Generative AI in Healthcare: 5 Key Factors Beyond the Hype

There’s no doubt the rapid rise of generative AI is the biggest story in tech. As with any technological breakthrough, a wave of hype soon followed, with hundreds of organizations claiming their app could change the world.

Many vendors focused on healthcare, aiming to help organizations use generative AI to overcome key challenges. But savvy clinicians know it’s vital to assess a vendor’s true capabilities to avoid putting care quality, clinician well-being, and patient safety at risk.

Artificial intelligence: A quick primer

Over the past decade, AI has transformed healthcare with medical imaging that augments radiologists’ expertise, machine learning algorithms that revolutionize drug discovery, and AI-powered tools that predict likely spikes in demand.

Conversational AI applications allow clinicians to dictate notes directly into the EHR. Ambient AI solutions can capture the full patient story without the need for dictation. And now, generative AI can automatically draft clinical notes in seconds.

But the future of AI-augmented clinicians is only possible if vendors have the right combination of technology, expertise, experience, and scale.

5 things to look for in a healthcare AI technology partner

1: AI fine-tuned for healthcare workflows
Widely available generative AI models can provide raw power to analyze data and generate responses. But unless the applications built on these models are tailored for complex, interconnected healthcare workflows, they’ll struggle to deliver meaningful value. Look for vendors with a record of delivering trusted technology solutions that clinicians rely on in their everyday workflows.

2: A responsible approach to AI
Perhaps more than in any other industry, AI in healthcare must be built responsibly and ethically. Good healthcare relies on using highly sensitive patient data and making decisions based on clinical evidence. Ask potential vendors to share the details of their ethical AI framework to make sure they’re taking their responsibilities seriously.

3: Deployment and optimization expertise
Many generative AI startups have great ideas. But deploying applications in the real world and tightly integrating them with EHRs, scheduling, and billing systems is a very different ball game. Check that your prospective vendor can share examples of large-scale technology deployments.

4: Enterprise-grade dependability
To provide the security, stability, and scalability that healthcare leaders need, AI vendors must have a trusted global infrastructure. The best vendors will be able to demonstrate their security and governance credentials and provide verifiable details about availability SLAs.

5: Deep healthcare experience
The best healthcare AI vendors will have a long track record of working in the industry and deep partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem. Look for vendors that can show they’re embedded in the sector and understand the challenges and priorities of healthcare clinicians.

AI-powered future of healthcare

Generative AI is opening the door to powerful new use cases that will transform healthcare in many ways — and by working with trusted technology partners using solutions proven in real healthcare workflows, organizations can harness the very best of what AI has to offer.

Explore a new era of intelligence-infused healthcare experiences with Nuance, a Microsoft company.