Tech

It’s time to evolve how we measure the success of EHRs to make us healthier

Tech
January 6, 2024

We’ve known for the last decade that electronic health records (EHRs) have a significant impact on physicians’ ability to deliver high-value care. It not only has a largely negative influence on their quality of life, which bleeds over into the entire health care landscape, but also impacts their ability to successfully adapt practices to evolving payment models intended to improve patient health outcomes — especially important for primary care.

Yet despite …

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5 things digital health companies need to do to achieve success

Tech
January 1, 2024

It has been a long time since my last post. The digital health economic, clinical, regulatory, and political landscapes have changed significantly since then. The objective of my blog, which began in 2011, was and remains to educate the reader (clinicians, health care IT community, patients and caregivers, and other health care stakeholders about digital health technology and how it is relevant to the changing health care environment. The first …

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The promise and pitfalls of large language models in clinical applications

Tech
December 21, 2023

Since the unveiling of ChatGPT almost a year ago, the health care sector has been abuzz with anticipation and intrigue surrounding the capabilities and potential applications of large language models (LLMs) within the medical sphere. As senior health care executives know all too well, our industry is no stranger to technological advances. But as with every promising tool, it’s essential to recognize its inherent limitations—especially when patient care and safety …

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AI for health care professionals: How it is used now and how to use AI as a clinician

Tech
December 20, 2023

AI has been all the rage over the past year. Maybe you have played with ChatGPT or encountered yet another news story about the increasing impact of AI on a given industry. In this article, I’d like to break down a few things:

  • What is AI?
  • How is AI already being used in health care and other industries?
  • How can I use AI in my practice?

What is AI?

AI means artificial …

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The double-edged sword of AI in health care

Tech
December 17, 2023

What will your workday look and feel like when it has eliminated your need to document, answer messages, or deal with your inbox? Isn’t that what we all want: freedom from electronic medical records and all the other documentation tasks? Yes? For decades now, the physician’s lament has been, “I just want to see patients.” A recent article, revealing the Mayo Clinic’s AI task automation strategy, hints at a future …

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Gathering clinician feedback at a growing practice 

Tech
December 15, 2023

Provider feedback is a powerful tool for behavioral health practices, as it is a valuable indicator of whether or not patient care is on the right track. Gathering feedback, and then acting on it, can also improve a practice’s efficiency.

Fostering an open environment, one where providers feel heard and valued improves provider retention. Provider retention is key for any behavioral health practice because when a provider leaves, there is a …

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The synergy of AI and human intelligence in transforming health care

Tech
December 4, 2023

The health care industry is witnessing a transformative phase with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). AI’s ability to process vast amounts of data and provide predictive insights is revolutionizing medical diagnostics and patient care. AI’s precision is invaluable in diagnosing and managing kidney disease, offering both speed and accuracy in analyzing patient data.

Unleashing the power of data

A major challenge …

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How generative AI will upend the doctor-patient relationship

Tech
December 3, 2023

After decades of “doctor knows best,” the traditional physician-patient relationship is on the verge of a monumental shift. Generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Microsoft’s Bing are poised to give people significantly more power and control—not just over their personal lives and professional tasks but over their own medical health, as well.

As these tools become exponentially smarter, safer, and more reliable (an estimated Read more…

Decoding AI hallucinations in health care: Embracing a new era of medical innovation

Tech
December 2, 2023

The health care landscape is rapidly evolving with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). While AI brings transformative power, it also demands great responsibility, especially in understanding and managing AI hallucinations—a new challenge in health care.

Understanding AI hallucinations

AI hallucinations occur when AI systems produce incorrect or misleading information. These errors can have dire consequences in health care. For instance, imagine an AI …

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Can generative artificial intelligence help clinicians better manage patient messages?

Tech
November 29, 2023

In today’s digitized, on-demand world, patients frequently use portals to send their physicians questions and requests. Today, physicians receive 57 percent more patient messages than before the pandemic. They spend the highest proportion of their inbox time on these messages, often responding after hours.

