The future of artificial intelligence
It’s likely that the media outlet you count on for news and information includes multiple articles on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on numerous industries as well as how it could change our personal and professional lives. The applications of AI in healthcare are just beginning to emerge—from chatbots used for patient communication and scanning radiological images for early disease detection, to technology that creates personalized treatments, just to name a few.
Beginning with The AI Transformation, four HealthTrust Physician Advisors—Shay Bess, M.D.; Jeffrey Carter, M.D.; Genevieve Everett-Sigwalt, M.D.; and Michael Hicks, M.D.—weigh in with their perspectives on this emerging technology. If you are attending the HealthTrust University Conference, be sure to register for the July 18 program featuring three of those physicians, titled Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: An Interdisciplinary Look at the Use of Devices.
In her profession as an electrophysiologist, Dr. Everett-Sigwalt has seen tremendous growth in the number of patients utilizing consumer wearable medical devices to measure heart rate and rhythm along with the increasing sophistication of the AI that is paired with those devices. Because the accuracy of the technology is significantly better and the information is increasingly more usable, it can potentially eliminate some forms of testing, or speed to diagnosis decisions and treatment, based upon what data or “event” the tech device has already captured.
AI’s future is being written
There is certainly much more to come on the yet-to-be-charted waters of this new technology. And, as with many new tools, there are pitfalls and reasons to be cautious. We are all witness to additional headlines that contain stories of where AI has gone wrong or how it has been misused by those looking to make a quick buck or perpetuate some other falsehood. It will be interesting to watch as AI evolves and the history is written on its many positive and possibly life-saving uses. All four of the Physician Advisors interviewed are in agreement that the future of AI in healthcare is full of possibilities. It has the potential to increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve both outcomes and the patient experience. It could also change the way medicine and care are delivered hereafter.
AI & HealthTrust
The Medical Device Management (MDM) team at HealthTrust continuously monitors the market for new technology and trends, and artificial intelligence is one of those emerging entities. Chris Stewart, VP of Medical Device Management at HealthTrust, shares his perspective in the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Healthcare. When it comes to the application of AI through medical devices, the MDM team can assist members with an analysis of acquisition cost, service and expected value.
Members of HealthTrust’s Strategic Sourcing team are collaborating with IT resources to determine how best to work with suppliers in regard to the unintended adverse effects of new technology, such as AI. Contracts have to include risk mitigation language to ensure that AI and other components of medical devices that contain data are protected from hacking and related forms of misuse. We will have more on this topic in the Q4 edition of The Source. In the meantime, stay well.
John Young, M.D., MBA, FACHE
Chief Medical Officer, HealthTrust
Executive Publisher & Editor-at-large, The Source magazine
Email thesource@healthtrustpg.com to request assistance from the Medical Device Management team or to share how you are using artificial intelligence in your clinical or surgical practice.
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