AI’s Role in Healthcare – Early Outcomes and Emerging Trends

In recent years, technological advancement in data science research, storage, and computation has ushered in the next wave of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and possibilities. These transformational tools are quickly re-shaping the way work gets done across industries. In healthcare, first-generation use cases leveraging generative AI (Gen AI), which can create text, images, and even suggest medical decisions, are beginning to demonstrate outcomes.

At AVIA, with support from the American Hospital Association, we are leading the charge in integrating AI technologies to enhance patient care, streamline operations, and improve outcomes for our Members. Here are two examples of the impact our members are experiencing with artificial intelligence:

Transforming Clinical Documentation at an Academic Medical Center

Generative AI is already proving its worth in clinical documentation and note-taking. Physicians and healthcare professionals spend a significant portion of their time documenting patient encounters, often leading to burnout and decreased productivity. Generative AI models can streamline this process by automatically generating accurate and comprehensive clinical notes based on the conversation between the provider and the patient.

Situation: A large AMC in the Midwest conducted an ambient documentation pilot program from September 2023 to February 2024, with 50 users across five specialties, the majority in primary care.

Goal: To measure and evaluate the impact of the ambient solution, the organization analyzed experience metrics, cost avoidance/efficiency, and revenue capture using both qualitative and quantitative data.

Results:

• For providers that utilized the solution for more than 40% of their appointments, there was a 29% decrease in both average minutes in notes per appointment and average minutes in notes per day.
• These same high utilizers increased monthly appointments by 7% and shifted towards a higher level of service.
• 100% of providers responded that they would like to continue using the solution post-pilot.

The AMC used these results to demonstrate ROI and receive approval to expand outside of the pilot group.

With many more health systems piloting solutions with similar results for administrative efficiency and provider satisfaction, ambient clinical documentation is quickly becoming table stakes.

Improving Patient Care with AI Chart Reviews at a Regional Health System

The rapid growth of healthcare data threatens to create a significant blind spot for clinicians. According to the World Economic Forum, physicians review only up to 3% of available data, leaving 97% of patient data unseen. This gap can lead to missed diagnoses, inefficient workflows, and lost revenue.

Situation: A large regional health system in the western United States is tackling this visibility gap with deterministic artificial intelligence models, helping clinicians provide better care.

Goal: By leveraging AI, this health system has streamlined the process of analyzing patient records, synthesizing key patient information, and ensuring accurate coding for diagnoses. After a successful pilot at one of its medical centers in 2022, the system expanded the implementation of the AI tool across all 33 acute care hospitals in six states.

Results:

• The deployment of this AI solution led millions in net new revenue due to increased case mix index (CMI) and complication/comorbidity (CC/MCC) capture.
• The AI-driven approach has expedited revenue cycle workflows, reduced denial appeals, and decreased administrative burdens. Clinicians have saved an average of 10 minutes per patient per day on follow-up documentation.

The AI solution integrates with the electronic health record (EHR) system to analyze patient data and provide clinicians with synthesized insights. This process helps clinicians make informed decisions more quickly by presenting a comprehensive view of a patient’s health status and history. By utilizing AI to interpret and compile data, healthcare providers can reduce the time spent on manual data entry and analysis, allowing more time for patient care.

The transformative impact of artificial intelligence in healthcare is increasingly undeniable, as evidenced by early outcomes and trends. From ambient clinical documentation to AI-driven chart reviews, gen AI is ushering in a new era of efficiency, accuracy, and enhanced patient care.

We are leading this charge, providing invaluable guidance and support to healthcare systems as they navigate this technological evolution. By leveraging our expertise, healthcare organizations are well-positioned to revolutionize their operations, improve clinician well-being, and deliver superior patient experiences. As AI continues to evolve, its role in healthcare will only grow, paving the way for more sophisticated and holistic approaches to patient care and management.

Unlock the Future of Healthcare with Gen AI with AVIA  

Navigating the potential of Gen AI for your hospital or health system can be challenging. To support you, we offer three tailor-made programs designed for your team to provide actionable, data-driven insights and accelerate your AI initiatives:

• 8-week Gen AI Accelerator Program

Ideal for those starting their Gen AI journey, this program provides educational materials, frameworks, market intelligence, and expert operational insights to fast-track your AI governance and responsible use.

• Gen AI Strategic Collaborative 2.0

Join 20+ leading health systems in pushing the boundaries of AI expertise, expanding use cases, and gaining actionable insights.

• Operational  Communities of AI Adoption

Enhance enterprise-wide AI adoption at the leadership level with our six-month specialized communities in Marketing, HR, Finance, and IT, which foster collective learning and strategic execution.

Join Rush, American Hospital Association, and AVIA on Wednesday, September 25, to discuss AI governance.