A strong foundational approach to incorporating artificial intelligence into healthcare operations is essential to maximize the investment and deliver best results. It's a hefty investment, but done right will add value to the health system over time.
"We realized the value of AI in 2017," said Nader Mherabi, chief digital and information officer at NYU Langone Health, during a panel at the Becker's Health IT + Digital Health + Revenue Cycle Conference in early October. "We didn’t know what was going to happen, but we really invested in talent and know-how. So we just started to educate ourselves as we continued, because it changes so fast to see how that is going to help our health system."
AI is not simply a matter of purchasing software or systems. It requires a deep understanding of the technology, a commitment to ongoing learning, and a willingness to experiment. As Mr. Mherabi put it, "We are on the zero inning here, and it's moving so fast that you just don't know what hits you one day. One day it's a school pilot, the next day it's agents, the next day it's something else."
One of the challenges facing health systems today is how to move AI from small-scale applications to core functions that impact patient care and operational efficiency in a meaningful way. Most organizations are still at the early stages of AI adoption.
"People are doing AI, we all do it at the edges, and that’s okay. We really need to understand, gain knowledge, and it's all at the edges — reading all your documents and the contracts and finding value or the terms or reducing burden on physicians by automating their inboxes," said Mr. Mherabi. "These are all good things, but really the value of AI will be when we automate workflows where it’s autonomous."
AI will evolve from an add-on tool to a truly integrated part of the healthcare system. Achieving this requires the technology to mature to the point where, as Mr. Mherabi described, it can deliver value "with minimal configuration, not customization."
Given the complexity of AI and its potential to impact every aspect of a health system, governance is critical. Transparent communication with leadership to ensure alignment on AI initiatives is essential.
"We created a private version of ChatGPT, and I sent an email to the entire workforce saying, 'Here’s $5 worth of token if you like, play [with it] in a secure manner because it's on [our platform].' And then if you have great ideas, there’s a process by which you can submit," said Mr. Mherabi.
Hospitals now are starting to incorporate automation into the call center and technology for autonomous billing, but AI has the potential to reach much further if the technology and products evolve appropriately.
"Every company I talk to is working on this and the question is really how fast that can be realized and will we be the beneficiary of that?" said Mr. Mherabi.