Artificial intelligence (AI) in health is already offering unprecedented opportunities to streamline processes, cutting costs, and enhance patient care. But for those in the industry who aren’t embracing AI, they run the risk of being left behind while other providers thrive. From cutting administrative costs to interpreting results and creating treatment plans, here are ten ways AI can boost efficiency in healthcare.
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Embracing AI is essential for healthcare efficiency
1. Automating administrative tasks
Admin tasks in healthcare are often seen as unimportant, but are a crucial part of the patient care process. A build-up of admin can often see healthcare professionals burn out - more than 90% of U.S clinicians say excessive admin is contributing to burnout. AI automation can streamline tasks like appointment scheduling, billing, and medical coding, freeing up time for patient care.
2. Analytics for resource management
Many healthcare providers don’t have the time or resources to analyse their patient data to better prepare for future issues. AI can analyse vast amounts of data in minutes, and can use it to predict patient volumes at key times, when disease outbreaks are likely to occur, and when different resources are most used. All of this information can help healthcare facilities to optimise their staffing levels, and better plan for inventory and capacity issues in the future.
3. Personalised treatment plans
AI algorithms create tailored treatment plans by analysing individual health profiles. AI can analyse individual characteristics like genetic markers, lifestyle factors, family disease histories, and previous treatment plans to develop sound roadmaps for treatment for the future.
4. Decision support for doctors
For busy doctors and practitioners, AI-driven clinical decision support systems can be a fantastic way to keep up to date with the latest practices through real-time insights.
5. Remote patient monitoring
Whether it’s for in-patient or out-patient care, AI-enabled remote monitoring devices can be a fantastic way to track patient health around the clock, and allow doctors to provide insights even when they’re not nearby. AI devices can track patient vital signs, medications, and symptoms, and can use pattern recognition to get a better understanding of how the patient’s illness is progressing.
6. Medical imaging interpretation
AI algorithms trained on vast datasets of medical images can assist radiologists and pathologists in interpreting scans and identifying abnormalities with greater speed and accuracy, even catching issues that the human eye may miss.
7. Fraud detection and prevention
For healthcare insurers, AI-powered analytics identify patterns of fraud, waste, and abuse in claims data. This can help insurance companies minimise fraudulent claims and protect themselves in future as the data helps to inform their work.
8. Virtual health assistants
Patients are already making use of one of the most useful aspects of AI in health care – virtual health assistants. Allianz Partners’ integrated Digital Health Assistant includes services like an online symptom checker, immediate access to a Doctor Chat and a 24/7 medical hotline for questions.
9. Population health management
When it comes to the wider population, AI analytics can be used to reduce hospitalisations, analyse disease centres and identify possible health issues for patients before they’re even admitted to hospital. All of these developments can help to reduce strain on treatment centres and increase patient wellbeing.
10. Streamlining clinical trials
When it comes to preparing for the future through clinical trials, AI algorithms can identify eligible participants and optimise trial processes, leading to faster development of new treatments and therapies.
The potential of AI in healthcare is vast, offering the industry unprecedented opportunities to enhance efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and drive innovation.
At Allianz Partners, we're committed to supporting healthcare organisations in harnessing the power of AI to transform healthcare delivery. To find out more about what we offer as healthcare providers, check out our international health insurance page.
