As part of Becker's 12th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable in November, healthcare leaders from around the nation gathered for a summit focused on the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare operations. The importance of the human experience in healthcare — not AI alone — stood out as one of the most prominent takeaways from the event.
During one of the summit's panel discussions, Hoda Asmar, MD, MBA, executive vice president and chief clinical officer with Renton, Wash.-based Providence, and Jody Reyes, BSN, FACHE, MSBA, COO with Iowa City-based University of Iowa Health Care, detailed their respective experiences leveraging AI to improve operations. While the scenarios shared by the leaders carried different challenges and opportunities, both emphasized the power of AI to unlock a better experience for patients and staff.
From 2-plus hours to 20 minutes
As a former cancer care nurse, Ms. Reyes has brought a front-line perspective to the c-suite at multiple health systems. During the panel discussion, the COO recalled a challenging stretch during her time at a previous organization when cancer patients were experiencing wait times that were "unacceptable."
"We had wait times that were more than two and a half hours," she recalled. "Life is precious, time is precious, and we were wasting it on people and that was unacceptable for everyone on our team."
The organization took action to address the problem by investing in the AI-powered solution iQueue for Infusion Centers. The solution — created by technology company LeanTaaS — leverages machine learning and predictive analytics to optimize scheduling and support preventative solution planning by pinpointing upcoming days with high patient demand. Shortly after rolling out the solution, wait times began to shrink.
"Within three weeks we were down to 20 minute waits. I couldn't believe it. It was amazing," Ms. Reyes said.
At UI Health Care, Ms. Reyes' team has now brought the technology to the operating room. Time in the OR is extremely valuable and difficult to manage. Without access to real-time utilization data and predictive analytics, perioperative leaders are challenged with an extremely difficult math problem that (if not solved) could cost a health system precious time and money.
"Within the first five months of going live with iQueue for Operating Rooms, we increased our patient volume by 4%. Primetime utilization went up. Our robotic utilization, which had always been problematic, went up 10%," Ms. Reyes said, adding that UI Health Care is still in the early phases of implementation with the OR solution. "We are early in our journey and we have already seen incredible results."
The 'courage' to transform
Providence recently set out to modernize its perioperative processes and support growth across its organization, which spans seven states. To achieve recovery and renew post-pandemic transformation goals, leaders targeted the OR for efficiency improvement and decided to roll out iQueue for ORs in a system-wide launch.
Dr. Asmar oversaw the deployment of iQueue for Operating Rooms across 450 ORs in Providence's 51 hospitals over a period of eight months. The system has since achieved a 34% reduction in abandoned OR time, with surgeons releasing blocks 28 days ahead on average due to improved surgery schedule visibility. This resulted in 42,000 reclaimed hours and improved staffing flexibility.
"The impact and the halo effect has been tremendous, and we are very pleased that we did implement the tool as part of our overall modernization and growth plans," Dr. Asmar said.
During the panel, Dr. Asmar advocated for those in attendance to take the initiative to improve operational efficiency at their organizations to not only achieve financial targets, but to most importantly improve healthcare and care access for patients.
"We have to have the courage to do something truly transformational," she said.