Dive Brief:
Healthcare executives are hopeful artificial intelligence and other digital tools can help the sector shift to delivering care proactively — and turn around an increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible healthcare system, according to a survey published Monday by Chartis.
Nine in 10 leaders surveyed by the healthcare advisory said they’re prioritizing digital and AI products to improve access to care, more accurately project and meet demand, and serve more patients.
Executives are already making progress at implementing these tools. For example, 17% of leaders reported they had fully adopted AI-assisted clinical decision support products, while nearly half said they were in the pilot phase.
Dive Insight:
Nearly all respondents said the healthcare sector has to fundamentally change how it operates over the next five years — from reactively dealing with illness to proactively managing patients’ health — to remain viable, according to the analysis, which surveyed 150 health system executives in September.
Most leaders agreed that the nation’s healthcare system doesn’t provide affordable care, while half said the industry doesn’t offer timely, convenient access to primary or specialty care.
And these persistent challenges could worsen unless health systems make significant changes, according to the survey. More than half of executives said providers’ financial pressures will have declined in five years without an overhaul.
Additionally, nearly half said the pipeline of clinical workers and burnout among providers could be worse without changes.
“We may finally be at a tipping point if 90% of healthcare executives agree on the need for fundamental change,” said report co-author Tom Kiesau, Chartis’ chief AI and digital officer, in a statement.
Leaders worry healthcare challenges will worsen without change
% of health system executives who think elements of care delivery will get better, worse or stay the same over the next five years
But health system leaders are hopeful digital health and AI technologies could help. For example, 92% of respondents reported it was very or somewhat important to their health systems to add or expand AI-backed triage and care navigation over the next five years, in a bid to ensure resources can meet patient demand.
Additionally, more than 90% said it was key to implement AI capacity and referral management tools. Nearly all health system leaders said they were prioritizing using AI to free up providers’ time to focus on patient care, instead of administrative work.
Meanwhile, executives say they’re making progress on rolling out digital technologies at their health systems. More than half reported they have already implemented or piloted expansions of acute hospital care at home programs, and nearly two-thirds report they’ve done the same for non-acute services in the home.
Health systems are also taking steps to implement AI, according to the survey. Nearly 40% said they’re piloting AI-backed capacity and referral management, while 17% reported they had already implemented these tools.
Plus, 45% of respondents said they’re piloting AI triage and care navigation products, and 11% have already adopted them.
