Introduction
In an age of digital transformation, it’s apparent that the perfect combination of technological innovation and process conversion can greatly improve healthcare outcomes. While several hospitals and clinics have now moved away from their legacy EHR and EMR systems, the pace of new technology adoption is rather sluggish across the sector as a whole. For example, a recent Brookings Institute report exploring AI adoption patterns across the healthcare sector outlined how the industry is only ranked above construction when it comes to AI implementation. McKinsey has also addressed this problem in the past, citing that the adoption of digitally enabled tools for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment has been “modest.”
Now, with Generative AI (or GenAI) transforming how we live, healthcare institutions are getting the sense that they must embrace this new cutting-edge technology and transform care delivery. However, several challenges stand in the way of successful GenAI adoption. Healthcare providers need to know enough about the technology to be able to separate the what from the chaff and then create robust strategies to adopt this disruptive new technology. Given the need for specific skills, this amplifies the need for working with a partner who provides managed IT services for healthcare.
That being said, it’s important to know what’s possible and the best way forward. Let’s explore this game changing new technology and the potential impact in the healthcare sector.
The GenAI-led Digital Transformation Imperative in Healthcare
Healthcare organizations are increasingly recognizing the benefits of digitally transforming themselves. With technology becoming an integral part of patients’ lives, they understand the value it can bring to the healthcare continuum by creating a more integrated ecosystem.
The good news is that many organizations have already started migrating from traditional tools and approaches to modern systems. Not only do these systems offer centralized control and visibility, but they also allow healthcare professionals to improve collaboration, enhance process efficiency, and enable proactive decision-making.
However, there’s more that can be done now. With medical devices and smart apps generating a continuous stream of data, healthcare organizations know they can harness the potential of data analytics for better diagnosis and treatment. But this is proving hard to do. Chief among the challenges is the problem of analysing the vast amount of data that’s available. The challenge is exacerbated by the need to derive insights out of that data in near real-time to deliver the required care outcomes.
The rapid advance of technologies like GenAI are promising a solution in this situation where a lot is at stake. According to a report by McKinsey, Generative AI can help unlock a significant piece of the unrealized $1 trillion improvement potential present in the industry.
As a technology that leverages the capabilities of deep learning, natural language processing, and neural networks to achieve speed and scale, GenAI can enable healthcare institutions to:
- More accurately understand patient needs and personalize experiences across the patient lifecycle.
- Summarize large amounts of medical or research data and arrive at a treatment decision in record time.
- Quickly pull out relevant information from insurance documents and streamline the process of claims.
- Automate the form-filling process by capturing data from patient records and minimizing administrative burnout.
- Generate tailored care plans for patients based on their medical history and insurance limits.
- Produce discharge information and post-care plans for patients along with follow-up needs.
These are, in fact, just a few use cases that are reflective of GenAI’s prowess. The potential of GenAI in healthcare is rather significant, and realizing it depends on each institution’s specific requirements, pain points, and priorities.
The Obstacles to Generative AI Adoption
The amount of data being generated by healthcare organizations is massive. Yet, when it comes to using this data to feed GenAI algorithms and power healthcare decision-making, several obstacles need to be crossed.
Lack of a Roadmap
Healthcare organizations often find themselves struggling to understand how or where they can leverage the capabilities of GenAI. With the GenAI model offering benefits across various use cases, identifying areas of healthcare delivery where the model will offer the most benefits isn’t easy. Many organizations are also unsure of the other aspects of GenAI adoption, including costs, timelines, and leadership buy-in.
Talent Gaps
As GenAI tools like ChatGPT become an integral part of our lives, there is a pressing demand for healthcare organizations to invest in the required skills. However, given how quickly the technology is advancing, there is an acute shortage of skilled professionals who understand the nuances of how the GenAI model works, what data must be fed, and where the model can be implemented. This growing skills gap is one of the biggest hurdles preventing healthcare organizations from exploiting the capabilities of GenAI.
Security and Compliance Concerns
Another major obstacle to healthcare GenAI adoption is security. Since healthcare organizations deal with massive amounts of sensitive patient health, research, and drug data, they are always under the scrutiny of legal bodies and regulatory authorities. While implementing Generative AI models, they must constantly be aware of evolving HIPAA rules and have policies in place to encrypt data and ensure the ethical use of AI.
The Role of Managed Services
Managed IT services for healthcare can pave the way for accurate and affordable care solutions. By taking care of every IT aspect of healthcare delivery, a managed services partner can minimize complexity, improve efficiency, and empower healthcare decision-makers with actionable insight at the point of care.
Pratiti Tech takes pride in being one such unique custom managed services company that continually strives towards fulfilling healthcare digital transformation goals. Our domain knowledge of the healthcare industry and awareness of healthcare IT standards (like FHIR, HL7, ICD-10, etc.) and regulations (like HIPAA) allow us to build and manage integrated, outcome-based, patient-centric solutions.
We have an excellent track record of delivering technology solutions promptly and collaborating effectively with partners along the way. Our robust execution framework and proven internal processes enable us to drive next-gen healthcare IT results.
When it comes to Generative AI, our qualified and skilled pool of healthcare IT-certified professionals can:
- Conduct an end-to-end assessment of your healthcare IT ecosystem and build a robust roadmap for GenAI adoption.
- Identify and prioritize GenAI use cases by analyzing each use case on its criticality, cost, and feasibility.
- Collate, prepare and train diverse data sets that must be fed into the Generative AI models for accurate outcomes.
- Build a robust GenAI model using a combination of deep learning and natural language processing.
- Ensure the model is constantly updated and takes in new data as and when it is generated.
- Train users on how to make the most use of the model and address any concerns or queries they have.
- Keep up with the latest innovations in GenAI and drive value across your healthcare organization.
Wrapping Up
As the healthcare industry undergoes digital transformation, there is a collective curiosity and interest in exploiting the capabilities of Generative AI. As the technology experiences massive development, healthcare organizations need the perfect partner to help them embark on the GenAI journey.
Learn how Pratiti Tech’s managed services can facilitate the implementation of GenAI across the healthcare delivery chain and drive greater value for your healthcare organization.
After successful stint in a corporate role, Nitin is back to what he enjoys most – conceptualizing new software solutions to solve business problems. Nitin is a postgraduate from IIT, Mumbai, India and in his 24 years of career, has played key roles in building a desktop as well as enterprise solutions right from idealization to launch which are adopted by many Fortune 500 companies. As a Founder member of Pratiti Technologies, he is committed to applying his management learning as well as the passion for building new solutions to realize your innovation with certainty.
