Optum Insight: Healthcare Leaders Optimistic About Moving forward with AI
Health care executives increasingly believe in the power of artificial intelligence to help improve patient outcomes, support cost savings in the health system and promote health equity, according to a new survey of 500 senior health care executives from leading hospitals, health plans, life sciences companies and employers conducted by the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Optum company.
A press release posted on the company’s website on Dec. 15 began, “The fourth annual Optum Survey on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health Care found 96 percent of respondents believe AI plays an important role in their effort to reach health equity goals. In addition, 94 percent agreed they have a duty within the health care system to ensure AI is used responsibly.”
“This year’s survey findings continue to validate how the responsible use of AI can help health systems strengthen and scale essential functions and reduce administrative burdens, all of which helps clinicians focus on their core mission of patient care,” said Rick Hardy, chief executive officer, Optum Insight, the data and analytics business within Optum. “We share their enthusiasm for AI, but more importantly, we look forward to combining our health care expertise with AI to help people — patients, physicians, and those working behind the scenes — as that is where the real value is delivered.”
Indeed, the report notes that “The past year has been a turbulent time in health care, but all trends point to an industry that remains steadfast in its approach to implementing AI. Eighty-five percent of health care leaders say they have an AI strategy and 48 percent have implemented it. This is in line with last year’s results, where 83 percent had an AI strategy and 44 percent had implemented it. Overall, 98 percent of health care organizations either have a strategy or plan on one, on par with last year.”
Meanwhile, the survey found that a majority (89 percent) of health care executives surveyed believe the challenges in using AI in the health care industry require partnering with a health services company with expertise in data and analytics versus a technology-focused company, as the best way to address them.
Easing administrative burdens, focusing on care
Responding to the survey, nearly three in four health care leaders (72 percent) said they trust AI to support nonclinical, administrative processes that take away time clinicians could be spending with patients and delivering care. This figure was unchanged from the 71 percent who said they trust AI to support administrative tasks in 2020.
This year’s survey respondents also said they are excited about the potential for AI in improving patient outcomes in multiple ways, indicating the top three below:
• Virtual patient care (41 percent)
• Diagnosis and predicting outcomes (40 percent)
• Medical image interpretation (36 percent)
In addition, health care leaders continue to be optimistic that AI technology will create work opportunities (55 percent) rather than reduce them (45 percent). This is similar to last year and up from 52 percent in 2019.
“The responsible use of AI continues to provide important opportunities for health care leaders to streamline administrative processes and provide more effective patient care with enhanced experiences for both patients and providers,” said Steve Griffiths, senior vice president, data and analytics, Optum Labs, the research and development arm of UnitedHealth Group. “These leaders are not just users of AI, but they have an opportunity to be looked to as role models across industries in their commitment to using AI responsibly.”
As the report’s introduction notes, “Many are excited about AI’s practical benefits, especially easing technological administrative burden, with 41 percent most excited about using AI to improve patient outcomes with virtual care and 39 percent interested in automating administrative workflows. But most critically, healthcare leaders see AI as a crucial tool to leverage their most valuable mission: 96% say that AI plays an important role in their organization’s efforts to reach their equity goals, just as they did last year. An overwhelming majority of those surveyed are interested in partnering with others who are just as focused on the responsible use of AI: 89% agree that the challenges in using AI require a health care-focused company to help address them. In fact, one of the most compelling reasons to partner with an AI company is to access the talent to build and deploy AI (40%), highlighting the need for expertise to continue — and even expand — health care’s use of AI to generate transformative change.”
Thus, the survey’s key findings:
Ø 98 percent have or are planning to implement an AI strategy
Ø 99 percent expect tangible cost savings as a result of investing in AI
Ø AI presents particular opportunities to ease administrative burden, including automating administrative workflows (39 percent)
Ø 94 percent agree that they have a duty to ensure responsible use of AI
Ø 96 say that AI plays an important role in their organization’s efforts to reach their equity goals
Ø 58 percent trust a healthcare company that has experience with data and analytics more than a general tech company that works with a variety of industries
Ø 89 percent trust a healthcare-focused company—nota tech-focused one—to address the unique challenges of using AI in healthcare
Ø More than 99 percent agree that AI can be trusted for use in healthcare
Ø 40 percent say that accessing the talent to build and deploy AI is a top reason to connect with an external partner
As the report notes, “This continual push to deploy AI in health care comes at a time when health care leaders are particularly interested in helping employees grapple the new tasks piling up on a daily basis, distracting them from the crucial work of improving patient outcomes. This could be why health care leaders are most excited to improve patient outcomes by using AI during virtual patient care (41 percent) and automating administrative workflows (39 percent). Reducing the level of effort it takes for employees to manage this work allows them to refocus on patients and deliver the best possible outcomes, an indirect—but nevertheless profound — benefit of A Health care leaders believe this adds up to not only better patient outcomes, but improved opportunities for employees. 55 percent of health care leaders believe AI will lead to more career opportunities for employees, on par with previous waves of research. This is especially true at hospitals, where 67% of health care leaders are optimistic about AI’s role in their employees’ lives — an optimism grounded in experience, given that 64% of hospitals have already implemented AI. Overwhelmingly, health care leaders continue to show enthusiasm for AI as a tool that will continue to play a key role in every facet of their industry, with everyone — employees and patients alike — poised to benefit.”
One area of most immediate potential is that of administrative tasks. The report notes that “Almost all health care leaders (99 percent) say they trust AI to support tasks in health care, with a particular eye on the way it can make employees’ daily lives easier. Nearly three in four health care leaders (72 percent) trust AI to support non-clinical tasks — administrative burdens that make it harder for health care employees to manage the real work of improving patient outcomes. This trust is especially high among C-level health care leaders, 80 percent of whom trust AI to help support non-clinical tasks.”
