Dr. You

Artificial intelligence can be a valuable tool throughout the healthcare journey. This section examines how patients can utilize artificial intelligence throughout various stages of their engagement with the U.S. healthcare system.

Patient Story – (The story is true; the patient’s and provider’s names have been changed.)

The patient, Mary, was diagnosed with idiopathic multicentric Castleman’s disease (iMCD), a rare and potentially fatal disorder of the lymph nodes. iMCD is notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat, often leading to severe outcomes for patients.

Mary was set to enter hospice care when researchers at Texas A&M used an AI-powered machine learning technique to analyze 4,000 existing medications. The AI identified adalimumab, a monoclonal antibody, as the top-predicted treatment likely to work for iMCD. The AI’s recommendation was supported by parallel experiments that found elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), the protein inhibited by adalimumab, in patients with severe forms of iMCD. Based on these findings, the patient’s physician, Dr. Saul Weinstein, suggested that Mary try adalimumab. This was the first time that that adalimumab was used for an iMCD patient.

As a result of this AI-guided treatment decision, the patient, who was previously facing hospice care, is now in remission. This case illustrates how AI can be utilized to identify novel treatments for rare diseases and process and interpret complex medical information more efficiently than traditional methods, ultimately saving lives.

Here are the steps throughout your health journey and action items to leverage AI effectively:

Staying Healthy

AI-powered wearable devices like smartwatches, smart rings, and fitness tracking devices combine health tracking with AI-powered insights to monitor health measures that can provide early signs of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes, or detect sleep stages, and even detect falls. These devices can provide personalized health recommendations tailored to a person’s individual behavior.

Understanding Healthcare

AI systems can help you understand tests, diagnoses, or treatments by explaining complex medical terminology in easy-to-understand language. 

Diagnosis and Initial Assessment

It is important to remember that while AI tools can significantly enhance many processes in your health care journey, they should complement, and not replace, personal research and consultation with trusted healthcare professionals.

AI-powered wearable devices can transmit real-time health data to healthcare providers during remote consultations. AI-powered symptom checkers, utilizing conversational AI tools or chatbots, can provide insight into your symptoms and potential conditions, which can later be verified by your doctor. AI-assisted second opinions are available from several leading medical institutions in the U.S. These services utilize AI to analyze medical records, imaging, test results, and other relevant information to clarify a prior diagnosis.

Physician and Care Team Selection

AI-driven platforms can analyze patient data to match you with suitable primary care doctors and specialists based on your condition(s), preferences, insurance, language preferences, and location.

AI platforms can also integrate physician performance data to help you make informed decisions about your care. This includes analyzing data from multiple sources to provide more comprehensive profiles of healthcare providers that include education, areas of specialization, success rates, patient reviews, and issues with licensure.  

One AI system, TrialGPT, from the National Institutes of Health, quickly filters through large databases of clinical trials, efficiently matching patients with the most promising clinical trials.

Hospital, Surgery Center, and Treatment Facility Selection

Here are a few ways that patients and caregivers can leverage AI to assist in making informed decisions when choosing a hospital, surgery center, or treatment facility:

• Personalized facility recommendations: AI algorithms can analyze patient data, medical history, and treatment requirements to suggest the most suitable facilities. This personalized approach ensures that recommendations are tailored to the individual’s specific needs.
• Outcome prediction: AI models can predict potential outcomes for specific procedures a different facilities based on historical data, helping patients and caregivers understand the likelihood of success for their specific condition.
• Quality of care assessment: AI can analyze vast amounts of data from patient reviews, medical records, and performance metrics to evaluate the quality of care provided by different facilities.
• Cost estimation: AI algorithms can estimate treatment costs across various facilities, considering insurance coverage and potential out-of-pocket expenses.
• Virtual facility tours: AI-powered virtual reality tours enable patients and caregivers to explore facilities remotely, facilitating more informed decision-making.
• Caregiver support evaluation: AI can assess the level of support available for caregivers at various facilities, including tools such as CarePortfolio or the GUARDIAN ecosystem, which can be crucial for informed long-term care decisions.
• Complication risk assessment: AI models can analyze patient data to predict the risk of complications at various facilities, enabling more informed decision-making.
• Accessibility analysis: AI can evaluate the accessibility of various facilities based on the patient’s location, transportation options, and mobility requirements.

By utilizing these AI-powered tools and insights, patients and caregivers can make more informed decisions when selecting a hospital, surgery center, or treatment facility, ultimately leading to better healthcare outcomes and experiences.

Treatment Decision-Making

AI can enhance decision-making about treatments in several ways. Since AI can analyze vast amounts of patient data and information quickly it can provide guidelines for personalized treatment and serve as a great basis for discussing treatment options with your doctor.

• Utilize personalized risk prediction: There are AI tools that can predict potential complications or treatment outcomes based on your individual data. MySurgeryRisk and POTTER Risk calculator both use machine learning to predict the likelihood of complications after surgery and provide real-time risk assessments and personalized recommendations. Machine Learning models are also becoming increasingly common in other risk assessment tools, enabling the prediction of infection risk, complications, and preoperative planning.
• Chronic Disease Management: AI tools, such as Foresight, which are trained on large electronic health record datasets, predict future health conditions a patient may experience and inform care plans. In Cancer treatment, AI models are being used to predict treatment responses and the effectiveness of personalized care plans. Similar uses are being tested in potamology, specific therapies, brain injuries, virtual health coaches, burn injury complications, and medication management. You can also use AI-driven platforms like CareClinic, PropheSee, and Ey Care Coordination for personalized advice on lifestyle modifications, diet, and exercise.
• Clinical trial matching: If applicable, use AI platforms to find suitable clinical trials for your condition.

Preparation for Surgery or Major Procedures

When surgery is needed, AI chatbots and virtual assistants can help answer patient questions. Several of those tools are mentioned in this guide.

Post-Surgery and Recovery

AI-assisted remote monitoring with wearable devices may use AI algorithms for continuous health monitoring at home. Health systems and large medical practices are beginning to use AI chatbots to provide patients and caregivers with immediate answers to common post-surgery questions and concerns. You might also ask your surgeon if their care plan was personalized using AI-optimized recovery protocols.

Personalizing Care

Care Plan Generation: AI can assist in creating care plans based on real-time data, historical health information. This includes making recommendations for diet, exercise, social activities, mental health, and ongoing care. AI can also help monitor symptoms, mood, pain levels, and nutrition through wearable devices and downloadable applications.

By following these steps, patients and caregivers can harness the power of AI to enhance their healthcare journey, from diagnosis through recovery and ongoing management. Remember that AI should complement, not replace, the guidance of healthcare professionals. Always consult with your care team when making important health decisions.