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AI is becoming a part of almost everyone’s everyday life, but it’s also becoming a bigger part of healthcare. But as healthcare providers adopt more AI tools, it’s important to remember the technology is meant to support providers, not replace them.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly integrated into healthcare, aiming to allow doctors to dedicate more time to patients by reducing their computer-related tasks. Avera hospital leaders affirm that AI tools are designed to assist caregivers, not to substitute them entirely.
A significant application of AI at Avera is ambient AI, which records and drafts clinical notes during appointments. This technology enables physicians to concentrate fully on their conversations with patients without the distraction of manual note-taking, thereby improving the quality of interaction.
Hospital leadership emphasizes that the core objective of introducing AI is to enhance the human connection between patients and providers. By eliminating administrative distractions, AI helps strengthen the crucial relationship at the heart of every medical visit, rather than diminishing it.
Beyond direct patient interaction, AI is also employed in hospitals to streamline internal workflows and support care teams. Crucially, Avera maintains a 'human in the loop' policy, ensuring that every AI-generated document is thoroughly reviewed and verified by a healthcare professional before it reaches patients or is added to health records.
Avera's strategy for AI integration focuses on striking a balance between technological efficiency and maintaining patient-centered care. The goal is to facilitate more productive conversations and collaborative care plan development by handling background tasks with AI, enabling a more focused and fruitful physician-patient engagement.
The hospital expects AI tools to continue evolving and expanding within healthcare. However, Avera explicitly states that healthcare providers will always bear the ultimate responsibility for all medical decisions and the overall care of their patients, with AI serving purely as a supportive technology.