More efficient processes, better care: How AI supports healthcare professionals with administrative tasks

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can improve organisational workflows in hospitals and medical practices and thus relieve the burden on healthcare professionals. Unlike AI applications for the clinical area, AI solutions for billing, personnel planning or documentation can be used at short notice and immediately save time and costs. A current white paper from Plattform Lernende Systeme uses practical examples to show how AI can contribute to better quality of care in organisational processes. In order for the applications to be used quickly in day-to-day care, they must be tailored to the needs of healthcare professionals and embedded in existing processes.

Healthcare workers spend up to 25 per cent of their daily working time on administrative tasks. AI has the potential to make administrative processes and workflows in healthcare more efficient and robust and to improve care. AI systems can automate billing or ordering goods, support discharge management or enable telemedical services. This allows resources to be better utilised and bottlenecks to be avoided. Healthcare professionals are relieved and gain time to look after their patients.

The number of AI developments for the healthcare sector is steadily increasing, according to the white paper "AI for better processes in medicine and care". The focus here is on research into AI solutions for clinical care, such as systems for customised therapy approaches. However, such AI applications have not yet become widespread in practice. According to the authors, their use must be financed via reimbursement amounts, which do not yet exist on a broad scale. AI applications for organisational processes, on the other hand, are economically viable earlier than AI applications for clinical processes, as they quickly enable savings and efficiency gains.

"Organisational AI applications provide healthcare facilities with a low-threshold introduction to artificial intelligence. The AI systems are based on existing processes in the everyday work of healthcare professionals. This allows staff to familiarise themselves with the use of AI applications. The organisations will benefit from rapid added value. It is therefore to be expected that many of the AI solutions for administrative processes will become established in practice," says Karsten Hiltawsky, Head of Corporate Technology and Innovation at Dräger and Co-Head of the Health Care, Medical Technology, Care working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme.

Considering the needs of healthcare professionals

Even if AI applications in the organisational area do not contribute directly to medical decisions, errors in these applications can cause harm to those affected. Examples of this include delayed treatment due to incorrectly prioritised appointments in appointment management or the incorrect or incomplete recording of information in the documentation process. It is also important to ensure data protection, as sensitive health data is sometimes used for AI in organisational applications.

In order for patients and healthcare professionals to benefit from AI solutions, they must take into account the actual needs of employees in a healthcare facility as well as existing processes, the authors of the white paper recommend. They also suggest setting up specific funding programmes or future funds for AI applications in organisational processes. To make AI solutions technically possible, a real-time-capable IT infrastructure is also required and structured, interoperable healthcare data must be made available.

About the white paper

The white paper "AI for better processes in medicine and care. Applications and potential in organisational processes" was written by members of the Health Care, Medical Technology and Care working group of Plattform Lernende Systeme. It is available to download (in german) free of charge.