Implementing artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare practice operations is no longer a futuristic concept, or just another “nice to have”—it’s become a necessity for practice operators looking to manage higher than ever call volume, tight margins, and competition in the healthcare sector. But choosing the right AI provider, successfully implementing an AI solution, and seeing tangible value from the tool can be easier said than done. Fortunately, there are examples of modern providers who have managed to see positive results from AI deployment, including Forefront Dermatology. Colin Kennedy, Chief Innovation Officer at Forefront Dermatology, joined Tessya Federico, Director of Healthcare Partnerships at EliseAI, for a presentation at HLTH 2024 on "Strategic AI Deployment: Enhancing Efficiency and Results," to dive into how they’ve collaborated to implement AI at Forefront.
During their presentation, Tessya and Colin shared insights into how Forefront Dermatology has effectively deployed EliseAI’s HealthAI product to improve the patient experience, promote operational efficiency, and ultimately, deliver ROI for their practice. Here are 5 key takeaways from their session.
1. Clearly Define the Problems You Want to Solve
Many healthcare practice operators expect AI to come in and be a cure-all for every issue that their practice is facing, but without clearly defined and problems to solve it can be incredibly difficult to measure the impact of AI. Not having well articulated issues to try and solve with AI can lead to a disconnect between expectations and reality when it comes to implementing AI.
Here’s the three step framework Colin and Tessya shared for defining problem areas to be improved with AI.
Step One: Understand Your Pain Points
Pinpoint areas where AI can make a meaningful impact based on existing feedback and metrics. If, for example, your average hold times are high and patients are dropping off before they have a chance to talk to your staff, you should be able to identify the patient experience when calling as a specific area of concern to be addressed with AI.
Step Two: Set Clear Success Metrics
Now that you know that, for example, the patient call experience at your practice has room for improvement, it’s time to put measurable, numerical metrics in place to measure both the “before” state and “after” state after you’ve implemented. It’s going to be up to you to determine what “good” looks like for your practice. Once you’ve decided what “good” looks like, try to establish measurable goals to assess the effectiveness of AI implementations. For example, if hold times are an issue, try to align qualitative metrics like patient feedback with quantitative metrics like average hold time to get an overall picture of how AI is impacting the patient experience.
Step Three: Start Small with Proof of Concept
Begin with a pilot program to test AI solutions on a smaller scale. This approach allows you to gather data and make informed decisions before a full-scale rollout. Gathering proof of concept metrics can also help you troubleshoot any unexpected issues with the AI before pushing forward full steam ahead. Implementing AI at one location rather than all your practice’s offices immediately can help you derive representative insights to ensure the full scale rollout goes well. Ensure you’ve clearly defined a workflow to be automated rather than trying to create a new one.
2. Choose the Right AI Partner
Selecting an AI vendor is more than a one time transaction—it’s a long-term partnership that gives you the opportunity to weigh in on a developing product. One reason Colin cited for Forefront Dermatology’s success with AI is EliseAI’s commitment to building features and capabilities directly based on inputs from Forefront’s experience with the HealthAI product.
With that in mind, make sure you choose an AI partner that’s willing to iterate and adapt their solutions to meet your practice’s evolving needs. If the vendor’s vision is misaligned with your practice’s objectives, you run the risk of the solution not solving your pain points. Look for a partner that’s invested in fostering a relationship where both parties are tightly aligned to the mission of delivering better care to patients.
3. Ensure Seamless Integration with Existing Systems
For AI to actually improve your practice’s administrative workflows it has to integrate smoothly with your current technology infrastructure. If you add an AI that can’t play nice with your existing tech stack you’re going to create more work for your team and drive down adoption rates. As AI solutions require access to patient data to provide personalized and efficient services, making sure there’s a seamless integration to your EHR and PMS systems is key.
Looking to embed AI into platforms your team already can help minimize disruptions and lower the amount of training required for your team. HealthAI integrates with platforms like Athena Health, ModMed, and AdvancedMD, pushing and pulling data between these systems to minimize strain on your administrative team.
4. Identify Opportunities for AI to Enhance Patient Experience and Administrative Efficiency
We’ve seen provider groups use AI to significantly improve both patient satisfaction and practice efficiency. With AI handling routine tasks like appointment scheduling and answering calls, staff can focus on the in-person office experience. AI can also score your team members’ calls, providing rapid feedback and coaching opportunities for staff. AI enables practices to do more with less, allowing for growth without a proportional increase in resources.
5. Commit to Continuous Improvement
AI is a powerful tool, but, like any emerging technology, it’s not flawless. Recognizing its limitations and being willing to provide active feedback to your vendor is key to maximizing the operational benefits of AI. AI solutions require continuous training and adjustments to meet the unique needs of your practice, so ensure you’re providing helpful data and constant feedback to the AI company you choose to work with.
Even with imperfections, AI offers significant advantages over traditional methods of practice management. Think of AI as a bright new hire—it’s excited to learn, it’s eager to help out, but it will need some upskilling and training to start. Adopting this mindset and being willing to work through some growing pains can help you recognize the value of your AI while driving the best possible outcomes.
Getting Started with AI For Your Practice
Implementing AI in your healthcare practice is a journey that begins with clear problem identification and involves choosing the right partners, integrating seamlessly with existing systems, enhancing patient experiences, and embracing continuous improvement. By focusing on these key takeaways, your practice can effectively leverage AI to achieve significant ROI and reduce hours spent on administrative tasks, so you can focus on providing exceptional care to the patients who entrust you with their health.
If you’re interested in exploring how AI can transform your practice, get in touch with us at health@eliseAI.com to learn more.