According to experts and industry opinion, healthcare in 2024 will be reshaped by new definitions of how artificial intelligence will support the field. This integration of AI into clinical workflows, data management and administrative processes will herald a significant shift away from the current state of the art towards a technology-driven future.
By 2024, healthcare systems around the world will be using AI and integrating AI into core operational processes. Some motivations that will lead to such integrations include optimized patient care, minimized administrative overhead and improved data management. AI trends include meaningful use, a leap in the explainability of AI and advanced payment models. All of these developments are taking place globally, and policy makers, healthcare organizations and technology developers have an important role to play.
"Meaningful use" of AI
Ronen Lavi, CEO and founder of Navina, one of the major developers of AI for primary care, believes that the use of AI in healthcare will be effective when it is "meaningful"—, i.e. when it is integrated in a way that improves clinical decision-making and patient care. In 2023, AI has begun to creep into mainstream healthcare workflows, allowing physicians to dictate, manage tasks and make clinical decisions in the environment. The goal for 2024 is the same, but with AI providing a complete overview of patient data, the quality and safety of care will be improved.
Regulators should drive the adoption of AI systems that will provide summarized, insightful patient data to medical staff. If incentivized, the systems will be widely used and become standard in various areas of healthcare.
Healthcare has had more of the same for some time now, with "black box" AI systems making transparency in decision making their mission. The scenario will change by 2024, when explainable AI will be the order of the day. Along with transparency and clarity in operation, this should ensure that AI supports, but does not replace, the human doctor. At its core, the focus should be on the relationship between doctor and patient, with AI complementing human judgment.
President Biden's insistence on regulation and accountability to AI only underlines the urgent need for clarity and comprehensibility aboutn AI systems. These systems must provide physicians with reliable insights, but most importantly, they must have the ultimate authority to make decisions.
Economic factors such as rising inflation are driving the case for advanced, technology-enabled payment models in healthcare. The trend toward value-based care has resulted in patients being treated based on outcomes rather than volume of services. In 2023, particularly important investments were made in value-based care, including the financing of Aledade and the potential acquisition of ChenMed by Walmart.
Both healthcare providers and health plans will need to continue to invest in technology to support value-based care. These advanced tools will help clinical staff deal with new workflows and documentation requirements. It is also anticipated that the shift from fee-for-service to value-based models will be necessary to control escalating costs while improving the quality of care.
Outlook
This year has been the year that AI growth and the growth of technology in general has skyrocketed and will continue to do so in 2024. Health and care are on a collision course with these changes, navigating the complexities and challenges posed by technological maturity and sheer saturation. In this "new normal" phase, the industry is relentlessly focused on improving patient care, optimizing workflows and controlling costs, led by innovative solutions.
As such, healthcare leaders should be more proactive and up-to-date with the adoption and use of these emerging technologies so they can best position themselves to capitalize on advances in AI and value-based care models. This decade will be a decade of change in healthcare AI.
