AI Holds Promise for Healthcare Outcomes

When electronic medical record systems were initially implemented, they were designed to facilitate billing and payment needs of third-party payers rather than being focused on medical care delivery and history storage. Actual medical history and clinical notes were not stored in a way that made the information available to the clinician or the patient. Currently health care systems are taking a more wholistic approach to healthcare records. Kaiser Permanente has fully implemented a system called HealthConnect that shares data across all of its facilities and makes it easier to use EHRs. A McKinsey report on big data healthcare states that “The integrated system has improved outcomes in cardiovascular disease and achieved an estimated $1 billion in savings from reduced office visits and lab tests.”