Older voice recognition models are being replaced by new language models that are much more accurate for transcribing clinical notes, but providers can still spend as much as 6 hours doing this on patient days.
The time doctors spend on clinical notes is a reality of the ACA. This limits the number of patients a doctor can see but it also affects patient access It is a major driver of clinician burnout and low morale, even causing some young doctors to consider making a career change.
Nvidia, the super chip maker, and Abridge, an AI scribe start-up company, have partnered to “elevate and strengthen the doctor-patient clinical conversation” in the patient process. This goes to the essence of our health care system.
They have built the first AI model that distills clinical conversations into accurate clinical notes with observational details and converts them into patient summaries for the EHR. It also generates and sends the appropriate medical coding to billing. It does all of this in milliseconds!
Billing denials are a reality that every hospital faces. Coding mistakes cause a denial, forcing the hospital to submit the correct CPT medical codes and petition for payment. This takes time, costs money, and is not always successful with the payer.
The new transformative AI model is being rolled out to Emory Healthcare’s more than 3,000 doctors for beta testing. The doctors will check the AI model’s accuracy of medical terms, observational details, and medical conclusions for patient treatment plans. Billing will of course check the accuracy of the automated billing codes.
The doctors will have collaborative input as they should.
Will all doctors view this as a significant upgrade that benefits them and their patients, or will some see it as seeding their eventual replacement by AI?
Clinicians will have more quality time to see patients and/or more time to see more patients, thus it potentially will improve access. This will support the all-important doctor-patient dynamic key to favorable patient outcomes and Patient Experience.
Will this change how patients view their doctor? Will doctors use ‘active and affirmative listening’ to strengthen the doctor-patient dynamic and enhance patient buy-in?
Could it affect Patient Expectations which are always important?
Consumers and patients routinely research a doctor’s educational credentials, areas of expertise, Reviews. and rating. A patient expects the physician and his team to be knowledgeable, professional, and caring.
Digital Patient Engagement done right enhances the doctor’s knowledge of a patient and sets up a powerful doctor-patient dynamic. It also proves core competency and can influence a patient’s expectations.
The rapidity of change in AI is breathtaking. Initial AI models were not good at ‘adductive reasoning’ when only some of the facts were known. AI seemed to enjoy tricking human beings.
Ask the Morgan and Morgan attorney who used AI to buttress his brief with prior case rulings. The AI produced well-written fiction. Not to be outdone, two federal District judges did the same thing.
AI has come a long way in a short time, but there is that reality. AI must have continuing human supervision.
We know AI is already in the culture, on our cell phones and in our homes, and being implemented in industry, business, education, e-commerce, and in sports.
Over 30% of Princeton undergraduate students admitted using AI on research papers and some tests. Some high school students are using AI for their work.
The advancement of AI into virtually ‘everything’ is a cautionary tale with real-world consequences.
Our intel agencies say advanced AI of adversaries will soon be able to breach their security encryption. Quantum computing could render our banking system’s security encryption obsolete and with it our passwords.
Where are we headed?
Is there a risk that humanity loses its humility? Does AI need no guardrails, some guardrails, or strict government regulation as the EU is doing?
There is nothing as powerful as knowing how to do something from scratch – to be authentic still means something.
Original work and creativity are being used (stolen) by Big Tech to train language models. AI-generated images are rife over the internet, so much so that people cannot tell the difference between a photo of someone and an AI-generated fake.
Critical thinking is not taught, but learned from open inquiry, rigorous questioning and debate, and freedom of speech, not rote memorization or indoctrination.
We are at a crossroads with choices that will have real consequences. The possibilities are promising if there is continuous human being real oversight.
We are conceptualizers and problem solvers. See what ‘Q” can do for you!!