Artificial intelligence has piqued the interest of physicians nationwide.
Six physicians connected with Becker's to discuss the healthcare trends they are most excited about.
Editor's note: These responses were edited lightly for brevity and clarity.
Bernard Boulanger, MD. Executive Vice President of Tower Health (West Reading, Pa.): I am most excited about the potential for AI to improve patient outcomes and experience and at the same time reduce the clerical burden on physicians and advanced practice providers. For example, at Tower Health, we are offering a fully automated clinical documentation tool to all providers within our primary care network. Our pilot demonstrated reduced clerical time required by our providers to complete their office notes, enhanced documentation quality, and a positive patient experience. We are exploring other AI solutions that might benefit both providers and patients.
Michael Bublewicz, MD. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Emergency Medicine at Memorial Hermann Health System (Houston): As a chief medical officer managing a large clinical staff of physicians and advanced practice providers within our large regional health system, I am thrilled about the transformative impact of AI-enabled technologies on the physician-patient relationship.
Over the years, the evolution of electronic medical records has made interactions more complex, diverting physicians' attention from direct patient care and leading to growing dissatisfaction within the profession. With the emergence of AI-enabled documentation tools, mainly ambient listening technology with customized note generation, we are poised to revitalize the physician-patient relationship.
For the first time in two decades, new technology has the potential to enhance this crucial interaction, offering a new path forward for healthcare professionals. This shift towards leveraging technology to strengthen connections rather than impede them represents a significant step towards a more efficient and fulfilling healthcare experience for all stakeholders involved.
Rafael Diaz-Garcia, MD. Hand and Peripheral Nerve Surgeon at Baptist Health (Miami): I'm excited about how artificial intelligence can allow providers to spend more focused time on direct patient care and less on documentation for the sake of reimbursement.
Nadeem Goraya, MD. Chief of Medicine at Bakersfield (Calif.) Memorial Hospital: Remote patient monitoring. I feel this will lead to better outcomes with patients being treated from home and less hospital-acquired infections. For hospital systems, it will be quite a different landscape and new revenue streams will start to take shape. In the end, I feel this is a win for patients and may spur a competitive home hospital business model, where there is more transparency in pricing.
Clauden Louis, MD. Clinical Associate Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Winter Haven (Fla.) Hospital: Artificial intelligence and machine learning. These algorithms, when optimized, can use large volumes of patient data to titrate vasoactive medications for a minimum necessary and use learning algorithms to continuously minimize harmful doses.
Sheldon Taub, MD. Gastroenterologist at Jupiter (Fla.) Medical Center: Being a practicing physician in Florida, I was very excited about the new healthcare bill that was passed. It expands training programs that will help to develop and retain healthcare workers in the state. Also, the Healthy Florida Act hopefully will provide faster and more easily accessible services for patients. Its intent is also to help disabled, mentally challenged, and maternal health patients access medical care more efficiently. The intent of the bill is to hopefully improve access to healthcare in a reliable fashion.