Almost every industry is learning how to integrate AI to streamline workflows and save time, and healthcare is no exception. Medical practices nationwide are exploring transformative ways to tackle collective industry problems such as poor communication, clinician burnout, and low patient satisfaction in a new era of revolutionary tech.

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Talking with tech

The National Institute of Health released an eye-opening report in 2010 that quantified the cost of poor communication in healthcare systems, revealing that U.S. hospitals lost $12 billion annually due to communication breakdowns among providers. More specifically, 53 percent of that massive cost was attributed to patients having to increase their original lengths of stay. With the understanding that a 500-bed hospital loses over $4 million annually because of these communication inefficiencies, it becomes quickly apparent that the way hospitals communicate about the care of each patient who walks through their doors matters immensely.

To understand what bad communication looks like in healthcare systems, a CRICO report analyzed 23,000 malpractice cases between 2009 and 2013 that involved patient harm, revealing that 30 percent of those cases involved a breakdown in communication across the spectrum of healthcare services and incurred losses estimated to be about $1.7 billion. Around 57 percent of the communication failures identified occurred between providers, and 55 percent occurred between providers and patients. "Across all specialties and care delivery settings, miscommunication begets misinformation," according to the report. "If the systems that providers rely on to alert them to information gaps or discrepancies are inadequate, then misinformation can lead to mismanaged care, unmet expectations, and patient harm."

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With such an undeniable communication problem made plain, healthcare systems are turning to AI-powered clinical documentation platforms to streamline and safeguard their communications between providers and patients. For example, Playback Health’s engagement tools offer in-person video recording and automatic transcription and translation, so patients can receive a comprehensive record of all their doctor's in-person instructions immediately on their mobile devices.

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Morale and the machines

When it comes to clinician burnout, AI documentation is poised to give clinicians time back in their days to do what they do best: take care of people. In all the feverish studies and surveys released about the burnout crisis in healthcare systems post-COVID-19, clinicians keep repeating that the paperwork is the problem. Tedious amounts of administrative work keep them behind a desk instead of with their patients, where they were trained to be. Tools like Playback Notes, an ambient listening technology, enable quick transcription of doctors' notes into EMR-ready medical notes, saving valuable clinician time. One note recorded on Playback saves an average of 15 minutes per patient encounter. Added up, that's a transformative amount of time for patient care and provider morale.

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Patient portals

When patients don't feel cared for, they remember. With hospital satisfaction ratings like HCAHPS, everyone else remembers, too. Healthcare systems' successes are directly linked to their patients' reported experience at their facilities. The introduction of AI-bolstered customer service proves that their clinicians are thinking about patient experience in every part of the process.

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In an era when people are personalizing every facet of their lives from the palm of their hands, healthcare need not be any different. By creating an instantaneous comprehensive mobile medical record, platforms like Playback Health allow providers and patients the flexibility to add loved ones and caretakers to their journey at any point, from relatives to partners to friends. This information can be shared infinitely without compromising HIPAA privacy or risking mismanaged information. Enabling patients to digitally loop in their support system to their clinician's exact care instructions revolutionizes the mobility and agency of their healthcare journeys.

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Changing the game

AI-powered clinical documentation transforms the way healthcare communicates, improving the lives of clinicians and patients. When quality care rests on effective communication and well-cared-for doctors and patients, it's time to take the inspiring capabilities of AI seriously.

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Put Playback Health’s automation and engagement tools to the test today. Send us an email to get started for free: matt@playbackhealth.com

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