Administration burdens such as EHR documentation cost U.S. healthcare $1 trillion annually, but two health systems are looking to change this.
UC San Diego Health and Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health are using generative AI, built from Epic Systems and Microsoft, to help physicians respond to patients’ questions in online portals. These health systems are hoping the technology will be a game-changer for care teams.
“Across the country, doctors are being inundated with messages, and it’s a real problem we need to solve,” Christopher Longhurst, MD, chief medical officer and chief digital officer at UC San Diego Health, told Becker’s.
Fifty-seven percent of providers said that excessive EHR documentation is one of the contributing factors leading to burnout, but technology like generative AI is showing promising signs that it may be able to help with administrative tasks that are taking up physicians’ time.
“I’m just really excited about what I think this can mean to our physicians in terms of giving them time back to interact with their patients,” UNC Health CIO Brent Lamm told Becker’s.
Mr. Lamm said not only does he want this technology to give physicians time back with patients, but he hopes it gives them more time with their families.
“This technology could result in less pajama time, time spent on responding to patient messages and other administrative tasks,” Mr. Lamm said. “And hopefully this will also give them more time at home with their families at night where they don’t have to worry about doing documentation.”
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