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Kaiser Permanente’s Dr. Daniel Yang, vice president of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, said in an interview published yesterday that he would not feel comfortable using AI to automate clinical decision-making in diagnosis or treatment.
The infrastructure for AI hasn’t kept up with development, Yang said. Substantial health systems like Kaiser have the scale to implement AI, while smaller, rural health systems don’t have the same advantages, he said.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT
Kaiser is fully embracing the power of AI with its large-scale implementation of AI scribe and its partnership with Abridge on AI-powered generative clinical documentation.
Last week, Kaiser announced that the Abridge system is now available in 40 hospitals and more than 600 physician practices in eight states and the District of Columbia.
The tool uses ambient listening technology to capture clinical notes, so doctors can spend more time with patients than on documentation.
The assisted clinical documentation tool uses artificial intelligence to summarize relevant medical information from spoken, natural conversations. The tool requires patient consent, and physicians and clinicians review clinical notes before entering them into the patient’s medical record.
BIGGER TREND
Kaiser Permanente announced an enterprise-wide rollout of the system after nearly a year of testing and evaluation.
Abridge complies with state and federal privacy laws and processes and encrypts data used by the tool to protect patient privacy. Its AI technology platform includes support for more than 14 languages and more than 50 medical specialties.
IN THE DOCUMENT
“For the past year, Kaiser Permanente has worked with Abridge on the largest implementation of safe and effective ambient hearing technology in the United States to date,” said Desiree Gandrup-Dupre, senior vice president of care technology services at Kaiser Permanente.
“The Abridge technology was implemented after careful analysis and testing in our marketplace and has been very well received by both our patients and physicians,” said Dr. Linda Tolbert, executive director of medical affairs at Washington Permanente Medical Group. “It allows physicians and other clinicians to have more meaningful interactions with their patients, giving their full attention to patient care without the distraction of typing.”