By Colin Gelfer
The healthcare industry is ever-evolving and striving to improve, especially in areas such as patient experiences and outcomes. But with so many moving parts and the complexity of the healthcare sector, it is hard to know where to begin. With the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), there is an opportunity for healthcare organizations to leverage data to improve patient outcomes. While there are numerous technologies aimed at improving both user and patient experiences, organizations need to truly understand the capabilities of AI and ML to utilize these technologies to the fullest.
However, for AI and ML to work, there must be existing data to use. So much data is generated during the patient journey through a health system but many organizations struggle with the fundamentals of basic reporting and analytics. Knowing what sources to pull data from and how to pull it together in a meaningful way seems daunting. This is where AI and ML can help. With the right technology, organizations have the chance to use data to drive better patient outcomes while raising the standard of healthcare.
Let’s look at three capabilities that AI and ML offer in the healthcare space.
1. Bringing new therapies to market faster
A growing trend in healthcare is using a data-driven approach to bring new therapies to market more quickly. For example, many leading Pharmaceutical companies are looking to leverage data and analytics to improve the administration of clinical trials. When people think of clinical trials they often think of research into new molecules and compounds. But there is a whole administrative process for enlisting subjects, managing clinical sites and classifying potential adverse effects that can be made more efficient with predictive models and analytics. By just focusing on clinical operations Pharma companies can help minimize the time it takes for patients to have access to new therapies.
2. Predicting the likelihood of readmission
Patient readmission in the home health care space can be very expensive and frustrating to both patients and caregivers. The ability to anticipate patients that are more likely to be readmitted to a long-term care facility helps with patient outcomes but it also addresses the issue of growing health care costs. With an AI-backed solution, predicting the likelihood of a patient being readmitted by looking at factors like therapy compliance and missed appointments, home health care providers can proactively engage patients and address the issues. If providers can anticipate a potential readmission event there is a significant opportunity for real cost savings. And with more and more patients seeking to receive care in the home, these solutions can have a tremendous impact.
3. Provide more personalized care
With non-compliance placing a significant burden on the healthcare system and influencing the increased prevalence of diseases, personalized patient treatment plans are becoming more popular. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all solution. With the rise of wearable technology and health-focused mobile apps, actionable recommendations can be surfaced in real-time to better serve the patient. With AI and ML, these technologies give patients greater access to their doctor’s and treatment plan, dietary needs and restrictions, and prescribed medicine schedules, while providing on-demand assistance and reminders. And because different patients need different levels of information and assistance, the more personalized treatment plans providers can create, the more they can reduce compliance issues, ultimately reducing disease and illness.
AI-powered predictions and recommendations are no doubt the future of healthcare. In fact, experts like Gartner look to data and analytics as some of the biggest opportunities for the healthcare sector in 2019. With the ability to collect and harness data, healthcare organizations can begin to improve both provider and patient experiences and outcomes. And this is just the beginning. Data, in combination with AI and ML, holds the power to create a healthier world.
About Colin:
Colin Gelfer is SVP of Industries and Solutions for Atrium. He has been helping clients transform how they engage with their customers for over 15 years. Prior to Atrium, Colin was Senior Vice President of Sales for Appirio, a leading systems integrator focused on cloud platforms.
About Atrium:
Atrium is a next-generation consulting services company that helps advise, implement and optimize artificial intelligence and analytics solutions. Fusing together the leading elements of math, programming, consulting and industry expertise, Atrium is helping enterprise companies define the customer experience ecosystem by navigating the world of Machine Learning and AI. Founded in 2018, Atrium has become one of the fastest companies to achieve the gold partner status with Salesforce and has customers across the financial services, higher education, healthcare, and life science industries.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