While messaging is an essential care access point, high volume strains the thinly–stretched health care workforce and may contribute to burnout. …

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New primary care decision support tools make offloading below-license tasks from the EHR more important than ever

Tech
November 29, 2023

Clinical decision support tools in the EHR are gaining momentum. These exciting and meaningful innovations are challenging us to make room for them to flourish.

New technology is often disruptive before it finds its way to being helpful. In the late 1800s, the telephone created unexpected challenges in medical practice at its inception; it brought a need for new team members to answer calls and required doctors and patients to develop …

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Revolutionizing patient care: the convergence of AI and personalized medicine

Tech
November 25, 2023

In the dynamic realm of health care, two revolutionary forces are converging to redefine patient care: artificial intelligence (AI) and personalized medicine. This synergy transforms how we understand, diagnose, and treat diseases, tailoring health care to each patient’s needs.

The emergence of personalized medicine

Personalized medicine, at its core, is about understanding the unique genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that influence a person’s health. …

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The state of digital health and innovation Q3 2023

Tech
November 20, 2023

We witnessed a digital health explosion during the pandemic, marked by significant investments in telehealth and other sectors. However, the market could not maintain its pace in the post-pandemic era. However, the year 2023 is showing clear signs of market emergence.

Though the last two quarters have shown a reduction in funding and deal volume, the third quarter is satisfactory for investors and startups.

So, what is the state of digital …

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Life beyond career milestones across industries

Tech
November 8, 2023

Navigating career transitions across diverse fields

Embarking on a career transition can be as daunting as it is exciting. Whether you’re a seasoned physician contemplating a shift into humanitarian work, a military veteran eyeing the entrepreneurial landscape, or a tech professional eager to innovate in the startup realm, the journey ahead is paved with unique challenges and opportunities. This guide offers strategic insights …

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Navigating the AI revolution in medicine: from liability and technicalities to ethics and policy

Tech
November 1, 2023

The current landscape of AI in medicine. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into health care is a complex yet transformative journey. As AI becomes increasingly indispensable, the medical community faces a paradigm shift—from being accountable for using AI to potentially being liable for not using it. In this article, we will explore the multifaceted implications of AI in medicine, from technical aspects to …

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Are we missing the mark with generative AI?

Tech
October 24, 2023

The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 25×5 Task Force was established in 2022 with the goal of reducing clinician documentation burden by 25 percent in 5 years. Recently, the task force found that “organizational efforts to address documentation burden … were all focused on documentation creation, not on information retrieval.” Similarly, much of the early hype surrounding large language models (LLMs) and generative …

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The clinical AI revolution: 3 things to know

Tech
October 18, 2023

The use of natural language processing (NLP) in the clinical domain dates as far back as the 1960s, with important early work performed in the 1970s and 1980s. While great technical advances were made during this period, clinical NLP failed to live up to initial expectations as accuracy rates were too low to use for much other than research or bulk analytics.

An AHIMA article explained why clinical text …

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Why I left medicine – and why AI might convince me to return

Tech
October 14, 2023

My first job as a physician assistant was in a neuro-oncology department. I was young, newly certified, and eager to interact with patients. The physician who mentored me there made sure I had the opportunity to counsel patients, and provide guidance and comfort after a new diagnosis. These are situations where a clinician needs time and space to be empathetic.

On one occasion, I spent nearly 45 minutes in the exam …

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ChatGPT: Charting the future of health care with visionary AI

Tech
October 12, 2023

 

As technology advances, the health care sector perennially seeks innovative solutions to enhance patient care, diagnostic capabilities, and accessibility. OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, with its pioneering vision feature, has emerged as a potentially transformative tool, enabling myriad applications that traverse beyond textual interactions and delve deeply into the visual realm.

Elevating user interactivity in health care consultations. They were integrating visual capabilities in ChatGPT-4 ushers …

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