AI can provide the support patients need to focus on getting better – MedCity News

The advent of healthcare marketplaces was supposed to usher in an era of consumerism in the industry. Instead of taking health provider or family recommendations at face value, people would use the data available to them to make more informed, rational choices. Economists have estimated that more than $30 billion could be saved if people avoided the EDand chose lower-cost providers.

If only healthcare was that simple.

Often, researching options for the lowest-cost providers or avoiding the emergency room is more than one person can handle. Were expecting too much from patients. Asking them to also behave as a consumer of healthcare is unrealistic. Its time for technology developers to step up and step in by arming health providers with the support and technology resources they need, so patients can receive the best care possible.

The current healthcare system requires two roles one person to experience the clinical side of healthcare (the patient) and one to manage the operations (the consumer). While some people are fortunate to have someone who can be their consumer, many others dont. Instead, they have to remember their medications, follow up on paperwork, set appointments and manage other responsibilities while undergoing clinical care. Essentially theyre operating as their own caregiver.

The Internet of Healthcare Report conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Olive found patients spend an average of 19 minutes recovering lost passwords in healthcare. The healthcare industry espouses the time savings that AI and automation can provide. Mostly, we hear about the time savings providers will see 90 minutes on average from avoiding operational work. But we forget to mention (and value) the time patients spend on healthcare administrative work. This is time sick patients dont have. Its time that is uncompensated. And often it falls on women to make time for this.

When we say healthcare should be consumer-driven, what we mean is caregiver-led. At its most extreme, healthcare is punishing and could even be dangerous for people without help.

People need someone (especially if they have more complex conditions) to manage the nonmedical aspects of care. But for those without a companion or person they trust, AI can step in and fill that role. Technology can help with some of the tasks traditionally handled by a caregiver.

Patients often say that having their medical history accessible to them could help improve outcomes. Thats something a human could provide, but AI can support. Its the equivalent of a friend who remembers things for you. Everyone deserves this kind of friend.

AI can transfer information between sites, create smarter privacy controls and remind patients of the passwords they spend 19 minutes looking for. AI can take on this operational role and save patients precious time and energy.

When organizations invest in AI, theyre offering a service that can step into that role for their patients. By investing in AI, organizations support both patients and their caregivers.

Its possible that patients wont know they have an AI caregiver. They wont digitally enter or retrieve data themselves. Instead, the information they need will have already been sent where it needs to go. Its the behind-the-scenes work that makes this a seamless, supportive experience, and that allows patients to ultimately focus on whats most important: getting better.

Photo: metamorworks, Getty Images

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AI can provide the support patients need to focus on getting better - MedCity News