AI Clarification: Demystifying Generative Artificial Intelligence
In the realm of modern technology, generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have become increasingly popular among individuals and businesses across various industries. These tools are being used in numerous creative ways, including as a contextual search assistant, drafting emails, and summarizing notes.
The healthcare sector, in particular, has found significant benefits in the use of generative AI. According to reports from the Government Accountability Office, AI models are making waves in clinical documentation, drug development, clinical trials, and medical imaging. Another report by McKinsey suggests that AI holds high potential for improving clinician productivity, boosting efficiency, and enhancing the patient experience.
Given the surge in interest in generative AI, especially to support overburdened healthcare workers, it's crucial for organizations to refine their strategies to make the most of these intelligent tools.
At the 2024 CHIME Fall Forum, held in San Diego from November 4-8, one question on everyone's mind was: How can organizations optimize their strategic approaches to generative AI?
Aaron Miri, senior vice president and chief digital and information officer at Jacksonville, Florida-based Baptist Health, provided some insightful answers. Baptist Health uses generative AI to streamline service desk operations, support clinicians, and improve patient experience.
During a meeting with other healthcare leaders, Miri explained that understanding the reason for the solution (the "why") was key to achieving a return on investment (ROI) for AI solutions. At Baptist Health, the reasons were clear—fighting staff burnout, expanding patient access, and focusing on clinical practice.
The organization's first conversational AI tool—called Baptist Enterprise Linguistic Learning Environment, or BELLE—was deployed at the service desk to answer password reset requests. The bot demonstrated its ability to handle such requests, leading to promising metrics on patient satisfaction and labor savings. With the new AI bot in place, services such as password resets, previously handled by an external firm at a cost of $1 million per year, were no longer necessary.
AI solutions do require continuous improvement, as demonstrated by the occasional AI hallucination that reflected the model's need for retraining. Data quality and quality assurance were thus critical factors to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the AI tools.
Baptist Health also shared other generative AI solutions they are working on, such as an AI scribe for providers and nurses and automated response technology. For healthcare executives who are still unsure about generative AI, Miri emphasized the importance of breaking it down to essentials and understanding what the users—clinicians or patients—truly want.
After all, by refocusing efforts on the "why," prioritizing user needs, and employing strategic approaches like centralized talent, continuous improvement, and continuous learning, healthcare organizations can realize the full potential of generative AI to streamline operations, improve patient care, and tackle the challenges facing modern healthcare.
- In the healthcare sector, AI models are not only being used for clinical documentation, drug development, and medical imaging, but also to develop an AI scribe for providers and nurses, showcasing how generative artificial intelligence ( AI) can significantly improve clinical practice.
- To fully harness the potential of generative AI in healthcare, it's important to focus on the reason for the solution (the "why"), prioritize user needs, and employ strategic approaches like centralized talent, continuous improvement, and continuous learning, as demonstrated by Baptist Health in their aim to streamline operations, enhance patient care, and address modern healthcare challenges.
