PHOTO:Fusion Medical Animation

As healthcare organizations continue to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, they can use all the help possible to make the most effective decisions. In some cases, that means they're turning to artificial intelligence (AI).

In fact, AI can improve decision-making for healthcare CIOs in three areas, according to Erick Brethenoux, research vice president at Gartner Inc. They are:

In the fight against COVID-19, AI ... allows predictions to be made about the spread of the virus, helps diagnose cases more quickly and accurately, measures the effectiveness of countermeasures to slow the spread, and optimizes resources, to name a few, said Brethenoux.

Despite the perceived benefits of artificial intelligence, most healthcare organizations are still slow to use AI in their strategic decision-making.

Healthcare organizations are still in the early stages of adoptions, explained Anand S. Rao, global artificial intelligence lead at PwC. Most payers and providers have typically not used advanced analytics of AI-based techniques pre-COVID-19, like temperature screening, robotics or diagnostics. Only a small proportion of healthcare organizations less than 20% are well-positioned to adopt AI technologies.

This is unfortunate, said Rao, who specializes in operationalizing AI, responsible AI and using AI for strategic decision-making.

Healthcare organizations that embrace AI will be better prepared to not only control their current operations but can also leapfrog the competition by reimagining care delivery with remote and alternative care business models, said Rao. Emerging technologies including AI, wearables, sensors, AR/VR, remote care, telemedicine can revolutionize how we respond to the needs of patients, both during a pandemic and beyond the pandemic.

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Specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, AI-based systems can help alleviate the strain on healthcare providers overwhelmed by a crushing patient load, accelerate diagnostic and reporting systems, aid in the development of new drugs to fight the disease, and help better match existing drugs to a patients unique genetic profile and specific systems, said Rafael Rosengarten, a board member of the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (AAIH) and CEO of Genialis.

We believe AI will also play a huge role in the next wave of this pandemic, or future outbreaks, in helping identify those most vulnerable and at-risk before its too late Rosengarten explained.

Should a secondwave of COVID-19 strike, one of the most valuable benefits of artificial intelligence will be the ability to plot out where and who the most vulnerable people are. This will allow key decision-makers to target interventions and lockdowns to curb the spread locally.

We anticipate advances in Europe and Asia where we have more data available and we are seeing greater compliance with social orders and tracing. But also specific locales in the US already some exciting work out of New York City, for example, sets the stage for interventional public health at the next serious challenge, Rosengarten said.

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In reference to Gartners recommendations on the top benefits of AI in fighting the pandemic, Rosengarten said organizations should focus on the following:

Most importantly, the continued spread of COVID-19 should convince healthcare organizations that have not heavily invested in AI in the past to do so now, Rosengarten argued.

We see a huge drive in adopting AI out of simple necessity and market forces because these are the most promising solutions out there to address recalcitrant problems, Rosengarten said. We believe the adoption of AI solutions is poised to grow tremendously in terms of new converts as well as deep, vertical integration within organizations. This growth should be organic and based on realizing the promise of better outcomes for patients and better economics for stakeholders.

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How Healthcare Organizations Have Tapped AI in the Fight Against COVID-19 - CMSWire