Healthcare systems are proceeding apace with GenAI—and learning as they go

Last summer more than 40% of 121 hospital executives surveyed said their organization had already realized a significant-to-moderate return on their investments in generative AI. However, a C-suite slice of nearly the same size, 37%, said it was too soon to know for sure. 

Revisiting the data in a report released Jan. 29, the outfit behind the survey—Deloitte’s life sciences and healthcare operation—zeroed in on some takeaways that should interest watchers of GenAI in healthcare. 

Respondents hailed from healthcare systems across the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. 

Among the Deloitte analysts’ takeaways: 

1. Administrative processes that are still performed manually in health systems around the world could be automated using GenAI and other digital technologies. 

For example, patient referrals are typically made via fax, phone or email, Deloitte points out, adding that staff members then must manually input information into the patient’s record. More: 

‘This manual approach extends to appointment scheduling and confirmation calls, as well as data entry for visits, diagnoses, treatment plans and post-discharge care.’

2. Autonomous GenAI agents, also known as ‘agentic AI,’ could be used to help automate some of these tasks. 

Doing so would enhance the efficiency and productivity of administrative staff while reducing the health system’s costs, Deloitte notes. 

‘Unlike chatbots and co-pilots, agentic AI has the potential to increase the productivity of knowledge workers and automate multi-step processes across business functions.’

3. While GenAI has the potential to improve efficiencies and productivity, its acceptance may be hampered by a lack of trust associated with its evolving role in society.

This kind of distrust could introduce skepticism among patients and other stakeholders, Deloitte states. For example, GenAI technology “has been shown to ‘hallucinate’ and produce false information if it hasn’t been trained on an appropriate data set or quality checked by a human.”

‘Such blind spots are important to consider when developing a GenAI strategy.’

4. Modernization is essential for effectively implementing emerging technologies such as cloud computing and GenAI.

High-quality, unbiased data is “crucial for digital technologies to reach their full potential in improving efficiencies,” the Deloitte analysts write. 

‘Health systems may need to integrate data from multiple platforms across the organization. Key considerations include governance, automation, privacy and security.’ 

5. Given that labor typically accounts for a significant percentage of a health system’s costs, technology that improves staff productivity and efficiency could have a positive return on investment. 

“It also could improve health outcomes and the overall patient experience,” Deloitte states. “Meanwhile, many health systems globally are struggling with insufficient clinical staff to meet demands.”

‘Despite constrained budgets, clinical staff shortages and the pressure to adopt new technologies, many health system leaders are optimistic about their ability to reduce costs and enhance the patient experience in 2025.’

The report is presented as a global healthcare outlook and deals with more than GenAI. Read the whole thing.