Blog

Contributed by Dr. Sunny Vikrum Malhotra

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the medical field holds great potential for improving patient health. AI has already made an impact around the world, assisting in the process of diagnosing, treating and preventing many health problems. A major priority in the healthcare industry is finding new ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs, and automating manual tasks is one way to achieve this. Robotic process automation (RPA), for example, can streamline many office procedures by decreasing paperwork and shortening the time it takes to process files. This form of technology can reach even further heights by decreasing costs, increasing efficiency and enhancing patient care. 

As technology continues to expand, the number of ways that information can be exchanged is increasing. However, it’s important to recognize that no one solution can be the answer to all our challenges. A combination of approaches, including operational AI, can connect patient data from the Internet of Things/wearable devices and allow organizations to use it effectively. A multifaceted problem requires a multifaceted solution.

Ontario Health Teams (OHT) represent a new model of integrated care delivery that will allow patients, communities, providers and leaders to each play a role in a value-based health care system. OHTs will give healthcare providers the ability to work together in teams to deliver coordinated and standardized care for patients.

However, as the number of OHTs expands and the population continues to grow,  healthcare providers will see increasingly higher volumes of work and are seeking solutions for this workload. It is already becoming evident that providers are overwhelmed with patient care responsibilities, leading to clinician burnout.

However, in order to see successful and sustainable change in the healthcare sector, large-scale adoption of digital health programs will need to be part of the solution. These programs have the ability to decrease the time it takes to complete administrative tasks, thus reducing staff turnover and decreasing burnout. They can also effectively allocate staff to more meaningful frontline care, leading to a much more fulfilling and rewarding experience for workers, as well as increasing engagement and retention. The Ontario government recently introduced its Ontario Health Teams: Digital Health Playbook to help OHTs build a digital health plan that will help meet their clinical and practice objectives.

As the use of digital health applications continues to expand in the healthcare system and government encourages the use of this technology to improve patient care, we believe that government-led reimbursement policies will aid in increasing the use of digital health tools such as operational AI, telehealth and remote monitoring

Clinicians are at an important juncture in the digital health transformation. Hear more insights from Dr. Malhotra at his session, Using AI Automation to Improve Health Costs, Revenue and Outcomes, at OntarioMD’s EMR: Every Step Conference in Toronto. Register to join us on September 26. You can also get more information and support from OntarioMD anytime at support@ontariomd.com.