Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been revolutionizing industries across the globe, and healthcare is no exception. One of the most promising AI-driven innovations is ChatGPT, an advanced language model developed by OpenAI. With its ability to understand and generate human-like text, ChatGPT has the potential to significantly impact healthcare by enhancing patient care, streamlining workflows, and transforming provider-patient interactions. 

Embrace AI Proactively

As AI continues to make inroads in healthcare, it is important that providers are proactive in embracing these advancements and integrating them into all aspects of their practice. This involves staying informed about AI developments, exploring possible applications of ChatGPT in clinical settings, and using AI tools to enhance patient care and streamline administrative tasks. Providers also need to proactively understand the implications of AI on the traditional provider discovery path and adapt their practices accordingly.

The following sections cover some of the areas where AI systems like ChatGPT are expected to make an impact in the short to medium term.

Provider Discovery

ChatGPT is likely to bring about one of the biggest changes in the workings of the Internet – providing an alternative to search engines. Search engines like Google have acted as to the gatekeepers to the Internet, wielding considerable power and shaping many aspects of the workflows of todays internet. ChatGPT with its chatbot based interface provides the first real alternative to search engines. Google itself has announced the Google Search Generative Experience, the biggest overhaul of its search engine with the infusion of AI.

So what does this mean for healthcare providers?

• Providers now have a huge opportunity to tap into this new discovery model where ChatGPT or similar AI Bots connect them directly with patients. Compared to the SEO driven matching that happens today, AI Bots are likely to do a much better job of matching up patients with healthcare providers who can meet their needs based on an in-depth understanding of the patient requirements.
• ChatGPT will also have a big impact on healthcare aggregators who today similar to Google wield a lot of power over patient discovery. 
• Google SGE which is expected to roll out over the next one year, will use generative AI to do a lot of the heavy lifting, potentially resulting in a loss of traffic to existing websites.

To prepare for this change, healthcare providers should:

1. a) Ensure accurate and up-to-date information about their services, qualifications, and expertise is available online, making it easier for AI algorithms to match patients with the appropriate providers.
2. b) Incorporate AI-driven communication tools that enable patients to engage with providers easily, such as chatbots or virtual assistants that can answer questions, schedule appointments, or address concerns.
3. c) Explore options to create customized solutions that cater to the specific needs of their patient population, ensuring that provider discovery is tailored to the unique context of their practice.

Telemedicine rises again

Due to the Covid pandemic, all providers are familiar with telemedicine. Post Covid, telemedicine usage settled back at a new high. ChatGPT and similar AI Bots will result in a permanent shift towards telemedicine.

If the patient’s habit of googling their symptoms and concerns is anything to go by, it can be expected that patients will use ChatGPTs extensive capabilities to explore their health concerns in great detail. Patients can be expected to use ChatGPT to understand their symptoms, arrive at a first level diagnosis, self order lab tests to confirm their diagnosis. This change in behavior will also cause patients to lean towards telemedicine consultations in a big way. Add to this, the rapid adoption of consumer health devices that provide patients with a steady stream of data and alerts, which is likely to further drive a shift towards ChatGPT and telemedicine consultations.

It is therefore important that providers prepare themselves for a potentially rapid increase in telemedicine adoption again. Unlike in the case of Covid this usage is not expected to fall back, but will likely keep rising.

Clinical practice

Below are some of the immediate areas where AI systems are expected to enhance clinical practice: 

• Triaging:  In non-critical cases, AI-bots can be used to interact with patients and gather information about their symptoms and medical history. By analyzing the information provided, AI systems can help determine the severity of a patient’s condition and guide them to the appropriate level of care.
• Clinical documentation: AI-driven speech recognition and natural language processing can streamline clinical documentation, converting spoken language into text and automatically populating electronic health records. This can save healthcare providers time and reduce the risk of errors.
• Diagnostics and decision support: AI-driven tools can help clinicians analyze medical images, interpret lab results, and identify patterns in patient data, leading to more accurate and timely diagnoses. ChatGPT can also assist in providing evidence-based treatment recommendations, aiding in clinical decision-making.

Administrative tasks

AI-driven enhancements will drive significant enhancements in typical administrative tasks. Some example of administrative tasks include:

• Appointment scheduling: AI-driven systems can automate appointment booking, rescheduling, and cancellations, allowing patients to easily manage their appointments while reducing staff workload.
• Billing and insurance claims: AI can help automate the process of generating invoices, tracking payments, and processing insurance claims, minimizing the potential for human error and increasing efficiency.
• Document processing: AI-powered tools can help with processing and organizing large volumes of documents, such as lab reports, medical records, and referral letters, saving time and reducing manual labor.
• Coding and compliance: AI can assist in medical coding and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, minimizing errors and improving overall accuracy.
• Customer support: AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants can handle routine patient inquiries, such as questions about prescriptions or test results, freeing up healthcare professionals to focus on more complex tasks.

Adjust to the changed patient journey

As more people discover the power of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, providers should expect a corresponding and drastic shift in patient expectations. ChatGPT is expected to impact all aspects of the patient journey including symptom onset and awareness, information seeking and decision making, the actual patient encounter, post encounter treatment and patient engagement. This topic is explore in more detail in this <article>. It is important that providers are prepared to handle a rapidly moving set of expectations over the coming years.

Summary

As AI-driven innovations like ChatGPT continue to make significant strides in healthcare, it is crucial for healthcare providers to prepare for their integration into clinical practice and administration. By embracing AI advancements, providers can enhance patient care, streamline workflows, and improve patient engagement. Healthcare providers also need to prepare themselves for changes in provider discovery, an increase in telemedicine demand and a significant shift in patient expectations. Healthcare providers are encouraged to seize the potential benefits of AI technologies like ChatGPT by staying informed about AI developments, investing in staff training, and actively integrating AI-driven tools into their practice. By doing so, providers can unlock new opportunities for personalized care, optimized resource allocation, and improved patient outcomes. Embracing the power of AI in healthcare is not only a strategic move but also key for their continued economic and professional success.