As generative artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly popular, more healthcare companies are popping up or starting programs internally. It can be a bit difficult to keep track of them all, with Deloitte reporting in October 2023 that 75% of “leading healthcare companies” are experimenting with generative AI.
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone put together a list of AI deals and announcements? Funny you say that, dearest gentle reader, because that’s exactly what we did.
Welcome to the first edition of AI 411, a monthly roundup of some of the AI announcements that we’ve come across.
HCA Healthcare/Commure. The largest health system in the US announced on October 23 a new and exclusive partnership with health tech company Commure to develop and implement ambient AI for its 2,400 sites. Ambient listening devices and programs take notes for clinicians to streamline the documentation process.
The collaboration comes after Commure acquired healthcare ambient AI company Augmedix in July for $139 million to “improve Commure’s health AI operating system,” the company’s CEO Tanay Tandon wrote in a blog post at the time.
Athenahealth/Suki/iScribeHealth. Electronic medical record provider Athenahealth announced on October 30 that it would partner with ambient note-taking AI developers Suki and iScribeHealth to document appointments with patients and lessen the administrative burden on clinicians. Athena works with more than 150,000 providers across the country, according to the company’s website.
Suki also announced in October a partnership with Zoom for note-taking when its providers meet with patients on the videoconferencing platform.
Revvity. On October 22, health tech company Revvity—which works with pharmaceutical companies, labs, schools, and governments in more than 190 countries—announced Revvity Transcribe AI. The program will have a feature called optical character recognition that can convert images like dried blood spot test cards into text, according to a press release.
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Healthcare Brew covers pharmaceutical developments, health startups, the latest tech, and how it impacts hospitals and providers to keep administrators and providers informed.
The company hopes to reduce manual labor that “is time-consuming, prone to errors, and for which talent is hard to recruit,” according to the release.
Where to watch. As AI continues to make an impact in healthcare, one use case is standing out as the most common: ambient AI. Signify Research, a healthcare market intelligence firm, reported that ambient listening is being used more than any other AI programs, followed by revenue cycle management and research and development
There are several other major players in the ambient AI space, which is becoming an increasingly competitive market.
In September, for example, ambient tech provider Nabla implemented its program at University of Iowa Health Care. According to a poll from the Medical Group Management Association, which represents medical practices and healthcare professionals, 28% of medical groups have adopted ambient AI.
And as other ambient AI companies like Oracle Cerner, Meditech, and Corti also look to stand out in the industry, tech giants like Microsoft and Epic are also developing programs to get ahead in streamlining note-taking for clinicians.
Healthcare Brew intends to follow these companies, and others, keeping on eye on everything from what they build to who they work with to the deals they make. Does that sound like something you might know about? Get in touch with Cassie McGrath at [email protected] with tips.