In just the last three years, the transformational potential of AI has leapt from theory to practice in the health care space. Today, it would be difficult to find a single department within Louisiana’s more tech-savvy hospitals that isn’t feeling its impact.
A confluence of factors is fueling the phenomena—specifically a growing societal acceptance of AI—thanks to the widespread use of commercial products such as ChatGPT, and an increasing awareness by doctors and hospital executives of the time-saving, and often lifesaving, capabilities of the technology.
Jonas Fontenot, CEO at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, says AI is “maturing in dog years” as it spreads throughout every aspect of the health care environment.
Five years ago, for example, the creation of a detailed radiation treatment plan could take up to two weeks. Now, with the incorporation of AI-enabled “adaptive radiation,” the same process takes mere minutes. “Adaptive radiation has changed the entire paradigm,” Fontenot says.
“Now, the patient lies on the treatment table, images are taken and an AI-enabled computer algorithm, in real time, creates a menu of treatment plans for the physician to choose from. Treatments can begin on that day.”
For years, technology and innovation have been embedded into the “DNA” of the oncology field. Even before AI-powered commercial products began hitting the market, Mary Bird Perkins was developing its own homegrown tools using machine learning and AI techniques. “What’s been impressive is how diverse AI solutions have become across health care in general,” Fontenot says. “AI-enabled tools are in every part of an organization.”
Increasingly, users view AI as a helpful tool, not a burdensome technology. Two years ago, physicians at Mary Bird Perkins rarely used AI-enabled ambient listening tools to record and summarize doctor-patient conversations during patient visits. Today, its use is ubiquitous. AI tools can even operate across multiple systems and pull data from various sources to create a specific and concise summary of a patient’s medical background. “That can be quite powerful in the modern business of health care,” Fontenot notes.
Read the full story, and check out the full Trends in Health Care package from this month’s Business Report. Send comments to editor@businessreport.com.
