Article
5 min read

AI Improves Healthcare Team Collaboration: 7 Ways

Published on
October 18, 2024
Contributors
David Danks
Subscribe to our newsletter
Read about our privacy policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

AI is transforming how healthcare teams work together. Here's how:

  1. AI-powered medical scribes save doctors 6-8 minutes per patient
  2. Smarter scheduling reduces no-shows and improves doctor work-life balance
  3. AI chatbots and assistants streamline communication and task management
  4. Automated documentation and data processing simplify workflows
  5. AI optimizes staffing, equipment, and supply chain management
  6. Predictive models flag at-risk patients before conditions worsen
  7. AI speeds up image analysis, enabling faster cross-specialty collaboration
Benefit Impact
Time saved Up to 10 hours/week per doctor
Revenue increase $1.4M in 13 months (Phoebe Physician Group)
Lives saved 8,000 in 5 years (HCA Healthcare's SPOT tool)
Fewer emergencies 10.4% reduction (Stanford Hospital)

AI isn't replacing healthcare workers - it's helping them work better together and improve patient care. But teams need to balance AI benefits with privacy concerns, staff training, and keeping humans in charge of key decisions.

Lyrebird Health: AI-Powered Medical Scribe

Lyrebird Health

Lyrebird Health is changing how healthcare teams work together with its AI medical scribe. This tool listens to doctor-patient talks and writes accurate notes on the spot.

How it works:

  • Writes down consultations with 99%+ accuracy
  • Makes referrals in seconds
  • Learns how a doctor writes in under 5 visits

The big win? Time. Doctors using Lyrebird save 6-8 minutes per patient. That adds up fast.

"We're all about helping doctors build long-term relationships with patients. That's what medicine should be." - Linus Talacko, Lyrebird Health Co-Founder

Think about it:

A busy eye doctor seeing 15 patients a day could save nearly 10 hours each week. That's 10 more hours for patient care, team talks, or keeping up with new research.

But it's not just about saving time. Lyrebird makes teamwork better by:

  1. Letting doctors focus on patients, not paperwork
  2. Making sure important info gets recorded
  3. Working with systems doctors already use, like Best Practice

"Doctors feel more confident knowing the key parts of the visit are written down." - Dr. Ryan Vo, GP and Nuvo Health Co-CEO

The result? Better patient care, smoother teamwork, and less stressed doctors and nurses.

Lyrebird Health is now the most-used AI helper for healthcare in Australia. It's handling about 900 visits each week across the country. That's a LOT of time saved and better teamwork.

2. Better Schedule Management

AI is revolutionizing healthcare scheduling. Here's how:

Smarter Systems

Cleveland Clinic's Virtual Command Center, developed with Palantir Technologies, uses AI to:

  • Predict bed availability and patient demand
  • Optimize staffing and OR scheduling

The result? Less manual work and better resource use.

Real-Time Insights

The Hospital 360 module shows current patient numbers and predicts capacity on the fly. This smooths out patient flow and improves planning.

Simplified Staffing

AI matches staff to patient needs more accurately. Nelita Iuppa from Cleveland Clinic notes:

"Knowing our staffing availability days ahead of time leads to fewer last-minute changes, earlier scheduling and less manual and operational management burden."

Tackling No-Shows

Phoebe Physician Group used AI to address their high no-show rate:

  • Before: 12% no-shows (double the national average)
  • After: 168 more appointments weekly
  • Result: 7,800 extra appointments and $1.4M more revenue in 13 months

Their AI tool, MelodyMD, predicts likely no-shows and double-books those slots.

Improving Doctor Schedules

AI also helps doctors by:

  • Balancing workloads
  • Considering preferences
  • Reducing overwork stress

This smarter scheduling creates a win-win for patients and healthcare providers alike.

3. Faster Team Communication

AI is revolutionizing healthcare team communication. Here's how:

AI Chatbots and Assistants

These tools streamline info sharing and task management:

  • Answer FAQs
  • Send reminders
  • Update records using natural language

Result? Less paperwork, more patient care time.

Predicting Patient Health

Stanford Hospital's AI model:

  • Checks patient data every 15 minutes
  • Alerts staff if a patient might deteriorate

Ron Li, MD, from Stanford notes:

"The action it triggers, the intervention, is basically a conversation that otherwise may not have happened."

This led to 10.4% fewer ICU transfers and health decline events among 963 patients.

Automated Messages

Healthcare teams use AI for patient communication:

Cedars-Sinai, a major U.S. medical center, has been doing this for years.

