Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Health has deployed an AI tool to identify patients eligible for its Heal at Home program in real time, replacing a manual chart review process that required clinicians to sort through more than 160 patient records daily.
The AI tool, developed through a collaboration with the U of U Health Innovation Lab led by Kensaku Kawamoto, MD, PhD, chief health AI transformation officer, continuously evaluates vital signs, lab values, and clinical stability indicators to flag patients who may be ready for home-based care.
“Rather than combing through more than 100 patient charts individually, we can quickly review a smaller set of patients flagged by the tool for further evaluation,” wrote Dr. Kawamoto and U of U Health home care leaders Jared Huber, MD, and Abigail M. Papé, MD, in a June 4 post. “As Heal at Home continues expanding, we believe the technology will help the program scale without creating unsustainable operational burden for clinicians and staff.”
Heal at Home, a partnership with Community Nursing Services, allows qualifying patients to receive hospital-level services at home while connected to their care team. The program has grown from two specialties in 2021 to 22 today, serving over 1,500 patients.
