We’ve been focused on sharing the benefits that artificial intelligence can provide to healthcare providers. The use of AI during the global pandemic has only served to increase interest (and scrutiny) of the technologies with 82 percent of executives leaning toward aggressive AI adoption strategies.  

We’ve explored how artificial intelligence has helped increase access to care via telemedicine and how AI has enhanced diagnostics and patient care. Today we’re wrapping up our three-part series by sharing how artificial intelligence can improve electronic health records (EHR) and have an operational impact on processes. 

Streamlining Processes 

Evaluating and treating patients is only one aspect of healthcare. Behind the curtain, there is much more to making hospitals, doctors offices, and treatment facilities run.  

Electronic Health Records 

When electronic health records (EHR) were rolled out, they were revolutionary. They have since led the charge in efforts to digitize patient records and make them accessible across organizations. Routine processes like refilling a prescription or notifying a patient that diagnostic results are ready can be streamlined through AI and EHR use.  

But, there has been a big downside to EHR use — paperwork. According to Adam Landman, doctor and VP/CIO at Brigham Health, adopters of EHR spend the majority of their time doing three things: 

• Clinical documentation 
• Order entry 
• Sorting through paperwork for more documentation to enter 

It’s a process that works — if you put in the work — and while natural language processing softwares are helping to improve data entry, Landman thinks things need to go further. 

“I think we may need to be even bolder and consider changes like video recording a clinical encounter, almost like police wear body cams,” said Landman.  “And then you can use AI and machine learning to index those videos for future information retrieval…” 

Operational Processes 

Many uses of AI in healthcare center around the doctor/patient relationship and care — as they should. But, there is the potential for AI to have a larger operational impact.  

According to KPMG, AI is also helping to address many operating risks. Tasks like tracking staff credentials and predicting supply issues during an emergency can be helped by implementing AI. In fact, technologies like  KenSci,can predict clinical, financial and operational risks. It can identify who might get sick and help administrators pinpoint what is driving up costs in their facilities.  

Operational processes that can be performed by AI include: 

• Invoice processing 
• Claims management
• Staffing and scheduling
• Vendor Contract Management
• Supply chain management

In essence, healthcare AI can improve workflow, cut back on waste, reduce errors and allow your healthcare teams to focus on more complex tasks than data entry.  

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You don’t have the time to chase poorly vetted assignments or deal with licensing and credentialing issues. That’s all part of what we do to make your experience as hassle-free as possible. We can offer you a unique opportunity to take control of your career with both telemedicine & locum tenens opportunities. Take a look at some of the positions we have available.