A national consumer survey of 2,000 Americans found that 75% of respondents said they were “very” concerned about the financial impact of the health emergency. But 48% were optimistic about the potential of healthcare AI to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and outcomes of healthcare.
WHY IT MATTERS
Americans are “quickly recognizing the potential of AI to transform healthcare, with 48% of people identifying themselves as optimistic about AI-enabled outcomes,” Max Votek, co-founder of Customertimes, the digital consulting firm that sponsored the survey, said in a statement.
The survey found that one in four respondents believe AI will make treatment cheaper, while 56% hope that AI-designed drugs will help reduce healthcare costs, Customertimes reported.
The consultant said the national survey revealed that:
- Americans are optimistic about AI’s potential to transform healthcare.
- Americans expect AI to improve diagnostic efficiency, make health care more efficient, and improve patient outcomes.
- Two in three Americans believe AI will diagnose diseases better than humans.
- Americans don’t expect AI to replace doctors, but rather to make their lives easier.
Researchers also found that 62% believe AI will outperform humans in diagnosing and treating diseases, with one in seven believing the technology will save jobs in the healthcare industry.
Notably, the company also said that one in four people are optimistic about AI-powered drug development, and 40% believe AI can effectively predict how treatments will work.
THE BIGGER TREND
Americans may be optimistic about using AI and other technologies to improve health care delivery and reduce rising costs, but there has been an increase in investment in AI since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, leading some to suggest that, Show me the money.
The Customertimes survey comes after a new warning from Morgan Stanley chief investment officer Mike Wilson that AI companies need to start telling investors about revenue and earnings.
“I see AI everywhere, except in the numbers,” he said in a summary. Bid opening audio file
The healthcare ecosystem has seen many successful AI implementations with favorable metrics.
Nurses at OhioHealth feel “empowered” after the health system integrated an early discharge planning platform that leverages artificial intelligence to reduce the administrative burden of discharges and shorten patients’ hospital stays, said Jean Halpin, chief operating officer at Grant Medical Center. Healthcare IT News Monday in Q&A.
Mudit Garg, CEO of Qventus, which develops the EDP software, added that OhioHealth expects to care for 3,500 more patients and save $500,000 in operating costs in the first year after 30 days of use, reflecting a 1,400-day reduction in excess patient days.
There is also an expectation from the government for close oversight of what the US Department of Health and Human Services calls decision support interventions.
HHS has declined to delay health IT certification requirements for predictive DSI algorithms, and health IT developers must apply risk analysis and mitigation related to validity, reliability, robustness, fairness, understandability, safety, security, and privacy by the end of this month, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Technology said when it signed the health IT certification rule in December.
According to the agency’s key dates dashboard, health IT modules certified after August 31 will have until December 2025 to incorporate the DSI criteria into their actual testing plans.
However, the use of AI to deny payment or medical care, and allegations of racial bias in healthcare AI, have also led to lawsuits. Humana and other companies have been sued for allegedly using inaccurate AI to deny Medicare Advantage.
ON PROFILE
“AI appointment scheduling software that reduces wait times and AI medical imaging that provides near-instant diagnoses are no longer the stuff of science fiction,” Votek said in a statement.
“The technology is here, and we’ve seen the benefits of AI in hospitals and operating rooms. Given the industry’s poor state, it’s encouraging to see the American public embracing the transformative potential of AI.”
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.
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