AI is changing everything in society but is making its greatest inroads in the healthcare industry. From data aggregation from wearable devices to patient diagnosis, AI is revolutionizing healthcare.
While some of the most sophisticated technologies are focused on physicians, patients are increasingly able to incorporate AI into their everyday lives to improve their own health and well-being, as well as self-advocacy with their physicians and insurers.
AI As a Patient Agency Aid
AI is proving to be a powerful tool in increasing patient agency. By assisting patients in understanding and making informed decisions about their health, AI can provide additional information regarding a health concern and suggest next steps to gain further clarity and support.
AI can also help improve communication between doctors and patients by giving patients the opportunity to role-play with an AI acting as a physician in order to practice structuring future conversations with their doctors about diagnostic options and personalized treatments. This practice grants them greater control in the examination room, potentially creating a more robust exam room experience.
AI in the Doctor’s Office
Currently, doctors are utilizing AI to create efficiencies in closing communication loops on patient questions and concerns. AI is suggesting and providing responses to assist in making appointments, expediting prescription refills, and providing context to test results. In addition, AI is often employed to assist in creating organized chart notes using a patient’s own words. These AI “scribes” can improve overall communication between doctors and patients, with patients reporting they experienced increased face-to-face interaction with their doctors during appointments. Doctors are also implementing AI in drafting responses to patient messages, training the models to craft empathetic and informative responses to patients’ questions and concerns.
These AI tools can reduce doctors’ “pajama time,” time physicians sped outside of work hours dedicated to administrative tasks instead of personal or family time, and have the potential to reduce doctor burnout, which can lead to improved quality of life for physicians and quality of care for their patients.
In the near future, AI will assist in triaging patient concerns, recommending appropriate follow-ups, and even alerting providers to patients’ concerns, practices that can provide efficiency to otherwise busy clinics.
Wearable Devices, Medical Data Collection, and AI
Wearable devices for health purposes have become more prevalent and sophisticated, from relatively simple devices that measure the number of footsteps to earrings that can track sleep patterns and stress levels. These devices are part of the growing trend of “personalized medicine” and have become popular as patients seek greater control over their health and well-being.
AI is collecting data from these devices to create more accurate tables than the self-reporting many patients perform, providing doctors and their patients with a clearer picture of recent trends, which can assist in therapeutic interventions. Remote monitoring (using devices to measure weight and blood pressure, for example) is increasingly common for those with chronic conditions, allowing for timely interventions that prevent hospitalizations and severe decline.
However, some researchers and developers have noted the potential vulnerability of technologies to cyber-attacks, such as ransomware, and the risk of sensitive medical information being stolen, calling for more rigorous protections over this information to be implemented. Patients should consider both the benefits and potential drawbacks when considering a wearable device.
AI and Insurance Claims
Navigating healthcare insurance is becoming increasingly difficult. AI is now used by insurance companies to review insurance claims, creating another barrier to recommended care and adding complexity for both patients and doctors to appeal rejected claims. However, AI models are being created to empower patients to challenge and appeal rejections by assisting patients in understanding the complex appeals process, writing personal appeal letters, and helping clinicians support patients’ claims.
Earlier this year, Counterforce Health reported a story of a young mother using their AI model to challenge an insurance denial and winning $2,000 in maternity charges. Another patient utilized Claimable Inc.’s AI to successfully reverse her insurance’s denial of coverage for her arthritis medication.
AI and Healthcare: Final Thoughts
AI is inevitably and rapidly changing healthcare for both doctors and patients, creating a landscape that can feel overwhelming. Optimistically, as AI models mature and become increasingly complex and accurate, there is a vision of the practice of medicine that restores human connection while allowing information systems to organize and clarify complex data, while leveling the playing field between payors and those who hold the contracts.