How Sutter Health shows tangible healthcare AI

Sutter Health is a paragon for artificial intelligence (AI) implementation with positive effects for frontline healthcare workers. Using Google Glass and mHealth software from Augmedix, the healthcare network streamlines workflow and decreases administrative tasks for physicians and nurses.

The Northern California health network has around 100 physicians using the hardware and software to record interactions with patients. The tech leads to accurate information records and automates the information input in the electronic health record. Not only is the initial data upload seamless, the recall of information is accurate and fast. Physicians can use the glass to pull up records for a specific note they created from a year ago. The instant and accurate recall allows physicians to compare notes while they are catering to the patient in real time. Physicians are not locked behind a computer screen during the entire visit, which has become the norm when visiting a general practitioner.

“In the past, almost a third of my day was spent with my computer; now I spend maybe just two or three minutes per patient using it,” said Dr Teresa Nauenberg, MD. The tech will indirectly lead to better patient outcomes as physicians are free from mundane administrative tasks.

Sutter Health and Augmedix have partnered with Google cloud services in order to add a layer of AI to the current system. The goal of AI implementation is to streamline processes while analysing trends within the data collected. The AI can be used to determine and predict disease patterns within the local community, allowing physicians to be better equipped for future ailments. Sutter Health is a tangible example of how automation and AI can revolutionise the healthcare system.