Artificial Intelligence is perhaps one of the most revolutionary technologies of the past decade. With applications in many fields, healthcare IT is now one of the many to benefit from its innovations.
Ochsner Health has recently released a program that can use generative AI to draft messages to patients in the MyOchsner patient portal, simplifying physician workflows and allowing them to spend more time with patients.
Collaboration Between Ochsner Health and Epic EHR
Ochsner is testing this new feature early via Microsoft Azure Open AI, which integrates into Epic EMR software. The partnership between Ochsner and Epic EHR goes even as far back as 2018, having released an artificial intelligence tool – powered by Epic EHR’s machine learning platform – that could analyze thousands of data points to predict patient health trends (related to cardiac arrests).
Ochsner was one of the first healthcare systems to apply machine learning and AI tools, in partnership with Epic and Microsoft, to treat patients in real time.
Epic’s Electronic Health Records Software Solution is no stranger to AI or machine learning tools, having announced plans to release machine learning, natural language processing, and voice recognition tools all the way back in 2017.
Importance of Patient Communication in Healthcare
The increased reliance on patient messaging in patient portals EHR Software has improved accessibility to healthcare and led to more seamless coordinated care experiences. However recent studies have shown that this also increased messaging demand for clinicians, especially during the pandemic.
This new AI tool has the potential to drastically reduce the amount of time spent on routine patient requests and streamline workflows. Healthcare providers will still have complete oversight, as the EHR software technology is designed to require human review and approval. Additionally, the EHR technology is completely HIPPA compliant and all messages are encrypted to protect patients privacy.
The Future of Healthcare and Artificial Intelligence
Ochsner Health has made it a point that this tool is not intended to remove the need for patient communication, but instead is supposed to help support it. Artificial Intelligence holds promise, for EMR software systems, as a powerful tool capable of automating repetitive tasks but also processing impractical amounts of data in complex ways.
Enhanced Data Analysis
Deploying machine learning algorithms to analyze large amounts of data can be entirely practical for healthcare organizations that collect huge amounts of patient information. Artificial intelligence is suited to automating this process and deploying such algorithms for improved analytics on patient populations and predicting health trends.
Streamlined Workflows
Generative AI has the potential to reduce administrative burdens on health professionals, by automating EMR software documentation. It could even simply assist in data entry by giving suggestions for codes, diagnoses, or treatments.
Reducing Errors
By utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) in EMR software systems, we can automate the process of error checks and lead to more complete and consistent clinical notes. This can also especially be useful for repetitive tasks where human error is more likely.
Conclusion
The integration of generative AI in modern Electronic Medical Records Software represents a transformative leap forward in the healthcare industry. From improving patient care to automating tasks and powering predictive analytics, generative AI is poised to revolutionize EHR software.
It’s exciting to see how such widely available platforms such as Microsoft’s Azure Open AI and Epic EHR can be used to innovate, test new technologies, and push the boundaries of what’s possible with current health IT solutions. One can only be left wondering: what might come next?
