Dr. Corey Scurlock MD, MBA is the CEO & founder of Equum Medical.
As we look to the future of healthcare, industry leaders are finding themselves at a critical crossroads. They are being forced to overcome major challenges caused by workforce shortages, demands to meet patients’ needs and the rapid growth of new technologies.
As a physician who began my career before the advent of AI and telemedicine, I participated in the development of clinical decision support systems to help drive early warning systems. I’ve leveraged this experience to launch a telehealth company that provides services and AI-enabled resources.
I think that this crossroads the industry faces isn’t just about choosing the right path, but choosing what kind of travelers we want to be and how that will shape the future of healthcare.
The Path To Success With AI And Telehealth
Healthcare organizations are seeing how AI and telemedicine are moving beyond technological conveniences. These tools can help with administrative workflows and improve patient outcomes while optimizing resources, ensuring a high quality of care. As noted in Becker’s Hospital Review, AI-powered agents are now assisting with clinical decision-making, automating routine tasks and enhancing patient engagement.
Already today, many healthcare organizations have realized AI’s potential to enhance patient outcomes in various care settings. In the ICU, AI monitors patients in real time and predicts potential issues, and passive AI monitoring can detect patient falls or distress on the medical-surgical unit.
Addressing Capacity Challenges
Healthcare leaders require a solution to the ongoing shortage of healthcare professionals, which continues to strain their operations and lead to capacity issues. Harnessing the power of AI and telemedicine, health leaders can mitigate some of these challenges by addressing workforce needs.
As we move past the early days of the pandemic, telehealth usage has remained high, rising from approximately 1% of all patient visits in February 2020 to 14%-17% in 2023. Flexible care models are being conceptualized to support patients across the continuum, and AI integration in telehealth is rising significantly.
Expanding Access
AI and telehealth can play a critical role in expanding access to care. AI-powered telemedicine is a tool that has the ability to perform preliminary assessments, detect abnormalities and identify if a patient is a high-risk case. It can also give healthcare organizations the ability to provide specialized services in underserved areas, which can help reduce geographical barriers, improving overall health equity.
These AI capabilities can reduce turnaround rates when it comes to scheduling and making appointments, and can provide instant medical guidance and support for managing chronic conditions without needing in-person visits. By creating a more convenient means of communicating with healthcare providers, organizations can optimize efficiency, lessening unnecessary hospital visits and emergency room admissions.
The Challenges Of AI In Healthcare
AI is indeed entering into the healthcare industry quickly. Bessemer Venture Partners, Bain & Company and Amazon Web Services conducted a survey of more than 400 healthcare buyers, compiled in this report that shares a viewpoint of where AI stands today: More than 80% of respondents believe AI will transform clinical decision-making in the coming years, yet only 30% of pilots make it to production. I’ve found the low success rates largely stems from the difficulty of effectively integrating AI into clinical settings—an effort often hindered by significant challenges.
One of the most prominent concerns is privacy as data breaches persist; the increasing amount of data required for AI-based systems to function sets a mandate for healthcare providers to consider every precaution to secure patient information and ensure compliance with privacy regulations like HIPAA.
A second challenge is clinician trust in AI. Many healthcare professionals may be hesitant to rely on AI for critical decision-making, especially when they don’t fully understand how the algorithms work. In part, with healthcare providers’ average age (54.4 years old) about a decade older than the median age of the U.S. labor force, hospital-based physicians and nurses could be faced with technology acceptance bias that also influences their trust of AI.
Gaining trust, inclusiveness and transparency in the AI development process can help build team buy-in, while emphasizing that AI is a supportive tool rather than a replacement for human expertise.
The Road To A Sustainable Future
As we prepare to take the path to a more sustainable future for healthcare, I think health industry leaders have to be willing and ready to embrace the change. The following are key actions that could shape the industry and improve the overall ROI and care delivered:
1. Investing in AI-powered virtual care: Healthcare organizations can integrate AI-driven virtual care models to enhance access and operational efficiency. Utilizing predictive analytics and automation can help ensure effective care delivery, especially in high-demand areas.
2. Developing a robust AI governance framework: As AI adoption increases, establishing ethical guidelines and regulatory frameworks is essential to ensure patient safety, data security and transparency in decision-making. Establishing protocols for continuous oversight, validation and updating of AI algorithms is key to maintaining patient safety over time and can be inserted into organizational standard operating procedures.
3. Expanding telehealth capabilities: Improving access to expert critical care allows healthcare providers to deliver specialized medical expertise across various geographic regions, reducing disparities in access.
4. Optimizing workforce strategies: Healthcare organizations can consider using workflow automation and predictive staffing tools to address labor shortages while ensuring high-quality patient care standards. Incorporating AI and other technologies is about alleviating burnout and challenges in care delivery, returning joy to care delivery.
5. Enhancing patient engagement through personalization: Creating personalized healthcare experiences can help enhance patient loyalty, improve adherence to treatment plans and build long-term trust in digital health solutions.
By recognizing that these are not merely trends, but the future of healthcare, organizations can position themselves to expand and improve the quality of care they deliver, while seeing a greater ROI in the process. If we want the future leaders of healthcare to be successful, I think the time is now to embrace this change and continue to grow and take full advantage of the opportunities on the path ahead.
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