Can AI Transform Patient Care Amid Healthcare Challenges?

The healthcare sector is grappling with a crisis characterized by rising patient demand and diminishing clinical capacity. In response, organizations like Microsoft and Andor Health believe that agentic AI technologies, particularly their platform ThinkAndor®, could provide vital support. This discussion emerged prominently at the recent Think AI Conference, highlighting the potential of AI to reshape patient care delivery.

Hospitals across the United States are increasingly strained, facing challenges such as lengthy wait times, clinician burnout, and significant gaps in nursing hours. Reports indicate a concerning trend of workforce departures, exacerbated by heightened public health challenges, including the complexity of chronic diseases and behavioral health needs. In light of these pressures, many health systems are exploring technology solutions, specifically AI-enabled tools, to enhance documentation processes, streamline care coordination, and extend the effectiveness of clinical teams.

The shift in perspective towards AI is notable. Rather than viewing it solely as a replacement for clinical staff, health systems are beginning to see how AI can supplement existing workflows. This is evident in platforms like ThinkAndor®, designed to support nursing teams by alleviating administrative burdens. Under the guidance of CEO Raj Toleti, Andor Health has developed technology aimed at reducing the workload on nurses by extracting information from electronic medical records and facilitating real-time documentation through voice and natural language interfaces.

A significant case study comes from Sentara Health, one of the largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the U.S. Earlier this year, Sentara expanded its agreement to license ThinkAndor® with the objective of enhancing virtual care capabilities across twelve hospitals, serving approximately 34,000 employees. Andor Health’s product teams, including COO Pritesh and Chief Product Officer Srini Surendranath, worked closely with Sentara to align the technology with existing workflows.

Since the implementation of ThinkAndor®, Sentara has reported over 44,000 virtual nursing sessions and more than 11,000 hours of virtual assistance for frontline teams. The system has also witnessed operational improvements, such as an increase in early-day discharge rates, with nearly 18% of discharges occurring before 1 p.m. Additionally, Sentara noted that the initiative has activated 1,742 beds across its network and returned thousands of nursing hours to staff, achievements attributed to both technological integration and workflow redesign.

These developments have attracted attention from other health systems, eager to learn from Sentara’s experience as they consider similar digital tools to stabilize their operations. The upcoming ThinkAI conference, scheduled for November 16-19, 2023, in Orlando, will further explore these themes. Hospital executives, virtual nursing leaders, developers, and AI researchers will gather to discuss the role of AI in addressing operational challenges, emphasizing lessons learned from early adopters like Sentara.

As the healthcare sector navigates one of its most challenging periods, it appears to be entering a new phase of experimentation with technology. By treating AI not as a distant concept but as a practical set of tools, hospitals aim to enhance the foundation of everyday patient care. The critical question now is how these early models can be scaled, standardized, and evaluated to effectively tackle the current patient care crisis.