As in many fields, artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage in the health care industry. Hundreds of startups are pitching AI-themed products and services to providers like Henry Ford Health and Corewell Health, two of Michigan’s largest hospital systems. And leaders at those providers are sorting through the offerings and piloting what seem to be the most useful applications.
Seeing Patterns Humans Cannot See
AI’s ability to mine huge data sets can help radiologists and pathologists draw insights from X-rays, MRI readouts, and other medical imagery technology.
“Machines are really good at seeing patterns in data that we can’t see,” said Jason Joseph, Chief Digital and Information Officer for Corewell Health.
That can mean spotting a problem in an image that even a trained human eye might miss. It can also mean spotting a problem when the human reader was looking for something else, like highlighting a bone or heart problem when checking an X-ray for cancer.
As David Allard, Chief Medical Information Officer for Henry Ford Health said, AI is “great at picking out details especially when it’s something
maybe we weren’t looking for.”
AI tools can also be useful in summarizing a doctor/patient conversation. AI-aided programs can pull out useful information from a recording – patient histories, follow-up questions, next appointments or prescriptions – and sort it into patient summaries that save doctors countless hours of paperwork.
Predictive Analytics Spots Problems Early
And using “predictive analytics” –mining vast data fields for what may happen next – can help spot a problem before it gets worse, like seeing the first telltale signs of respiratory distress or blood pressure falling.
“Often the signs that the patient is deteriorating are very, very subtle,” said Joseph. “Sometimes by the time you see that as a human it’s late in the process. And so predictive analytics allows us to get ahead of that.”
Joseph and Allard agree that among the questions providers like Henry Ford and Corewell are asking: Will any given AI advance improve patient outcomes? Is the cost prohibitive? Does an AI-themed product fit into the workflow, or will it be too burdensome to use daily? Only time and practice will help sort out the truly useful advances.
‘Nobody’s Worried About Their Job’
An important point: In no way is AI intended to eliminate the “human in the loop” in diagnosing and treating patients.
“Nobody’s worried about their job. They’re worried about getting their job done,” said Allard. “I get a lot more questions about when can (they) get more AI” than otherwise.
Joseph echoed that. “So far, I don’t think we’ve seen a lot of AI taking peoples’ jobs. What I think we will see is AI will take peoples’ jobs who don’t use AI.”
AI Technology Likely to Become Routine
Certainly, it will take time to sort through all the possible uses, drawbacks, and tradeoffs for the industry. But nobody doubts that more AI-assisted products and services are coming.
“I think we’re in this messy period of figuring it out as an industry,” said Joseph. “We’re trying a lot of different things, and we’ll keep the things that stick, and we’ll probably not keep the things that don’t stick.”
And at some point, Allard said, today’s intense conversation about AI will fade into the background as the technology becomes more routine.
“AI is going to be built into all sorts of tools and processes that we use every day,” he said. “It’s going to be part of health care quality and assurance. It’s going to seep into almost everything over time.”
John Gallagher is a freelance writer and author in Detroit, and formerly of the Detroit Free Press.