Understand the ROI of Clinical AI, Both Now and in the Future
This week’s Winning Edge panel explored how ambient AI is being introduced to clinicians, and how the technology will evolve as a decision support tool.
Health systems like Providence and Cedars-Sinai are taking a slow and steady approach to introducing ambient AI to their clinicians, with small pilots that gradually scale upward as doctors become familiar with the technology.
During this week’s The Winning Edge podcast, sponsored by Microsoft, Providence Chief Transformation Officer Sara Vaezy and Cedars-Sinai CMIO Yaron Elad, MD, FACC, said the biggest ROI for ambient AI at present is in helping clinicians reduce their administrative workload and spend more time in front of patients.
But they also noted that the technology will eventually become sophisticated enough to give clinicians near-real-time clinical decision support, while also helping to identify and schedule tests and appointments and code the encounters.
Both said it’s important to put AI in the hands of doctors who want to use the technology, so that they can demonstrate its value and pass that on to their colleagues. And while the potential to reduce workflow pressures and find time to see more patients may be there, executives shouldn’t be suggesting that to their doctors.
Ambient AI is just one of several AI tools being introduced in the clinical space, according to Vaezy and Elad. Health systems and hospitals are also testing the technology on in-box messaging, with the goal of reducing time spent by clinicians checking their messages and answering patient requests more quickly. They’re also trialing AI on chart summarization, and looking forward to applying AI to nursing.
Watch the YouTube video below of this week’s panel to gain more insight into how AI is being embraced in the clinical space.