HEALTHCARE
HEALTHCARE
Artificial Intelligence Boon in Healthcare Adaptions
Compled by Diane C . Walsh Editor , COMMERCE
Artificial intelligence ( AI ) is all around us from the way we shop , interact with our employees or employers , write reports , make doctor ’ s appointments and even order takeout . While there is debate over whether the government should impose limits , we hope AI will evolve to a wondrous tool . We spoke with leaders in the healthcare community about how they use AI for better patient care and operational efficiency . Here ’ s what we learned :
AtlantiCare Michael Charlton , MHL Interim President
AtlantiCare ’ s team uses advanced technologies , including artificial intelligence ( AI ), to actively engage individuals in getting preventive , diagnostic , treatment , and follow-up care and services . For example , at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center ( ARMC ), we ' re using AI to identify patients who are at increased risk for lung cancer based on incidental and targeted CT scan findings . An incidental scan finding could be a CT scan that an Emergency Department provider orders for a patient who has a heart issue . The Interventional Pulmonology Team at our Heart and Lung Institute ’ s Lung Nodule Clinic can use this information to follow up with individuals who have suspicious nodules to encourage them to get follow-up care . We ’ re also using conversational AI – known as a chat bots – on our website to help patients find care and schedule appointments with the appropriate provider and / or service throughout our healthcare system based on their specific healthcare needs . This technology prompts our website visitors to share their symptoms , questions or concerns . AI is one tool in our comprehensive approach to identifying our patients ’ needs and engaging individuals in getting timely , appropriate , quality care ; and providing them with the personalized care and support to meet their unique needs .
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center Deborah D . Visconi President & CEO
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center has used AI to improve patient care and to streamline and make our overall operations more efficient .
AI emerged as a solution to a problem during COVID as it helped with patient matching and allowed us to manage our data more efficiently at a time when we were treating , testing , and vaccinating an extraordinary number of patients . It now continues to enhance our ability to address social determinants of health through real time feedback allowing us to adjust our community health improvement plan more expediently .
One innovative way the Medical Center is using AI is to help us build applications that will automate processes . The more efficient we are , the more people we can serve , which is essential as a safety-net facility and the largest hospital in New Jersey . We recently piloted the use of Accushield Reputation Accelerator , which sends visitors and patients a survey based on their check in at our main entrance . The Medical Center gets real time feedback on our staff and services so we can make changes , address needs , and congratulate those staff members and department providing exemplary service .
Bergen New Bridge sees AI as a tool that can help expand our ability to communicate with those we serve . Our technology team is currently working on Chat Bots that will be able to engage with current and potential patients , answering their questions and directing them to resources and support before they even walk in our doors . Our team is also developing tools to help with translation , as many of the populations we serve speak a diverse group of languages including Spanish , Polish , Mandarin , Korean , and more .
Delta Dental of New Jersey , Inc . Dennis G . Wilson President & CEO
Delta Dental of New Jersey embraces the future of integrating Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) as a powerful support tool into our insurance operations to enhance and improve the customer experience for our over 1.9 million members . Our company is developing AI chatbots that provide immediate , personalized assistance to our clients . We ' re also looking forward to implementing AI to effectively act as a second set of eyes and efficiently analyze dental X-rays and documents in the claims image review process . We believe AI is a tool to complement human intelligence , not replace it . Human connection is vitally important , especially in the healthcare space . With every innovation , AI brings new levels of accuracy , consistency , and efficiency . AI is also propelling the dental industry into the future at full force and enhancing the very hands-on oral care our dental providers deliver , day in and day out .
EmpiRx Health Danny Sanchez CEO
At EmpiRx Health , we are using artificial intelligence to help our clients identify savings in their healthcare benefits — while simultaneously creating better healthcare outcomes for members within our plan . This is a win-win ; when employers are able to improve their bottom line while also having healthier workers , it means that they have turned their pharmacy benefits plan from an overhead expense into a performing asset that adds value to the organization .
Our population health management platform uses the Johns Hopkins ACG system , which examines health analytics to create a condition-neutral risk profile for each member . It scans the population for signals that clinicians may not otherwise be looking for , and uses AI to create alerts that can be reviewed by a human expert . For example , we had a member within our population who was prescribed injections by his physician . Our AI-driven system recognized that the recommended frequency of injections every six weeks exceeded FDA guidelines , and one of our pharmacists reached out to the doctor to recommend that the patient receive injections every eight weeks . The doctor agreed , and the patient ' s condition was successfully managed . The patient now has less risk of serious adverse reactions , and the plan realized a savings of more than $ 50,000 that would otherwise have been spent wastefully .
This isn ’ t technology merely for technology ’ s sake ; this is one of many examples of a tangible , AI-driven intervention that leads to better business results but more importantly , improved healthcare outcomes .
Danny Sanchez serves as CEO of EmpiRx Health ( www . empirxhealth . com ).
Gastroenterology Associates of New Jersey Dr . George Pavlou CEO
Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States . However , a new medical device that incorporates AI technology
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