technology
interpreting that information into clinical practice, there is a pow-erful
combination that delivers improved health outcomes.
This analysis provides clinicians with confidence-ranked treat-ment
options and supporting evidence that help inform optimal
expert second opinions for their patients. Getting the diagnosis
right and consequently, administering the right treatment, can
help fight the pervasive waste that surrounds care today that neg-atively
impacts clients and their employees. It also means keeping
employees present and productive.
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN INCORPORATING AI
So what should HR and benefits professionals be looking
for when integrating the best technologies into their virtual
care platform?
1. Quality matters. Those who are able to truly succeed in this
area and demonstrate improved outcomes with AI will be
those who can successfully integrate AI into an existing virtual
care platform that prioritizes medical excellence. Cognitive
computing is only as good as the data that goes in and the
experts that interpret what comes out. With high quality
standards, machine learning can help patients and treating
physicians make decisions that lead to quality outcomes.
2. Build around the best minds in medicine. We continue to
see that technology alone is often a commodity, but building
around innovators in medicine is the major differentiator. As
more employers and health plans turn to AI to help make
critical treatment decisions, patients and care providers are
finding that these innovative tools must have seamless access
to the brightest human minds in medicine to dictate what goes
in and how the resulting recommendations are used. Quality
in. Quality out.
3. Personalization counts. A resounding 87 per cent of
employees in a major carrier study felt that more customized
benefit choices that better fit their lives would help them feel
more confident as they make healthcare decisions. The power
of AI comes from being able to scour countless data points
to deliver personalized advice within a strong virtual care
ecosystem. Contextualize each AI experience for the patient
and the health system.
4. Communication is key. A new paradigm for healthcare can
be intimidating. Communicate successes with real-life success
stories that convince your employees that this new healthcare
future with AI in the picture can truly deliver a healthier and
more productive workforce.
5. Empower individuals with information. Augmented
intelligence has the power to equip individuals and populations
with vital health information, but new technologies and
processes can often create a lag in adoption. In order to
overcome slow utilization, use AI to proactively identify
individuals for virtual care interventions that can improve
outcomes and lower costs.
With a focus on quality care and better patient outcomes, aug-mented
intelligence can have transformative and powerful benefits.
When combined with the brightest human minds in medicine
and merged with a quality-focused virtual care platform, AI has
the ability to reach many, lower costs, and most importantly,
improve outcomes. n
Dr. Lewis Levy is the chief medical officer at Teladoc Health.
AI is increasingly relied on to help
make critical treatment decisions
WHEN YOU MARRY
AUGMENTED INTELLIGENCE
WITH THE ACCESSIBILITY AND
CONVENIENCE OF VIRTUAL CARE,
THE POSSIBILITIES GROW.
Elnur Amikishiyev/123rf.com
48 ❚ DECEMBER 2018 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
/123rf.com
