Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, and numerous other technology companies are preparing to converge in Las Vegas to present artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to streamline administrative tasks for healthcare professionals. The upcoming HLTH conference, set to draw over 12,000 industry leaders, will officially commence on Sunday. According to the event agenda and pre-conference announcements, AI solutions aimed at easing administrative workloads will be a focal point this year.
Healthcare practitioners often face extensive documentation responsibilities as they manage patient records, engage with insurance companies, and adhere to regulatory requirements. These tasks are often labor-intensive due to fragmented health data, which is stored across various vendors and formats. The heavy administrative burden contributes significantly to burnout in the industry and is partially responsible for an anticipated shortage of 100,000 healthcare workers by 2028, as projected by Mercer, a consulting firm. Technology companies see an opportunity in this market, which could exceed $6.8 trillion in spending by the end of the decade, and propose that AI tools can offer relief.
Google is expanding its healthcare clientele by addressing the administrative strain with AI. The company announced that its Vertex AI Search for Healthcare is now generally available, having been initially introduced in a pilot phase during last year’s HLTH event. This tool enables developers to create applications that allow healthcare providers to efficiently search for information within disparate medical records. Google also released survey findings indicating that clinicians spend nearly 28 hours weekly on administrative duties, with 80% reporting that these tasks diminish their time with patients. A significant 91% of those surveyed expressed a positive outlook toward AI’s potential to streamline such tasks.
Microsoft has also revealed new tools on October 11, intended to reduce administrative workloads for clinicians. These include medical imaging models, a healthcare agent service, and an automated documentation solution for nurses, many of which are still under development. Microsoft already provides an automated documentation tool for doctors through Nuance Communications, acquired in 2021 for $16 billion. This tool, known as DAX Copilot, uses AI to transcribe patient appointments into clinical notes and summaries, potentially freeing doctors from manual note-taking. A separate tool tailored for nurses is also in development.
AI-powered scribe tools like DAX Copilot have gained substantial popularity this year. Competitors such as Abridge and Suki, which have raised significant funding, are expected to attend the HLTH conference. Abridge’s CEO, Dr. Shiv Rao, stated earlier this year that the adoption rate of AI in clinical documentation is unprecedented. Abridge also received investment from Nvidia’s venture capital arm in March.
Nvidia plans to focus on healthcare workloads at the HLTH conference, with Kimberly Powell, vice president of healthcare, scheduled to deliver a keynote. She will discuss how generative AI can enable healthcare professionals to prioritize patient care. Nvidia, which provides the graphics processing units (GPUs) that power AI applications like ChatGPT, has notably benefited from the AI surge, with its shares experiencing significant growth. The company has been expanding its presence in the healthcare sector, offering AI tools across various domains, including medical devices and drug discovery, and forming partnerships with Johnson & Johnson and GE HealthCare.
Despite potential advancements, many health systems are still in the early stages of evaluating these AI tools and vendors. Tech companies at HLTH will need to demonstrate their capability to address the complex challenges faced by the healthcare industry.
