The artificial intelligence (AI) hype-machine has hit the healthcare industry in full-force. More and more, entrepreneurs are touting AI solutions that they believe will soon revolutionize the way medicine is practiced around the world. However, separating the real use cases for AI in healthcare from fantasy land is only now becoming clear. AI in its simplest definition is about tasks that computers can perform just as well as, if not better than, humans.
Let’s face it: AI technology is terrific, and it helps people do their jobs in healthcare faster and more efficiently. When healthcare professionals enter patient data into AI algorithms, AI can review all available treatment options and provide the information in near real-time.
However, what we’ve found is that AI helps us discover and define problems, but solving the problem generally requires people getting involved. While AI can help us gather data faster, human involvement is needed when developing solutions to ensure patient satisfaction.
In her recent panel discussion at the Women in Health AI event at the GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, Kimberly Powell, vice president at Nvidia said, “In healthcare, just building an app is not good enough. In fact, it’s useless if you don’t involve people from many different backgrounds.”
For this reason, utilizing a mix of high-tech and low-tech options is crucial to the success of any medical practice. AI is not going to replace humans in healthcare. It’s designed to help humans work smarter and more efficiently.
So, let’s take a look at the low-tech solutions that can enhance your practice’s use of AI and other tech solutions to provide the best possible patient care.
1) Develop and follow solid processes and procedures.
Having structured processes and procedures within your practice is essential to providing an excellent patient experience. This means having people who can deliver a consistent message to patients no matter who they speak to. Technologies such as AI help identify problems faster and more efficiently, but to solve the problem with compassion and in a way that the patient fully understands requires human intervention.
2) Properly train your front desk staff.
Creating a positive patient experience starts with your front desk people the second a patient walks in the door. However, their job doesn’t end with a smile and friendly greeting. Front desk staff play a critical role in collecting patient data. AI cannot function properly with low-quality data; AI algorithms are only as smart as the data they have available to them.
If patient data is not gathered or entered into the system correctly, the quality of the patient care suffers. Practices need an office staff who know the right questions to ask, ensure the insurance is billed, and co-pays are collected.
3) Have a live person answering calls.
NO phone trees to navigate. When patients enter a phone tree, they often are unsure of who they need to speak to, so they end up going to the wrong extension.
You only have one opportunity to resolve an account. So, when you get the patient on the phone, you need to be able to answer their questions. If they call back, you need to have
someone available to take the call.
4) Create a well-functioning billing department.
Use technology to identify issues, but be able to put fixes in place to mitigate any further denials. Collecting balances requires educating and guiding patients on their health insurance so they understand their bill.
Some denials require getting people on the phone with the insurance company to solve. A professional who knows the right questions to ask and the right people to talk are the keys to success and can direct insurance companies on the necessary steps to get the claim processed correctly.
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