What is the value of lost personal time to healthcare workers who are overwhelmed with the demands of care delivery? How much would it be worth to them to get back 50% of the time they spend on administrative tasks each week? How much would that be worth to them?
No industry has been more affected by occupational burnout in recent years than healthcare. In 2022, more than 45% of healthcare workers reported feeling burned out “frequently” or “very often,” and the percentage of workers feeling burned out “frequently” jumped to 19%, up 8% from 2018. As a single contributing factor, healthcare workers cited increased administrative burdens such as note-taking and patient management as contributing to burnout. The increase in patient data and practice management that shapes the flow of information that drives care decisions has had the paradoxical effect of driving care providers out of the industry.
The advent of AI has seen its mass adoption in medical research, shortening the long road to identifying clinical breakthroughs. But AI is making an even bigger immediate impact by reducing the administrative tasks that burden healthcare workers. From optimizing processes and treatment plans to simplifying administrative tasks, large clinics, hospitals, and health systems have teams dedicated to AI integration to improve workflows and help retain staff. Independent healthcare workers are the next category of professionals expected to see change with AI, allowing them to work faster and more efficiently in billing, charting, and more. Implementing AI in private or group practices can help complete administrative tasks, organize information more quickly, and support effective, personalized care. These efficiencies improve healthcare workers’ ability to build and sustain their businesses. They could also help sustain an industry in which 85% of small health and social care businesses survive their first year, but only 60% thrive by year five.
Administrative tasks such as note-taking and follow-up after appointments that are necessary to provide patient care can get in the way of serving patients and maintaining or growing your practice.
Doctors who introduce AI into their practice with tools that are HIPAA, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant can not only save valuable time, but also practice with confidence that patient privacy is protected. Time saved can be used to see more clients and increase annual income potential, or to regain true work-life balance, which is what inspired many healthcare professionals to start their own practices in the first place.
The AI charting assistant tool allows healthcare professionals to create notes from client sessions and summaries, keeping client data completely secure so they can capture the key points of the session and outline next steps. The integration and use of AI allows for more accurate notes, data-backed decisions, better recommendations and more active listening. Used responsibly, AI’s ability to save time on administrative tasks, improve patient care and grow or sustain a business is only just beginning to be realised, extending beyond the walls of hospitals and health clinics to independent practices where it is essential to meet patient demand.
Photo: metamorworks, Getty Images
Kim Walsh is CEO of Practice Better, a leading practice management platform for health and wellness practitioners. She both invests in and develops healthcare entrepreneurs. In addition to her role at Practice Better, Kim is also an early stage investor at Harper Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm that invests in underrepresented founders driving innovation in underserved markets, and serves as an advisor to Abridge.
Kim previously held leadership roles at Hubspot, including VP of GTM Partnerships, where she oversaw the growth and success of the company’s partner-led ecosystem. Prior to her role as VP of GTM, Kim founded and led HubSpot for Startups, a global business serving startups, VCs, and accelerators around the world.
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