AI for Admin Tasks

AI handles routine jobs, freeing up staff time:

Task AI Solution
Patient info collection Automated forms, chatbots
Patient triage Symptom analysis
Appointment scheduling Calendar management
Reminders Automated messaging

This lets healthcare workers focus on high-priority patient care.

Better Patient Engagement

AI tools keep patients informed:

  • Pre-visit "what to expect" info
  • Medication reminders
  • 24/7 routine question answering

The result? More informed, engaged patients.

4. Simpler Work Processes

AI is streamlining healthcare workflows. Here's the scoop:

Automated Documentation

AI medical scribes are game-changers:

  • DeepScribe captures doctor-patient chats accurately
  • Turns talks into EHR-ready notes
  • Docs just review and sign off

Less paperwork = more patient time.

Smarter Scheduling

AI tackles booking headaches:

  • Handles appointments and cancellations
  • Sends reminders
  • Fixes scheduling conflicts

Staff can focus on what matters.

Faster Data Processing

AI speeds things up:

Task AI Solution
Radiological findings EHR integration
Insurance eligibility Pre-appointment checks
Medical coding Accuracy boost

Less manual work, more efficiency.

Better Patient Communication

AI breaks down complex info:

  • Simplifies medical jargon
  • Improves discharge notes
  • Answers questions 24/7

Fun fact: Woebot found 65% of app use was after hours, mostly 5-10 p.m.

Quality Control

AI's got your back:

  • Flags potential image errors
  • Spots inconsistencies that could lead to misdiagnosis
  • Boosts overall reliability

It's like having an extra set of eyes on everything.

sbb-itb-2b4b1a3

5. Smart Resource Use

AI is shaking up healthcare resource management. Here's the scoop:

Staffing Smarts

AI puts the right people where they're needed most:

  • Sees patient surges coming
  • Tweaks staff levels
  • Zaps bottlenecks

Gear Guru

AI keeps tabs on medical equipment:

  • Gets gear where it's needed
  • Shows what's needed, right now
  • Stops shortages before they start

Supply Chain Savvy

AI makes sure supplies are always ready:

What AI Does How It Helps
Watches inventory Tracks in real-time
Guesses future needs Uses smart predictions
Orders automatically Restocks just in time

Penny Pincher

AI trims the fat from healthcare costs:

  • Slashes admin expenses (now 8.3-30% of U.S. healthcare spending)
  • Does boring tasks automatically
  • Frees up staff for actual patient care

Crisis Mode

When things get tough, like during COVID-19, AI steps up:

  • Predicts who'll need the ICU
  • Figures out ventilator needs
  • Helps decide who needs care first

"We need speed and efficiency to boost patient health and life quality. AI gets us there faster. Without it, we'll take too long to make the impact we need." - Mary Hall Gregg, Pfizer's VP of business tech, R&D.

6. Using Data to Predict Patient Needs

AI is revolutionizing how healthcare teams spot and tackle patient issues. Here's the scoop:

Early Warning Systems

AI models are now flagging at-risk patients before things get worse:

  • Stanford Hospital's AI checks patient data every 15 minutes
  • It spits out a risk score for each patient
  • High-risk patients? They get immediate attention

The result? A 10.4% drop in health decline events among high-risk patients at Stanford.

Sepsis Detection on Steroids

HCA Healthcare's AI tool, SPOT, is a game-changer:

Impact Number
Lives saved 8,000
Time frame 5 years

SPOT scans patient info and vital signs, catching sepsis early and alerting staff to jump into action.

Crystal Ball for Hospital Readmissions

AI is getting scary good at predicting who might bounce back to the hospital:

  • NYU's NYUTron model predicts 80% of readmissions
  • That's a 5% improvement over older methods
  • It also forecasts length of stay and other outcomes

Real-World Wins

Corewell Health put AI to work and:

  • Kept 200 patients from returning to the hospital
  • Saved a cool $5 million

Teamwork Boost

AI alerts are sparking crucial conversations between doctors and nurses. At Stanford:

"The alert system helps clinicians connect more efficiently and effectively as well as intervene to prevent patients from deteriorating and landing in the intensive care unit." - Dr. Ron Li, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine

7. Better Teamwork Across Specialties

AI is shaking up how medical experts collaborate. It's breaking down barriers between different fields, making info sharing and decision-making a breeze.

