Artificial intelligence is now more widely used than ever before. What was once the focus of science fiction is now in many of our pockets as the virtual assistant on our cell phone. As this amazing technology becomes more prevalent, various industries are learning how to harness it to become more efficient and delight their customers. The healthcare industry is no different. AI offers quite a bit to healthcare, and its use is likely to grow. Let’s look at some benefits and challenges of using artificial intelligence in healthcare.
How is artificial intelligence used in healthcare?
Artificial intelligence has many uses in healthcare. A core use is for diagnostic purposes, most frequently through clinical decision support. This use enables providers to use data to aid in diagnosis and treatment planning, increasing efficiency and improving patient health outcomes.
Another use is for precision medicine. With precision medicine, AI technologies are used to analyze patient-specific data to determine the treatments that are likely to have the highest efficacy and even predict the likelihood of future illness.
Finally, AI is being used to drive cost savings. This can happen in a variety of ways from streamlining processes with automation to making change based on data insights. A more efficient path to accurate diagnoses and treatment efficacy also helps to drive cost savings, making artificial intelligence an important piece in value-based care.
What are the challenges of artificial intelligence in healthcare?
As with any newer implementation, artificial intelligence can come with some challenges. First, artificial intelligence depends on large quantities of data to create actionable insights, and the quality of those results can only be as good as the quality of the data input. This requires that practices ensure they are collecting adequate data to see the full benefits of this solution.
Another challenge is the potential increase in security risk when using such large amounts of data. The unfortunate reality in healthcare today is that cybersecurity must be a consideration at all times. So, while this may represent an increase in risk, practices with adequate cybersecurity protections in place should feel confident that they’re taking every precaution.
Finally, due to smaller datasets and more prolonged timelines, it can take longer to obtain actionable insights from artificial intelligence in healthcare. Overcoming this challenge simply requires patience and perseverance as the consistent input of data will begin to show significant benefits over time.
What are the benefits of artificial intelligence in healthcare?
The benefits of using artificial intelligence in healthcare are numerous and impressive. Let’s examine just a few. First is the ability to provide better healthcare in a more efficient way. With the ability to utilize clinical decision support and precision medicine, providers can quickly come to an accurate diagnosis and determine the best possible treatment for the specific patient at hand.
Next is the ability to lower cost. Artificial intelligence enables practices to automate tasks so that their staff can focus on patient care. Additionally, the reduction in medical errors that comes with support for diagnosis and treatment selection is a significant cost-saver.
Finally, the additional support offered to providers using artificial intelligence can significantly reduce provider stress. This is particularly important considering the incidence of physician burnout in recent years. Provider stress is a risk to patient care, so reducing that stress is imperative to providing improved patient outcomes.
Artificial intelligence is enabling impressive progress in the healthcare industry, and that is expected to continue in the future. As with any newer initiative, it does come with its own challenges and benefits, but in this case the benefits far outweigh the challenges. This is why MicroMD offers so many solutions that utilize the power of AI to streamline your practice and improve patient outcomes.
Are you ready to get started or learn more? Visit micromd.com or call 1-800-624-8832.
About the author,
Crystal Stanton
Crystal is a Digital Marketing Specialist at MicroMD. Content creation, social media management, and SEO optimization are just a few of her areas of concentration as she seeks to educate clients and prospects alike about the simple, customizable, and connected solutions we offer at MicroMD.
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