Technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), provides a promise for a better future in healthcare. By using advanced algorithms, machine learning (ML), and more, AI can help improve both the patient experience and care. As the world turns more digital, AI's implications for healthcare can mean more access and lower expenses for patients, and less overwhelm and burnout for healthcare providers.
Here are some of the top ways that AI is bringing new innovations to healthcare.
Administration and paperwork are some of the largest costs of healthcare. In fact, the administration has an incredible impact on any organization's bottom line and accounts for about 30% of the total costs of healthcare. Getting pre-authorizations, organizing information, maintaining records, and following up with patients take up a significant amount of time and employee effort that could be spent elsewhere.
AI is uniquely suited to ease the administrative burden of healthcare. From automatically filing claims to organizing patient records to creating auto-reminders for patient follow-up, AI can cut down on repetitive, manual work. When this happens, medical offices and hospitals can spend more of their money and energy providing service for patients and less time on mundane tasks.
Too often, medical tests provide small snapshots that may not completely capture a patient's health. Tests can be cumbersome and only available in a hospitalized setting, leading to higher costs and greater inconvenience. Plus, medical treatment is often most effective when conditions are caught early before symptoms spiral out of control.
Wearables, which utilize AI, bring better care to patients by assessing their health without unnecessary visits to the hospital, remissions, or expensive tests. Devices such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit can help medical providers measure biomarkers like heart rate, oxygen levels, and sleep quality to more accurately and completely capture patients' health status. Wearables can also alert medical professionals to an issue before symptoms become severe. Meta-analysis shows that AI correctly diagnoses disease in 87% of cases, compared to 86% of healthcare professionals.
Anyone who has run into an issue with their billing or had to make an appointment knows how frustrating calling and sitting on hold can be. Many customer service teams are overwhelmed with too many requests and too few reps to answer them.
AI can provide better customer service for patients with virtual assistants and AI chatbots. Patients can use assistants and bots to fulfill simple requests and get quick answers to their questions. Whether patients are checking to ensure paperwork was received, scheduling an appointment, or asking a simple question, AI chatbots can provide fast and accurate service.
Chatbots can transfer more complicated requests, like working out an issue with billing, to the appropriate representative. That way, patient service representatives won't waste time on simple questions and can provide more attentive service to patients with more complex needs. That approach lowers service costs while helping patients get their issues resolved quickly.
AI has transformed nearly every industry, and healthcare is no exception. Patients can get more proactive and improved care without added burden or expense. It can potentially reverse many of the constraints and struggles that make healthcare expensive and inaccessible for many patients.
Want to see how AI can transform your patient care? Contact a Helpware expert today to see how we can help you create put AI to work for your organization.