AdventHealth executive says artificial intelligence will drive health care toward “integration”
Rapid advances in technology, particularly in new artificial intelligence tools, could give a whole new meaning to personalizing health care, one health system executive said.
“I think, broadly speaking, in the industry, we often think about personalization in terms of segmentation, like who are we trying to reach,” AdventHealth chief digital officer David Oakley said in an interview last week at the Reuters Total Health conference in Chicago. “I think the power of personalization is that we're actually able to move from these broad segments to niche segments. That's really our intention.”
Currently, health systems focus many of their personalization efforts on the main website experience as well as outreach strategies that encourage certain types of visits, he noted.
He also noted that patients' EHR experiences are becoming more personalized every year. Now, patients can log into Epic's MyChart app to easily view information, reminders and care recommendations tailored to their medical history and personal health needs.
In the future, Oakley hopes to see healthcare personalization efforts move beyond EHR access and the digital front door.
“Beyond those two categories, where we're investing is in a true personalization engine that will continue to tailor the experience to the consumer's actual needs — whether you're logged in or just visiting a website,” he said. “This also has to go well beyond the clinical aspect. Personalization, in my view, is also about things that make each of us feel whole.”
Essentially, Oakley believes AI can help providers better tap into the emotional, social and lifestyle factors that have the greatest impact on people’s health and well-being.
He also believes this level of personalization can be a useful tool in helping overcome trust issues in healthcare.
“I believe that personalization done well will actually create a deeper relationship between the provider, the care team and the patient,” Oakley declared.
He sees a future where health systems can truly remember patients’ preferences and values, not just their insurance or clinical details.
As data platforms become more interconnected and artificial intelligence engines become more sophisticated, personalization may become a competitive advantage in healthcare. Oakley said he's pleased to see health systems demonstrating that they truly understand their patients in an increasingly digital world.
Photo: Ekaterina Goncharova, Getty Images
