help of AI-driven summarization, providers can ensure that no important details are overlooked, leading to more accurate diagnoses and optimized treatment plans. As a result, shared decision-making becomes a more meaningful and informed process, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.
Reducing burnout, enhancing quality
Provider burnout is a significant issue in healthcare, often driven by the high demands of the job, extensive documentation requirements and the pressure to deliver high-quality care. AI has the potential to alleviate some of these pressures by reducing the administrative burden and enabling providers to spend more time doing what they do best — caring for patients.
By automating routine tasks and providing real-time support, AI enables providers to work more efficiently and with less stress.
This reduction in burnout risk is crucial for maintaining a healthy, motivated workforce capable of delivering the best possible care. Providers who are less overwhelmed by administrative tasks and more focused on their patients are more likely to experience job satisfaction and provide higher-quality care.
AI is reshaping the landscape of healthcare by enhancing patient engagement, reducing provider burden, and improving clinical outcomes. As AI continues to evolve, its ability to facilitate patient-provider collaboration will become increasingly important. Providers will be able to focus more on their patients, and patients will become more engaged and educated about their health, leading to better overall outcomes.
Randall Brandt, PA-C, has nearly 30 years of experience as a physician assistant at Mile Bluff Medical Center in Mauston, Wis., and played a pivotal role in his organization's MEDITECH Expanse implementation.