What You Should Know:
- Microsoft Corp. and Mercy are forging a long-term collaboration using generative AI and other digital technologies to give physicians, advance practice providers and nurses more time to care for patients and improve the patient experience.
- This work represents what’s next in healthcare for applying advanced digital technologies to the delivery of care to consumers.
Improving the Patient Experience Via Generative AI
“With the latest advances in generative AI, this moment marks a true phase change where emerging capabilities can help health care organizations address some of their most pressing challenges, create needed efficiency and transform care,” said Peter Lee, corporate vice president of research and incubations at Microsoft. “Mercy has a reputation for ongoing innovation and — through our years working together — has been a leader in the industry in creating an intelligent data platform on which to launch this kind of transformation. This is just the beginning, and it’s inspiring to see Mercy’s leadership adopting these tools to empower physicians, providers, nurses and all clinicians to improve patient care.”
Mercy plans to use Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to improve care in several immediate new ways:
- Patients will have the information to better understand their lab results and engage in more informed discussions about their health with their provider through the help of generative AI-assisted communication. Patients will be empowered to get answers in simple, conversational language.
- Mercy will apply generative AI when taking patient calls for actions like scheduling appointments. Beyond the initial call, the AI solution will provide recommendations for additional follow-up actions to make sure all the patient’s needs are met during a single interaction, limiting the need for follow-up calls.
- A chatbot for Mercy co-workers will help quickly find important information about Mercy policies and procedures, and locate HR-related answers such as information on benefits or leave requirements. By helping nurses and co-workers find the information they need more quickly, they can spend more time on patient care.
The Microsoft Cloud, chosen as Mercy’s primary platform for continuous innovation, offers a reliable and comprehensive solution. It enhances efficiency, facilitates data connectivity and governance, enhances both patient and staff experience, extends reach to new communities, and establishes a foundation for ongoing innovation. Mercy leverages the secure centralization and organization of data in an AI-powered intelligent platform on Azure, enabling quicker adaptation to evolving clinician and patient expectations. For instance, Mercy can use secure data insights to reduce unnecessary hospital stays by providing care teams with smart dashboards and better visibility into factors affecting patient discharge. Moreover, Microsoft’s modern work solutions will boost Mercy’s staff productivity and communication, allowing them to dedicate more time to improving patient care and experiences.