Here's the scoop on how AI is turbocharging teamwork:

Lightning-Fast Image Analysis

AI's speedy image processing is a game-changer for cross-specialty collaboration:

  • Mayo Clinic's PKD Center: AI scans kidney images in seconds
  • Before AI: Humans took 45 minutes for the same task
  • Result: Kidney specialists and other docs can team up faster than ever

Catching Heart Issues Early

AI's playing detective with heart problems:

  • Mayo Clinic's heart study used AI to spot trouble
  • It flagged people at risk for left ventricular dysfunction
  • These folks had no obvious symptoms yet
  • Now, heart docs can join forces with other specialists sooner

Cracking Tough Cases

Think of AI as a super-smart sidekick for doctors:

  • GPT-4 study: Nailed tricky diagnoses 39% of the time
  • Listed the right diagnosis as a possibility 64% of the time
  • This helps docs from different fields put their heads together

Outperforming Humans (Sometimes)

In some areas, AI's giving human experts a run for their money:

  • Nature Medicine study on lung cancer screening
  • AI beat human radiologists at spotting early cancer
  • Result: Lung specialists can team up more effectively with other docs

Real-Time Updates

AI keeps everyone in sync:

  • Links up with scheduling software
  • All docs get instant updates
  • Means smoother teamwork across specialties

"If a computer can do that first pass, that can help us a lot." - Bradley J. Erickson, M.D., Ph.D., director of Mayo Clinic's Radiology Informatics Lab

AI's not just making individual doctors smarter - it's revolutionizing how they work together. By speeding up processes, catching issues early, and keeping everyone on the same page, AI is paving the way for a new era of medical teamwork.

Things to Consider When Using AI

Adding AI to healthcare isn't simple. Here's what you need to know:

Data Hunger and Privacy

AI needs loads of data. But healthcare data is sensitive. You need to balance AI's needs with patient privacy.

"Algorithms should augment clinicians' decision making, not replace it entirely." - Dr. Corey Scurlock, CEO & founder of Equum Medical.

The Black Box Problem

AI can be mysterious. Doctors often can't see how it reaches conclusions. This can lead to mistakes if not careful.

Bias in AI

AI can inherit human biases from its training data. This might cause unfair treatment for some patients. The American Medical Association says using diverse data helps avoid this.

Staff Adoption

Doctors and nurses need to learn AI tools. Some might resist the change.

Here's what healthcare orgs should do:

Step Action
1 Check if systems can handle AI
2 Set up strong security
3 Train staff on AI tools
4 Monitor AI performance
5 Be ready to adjust

Public Trust

People are cautious about AI in healthcare. A Pew Research Center poll found 60% of Americans would be uneasy if their doctor used AI for diagnosis or treatment advice.

Keeping Humans in Charge

AI should help doctors, not replace them. Human oversight in medical decisions is key.

Wrap-up

AI is shaking up healthcare teamwork. It's turbocharging tasks for doctors, nurses, and staff across the board.

Here's the scoop on AI in healthcare:

  • It's a speed demon for paperwork and scheduling
  • It's got eagle eyes for early disease detection
  • It's the ultimate info-sharing sidekick
  • It's a guardian against human slip-ups

Take Riverside Healthcare. They unleashed AI on medical device tracking and BAM! 40 hours a week saved. No more hunting for equipment.

And guess what? AI isn't just for the big guns. Small clinics can jump on this bandwagon too. Many AI tools play nice with existing systems.

But let's not kid ourselves - AI in healthcare isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Teams need to:

  • Keep patient data under lock and key
  • Get staff up to speed on AI tools
  • Keep humans in the driver's seat for big calls

What's next? AI's just warming up. We might see it cooking up personalized treatment plans or supercharging telehealth.

Just remember: AI's here to be Robin to healthcare's Batman, not to steal the show. As Dr. Corey Scurlock from Equum Medical puts it:

"Algorithms should augment clinicians' decision making, not replace it entirely."

AI's the sidekick, not the superhero. It's all about making healthcare teams stronger, faster, and smarter.

Related posts

Keep reading

All posts

Start your free 14-day trial today

Join 10,000+ clinicians saving hours every single day.

Our top 10 Javascript frameworks to use in 2022

Published on
11 Jan 2022
Desk with computer
Contributors
Phoenix Baker
Product Manager
Lana Steiner
Product Designer
Drew Cano
Frontend Engineer
Subscribe to our newsletter
Read about our privacy policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Meeting
Image caption goes here
Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla. Aliquam vestibulum, nulla odio nisl vitae. In aliquet pellentesque aenean hac vestibulum turpis mi bibendum diam. Tempor integer aliquam in vitae malesuada fringilla.

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

"Ipsum sit mattis nulla quam nulla. Gravida id gravida ac enim mauris id. Non pellentesque congue eget consectetur turpis. Sapien, dictum molestie sem tempor. Diam elit, orci, tincidunt aenean tempus."

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.