This article was originally published in a sponsored newsletter.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is all around us and is making our lives more convenient and efficient. We live in an era in which every keystroke or search is tracked and used to create algorithms to make predictions about what content is most relevant to us. The more data it gathers, the more accurate its predictions become. In health care, AI creates efficiencies that we can use to accomplish more with less overhead. It helps us predict surgical outcomes and progression of disease. Artificial intelligence is the future, so we need to understand how we can embrace it and use it to our advantage.
Practice Management
From a practice management perspective, AI has many applications that are already available. Imagine an avatar that can field calls based on predictive responses, bots that are programmed to retrieve insurance remittances and post payments to your ledgers, or an AI that can manage cancellations. When a patient cancels their appointment, the AI looks at a cancellation list and automatically texts other patients to let them know they can move their appointment up. All the patient has to do is text back to confirm, and your schedule is full again.
That is not to suggest that you should eliminate the people who handle these administrative tasks now. Rather, these efficiencies are designed to help you work smarter, not harder. They refocus your employees to take care of your patients in better ways.
Present and Future Clinical Benefits
For one example of how AI can free your staff for better patient care, look to your human scribes who could soon be replaced by AI via voice transcription into your EMR. Of course, it is still the provider’s responsibility to ensure accuracy, but the time savings with charting and not needing an additional person in the exam room create incredible efficiencies so your scribes can be reallocated as work-up technicians.
Other current benefits of AI include technology that aids in choosing IOLs and predicting outcomes based on data collected. This information not only helps make the right recommendations but also helps achieve the outcomes that patients expect. AI systems can also detect diabetic retinopathy and diabetic retinal edema in fundus photos.
Expanding from these capabilities in retina, researchers are developing algorithms to help predict the progression of other ophthalmic diseases. Predictive indicators are in development for conditions such as glaucoma, keratoconus, and corneal ectasia, all of which will help to educate, monitor, and provide earlier intervention for patients.
The AI revolution is exciting and should be embraced. It is reshaping the landscape of ophthalmology practices and the future of medicine. As the integration of AI continues to rapidly advance, we will see improvements in patient outcomes, enhanced efficiencies, and a revolutionized, predictive approach to patient care. If you can dream it, there is likely a technological solution to make it happen.
