Last week at the ViVE conference in Los Angeles, thousands of health care leaders convened to discuss the integration of health information management and technology into health care delivery. The event spotlighted the transformative potential of digital health technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI). Here are four insights into how AI might reshape health care in the next 12 to 24 months:

1. AI-Enhanced Ambient Listening Technologies to Lighten Clinician Workloads

The standout innovation at the conference was AI-driven ambient listening technology. This tool automatically generates clinical documentation as clinicians speak during patient interactions, substantially reducing the time they spend on administrative tasks. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, shared that 99% of patient caregivers agreed to use this technology when they were informed about it, suggesting a likely high adoption rate among healthcare providers.

2. AI as a Decision-Support Tool for Clinicians

Currently, there’s a cautious approach towards AI making clinical decisions. However, AI as a decision-support system offers significant promise. Eve Cunningham, M.D., chief of virtual care and digital health at Providence, explained that medical knowledge now doubles every 73 days. To keep up, Providence employs MedPearl, a digital assistant that suggests the next best steps in patient care. This tool has helped streamline patient referrals and diagnostics, shortening the time to treatment by providing critical data insights directly within the clinicians’ workflow.

3. Building Trust in AI through Transparency

Trust in AI technologies can be fostered or fractured by how openly they are implemented. Richard Clark, chief analytics officer at Highmark Health, emphasized the importance of transparency. He suggests that organizations should publish transparency reports detailing the AI model’s intent, its training data sets, and its testing across different patient demographics to mitigate skepticism from both healthcare providers and patients.

4. Bridging Patient-Centered and Provider-Centered Care with AI

Traditionally, health care models have been more provider-centric, prioritizing the convenience of the provider over the patient. AI tools are set to blur these distinctions, creating a more harmonious balance between patient needs and provider efficiency. Brendan Carr, M.D., CEO of Mount Sinai Health System, noted that AI is smoothing the delivery process, enhancing care quality for both parties involved.

These discussions highlight a critical phase in health care—embracing AI not just for its technological capabilities but for its potential to fundamentally improve the efficiency and quality of care, and that, while a small step forward is indeed a step nonetheless.

And AI gets smarter every minute.