The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) recently noted that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is finding its way into rather unexpected areas. While the entire country continues to debate about AI’s future, rural healthcare providers in America are already using it. Experts reckon that this could have a big impact on rural healthcare.
A United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) study shows there has been a slight increase in rural populations after years of decline. Rural counties with cities under 50,000 people grew by one-quarter percent from 2020 through 2022. Yet, this small growth in population is unlikely to solve their ongoing problem of attracting and retaining healthcare professionals, especially in specialized fields.
Currently, three out of five regions that are designated as having a shortage of medical providers are located in rural areas. As compared to urban zones which have approximately 263 doctors per 100,000 individuals, these communities have only thirty specialists for every group of equivalent numbers.
In addition to this matter, it is projected that an older generation nearing retirement will result in about a quarter fewer general practitioners practicing in the countryside by 2030.
AI as A Solution for Widespread Burnout Among Doctors
The practice of medicine has become more fast-paced in recent years, resulting in burnout among many doctors. However, some still argue that the introduction of AI systems may streamline their activities and therefore enable them to concentrate on patient care instead of making such functions as electronic health records management.
This change is particularly apparent in rural America where healthcare providers have begun to realize that while the essence of what they do remains constant; however, their modes must change.
HealthOrbit serves as a great example of how technology can considerably improve productivity or service quality experienced by patients. It consists of a range of tools run by AI intended for healthcare organizations with diverse needs.
One feature present in HealthOrbit includes its real-time transcription ability which leverages advanced speech recognition techniques in capturing and converting medical conversations into text as they occur. The chances for errors are minimized while at the same time, it frees up valuable hours that can be directed toward caring for patients.
Smoothly fitting into existing Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, HealthOrbit makes sure documentation passes over seamlessly thereby eliminating duplications and reducing administrative load.
In Wisconsin and Michigan, Marshfield Clinic Health System is adopting AI technology to better manage patient messages. This software will group and route messages directly to concerned staff so as to free up physicians’ time for more urgent matters or those of a more complicated nature.
Safe, Secure, and Transparent Use of Healthcare AI
The role of AI in health care extends beyond the administrative sphere. It has become an important tool for improving diagnosis or treatment regardless of whether medical practice takes place anywhere. The White House leads a voluntary effort to create a framework for healthcare AI centered on its safety, security, and transparency.
Still, there are few providers who live in far-flung areas or rural areas that have been receptive to the value of this machine learning platform in their provision of services. For them, it is a new era for healthcare delivery with great promises.
The challenges posed by using AI in rural health care underscore the need for innovative solutions to address physician burnout and improve efficiency. HealthOrbit’s AI scribe and AI coder are capable of reducing the administration burden on doctors by 25% thus enabling them to spend more time with patients rather than doing paperwork.
Furthermore, HealthOrbit is fully compliant with HIPAA and GDPR regulations; as such, it ensures the highest standard of data privacy and security. This use of AI within the healthcare system enhances operational efficiency while also safeguarding patient interests as well as those serving them.
References
https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/107838/eib-261.pdf?v=6830.7