GE HealthCare and Mass General Brigham have developed an AI algorithm to increase operations effectiveness. The first application of the algorithm is a schedule predictions dashboard for radiology operations (ROM). The app is a digital imaging tool to help optimise scheduling, reduce cost, and reduce administration. ROM is commercially available to healthcare institutions.

According to GE HealthCare, operational AI-enabled tools can address challenges that often pose a threat to patient care such as cost of care, and hospital inefficiencies. When a patient misses an appointment, fails to schedule a follow up or is late, also known as missed care opportunities (MCO), the impact can be significant. The co-developed algorithm is intended to predict MCO and late arrivals, which could help increase flexibility and streamline administrative operations, improve patient satisfaction, and better accommodate urgent, inpatients, or walk in appointments. In preliminary tests, the algorithm was able to predict the missed care opportunity correctly, at rates of up to 96%, with limited false positives.

The US is facing a shortage of nursing and clinical staff. By 2025, there will be a shortage of 446,000 home health aides, 95,000 nursing assistants, 98,700 medical, and lab technologists and technicians, and more than 29,000 nurse practitioners, according to industry market analytic firm Mercer

“Amid the vast sea of data and the heavy tasks that divert healthcare providers from patient care, our collaboration with Mass General Brigham is groundbreaking. Through the fusion of distinctive datasets and cutting-edge machine learning methods, harnessing the synergy of clinical and technical proficiency, we are ushering in unprecedented healthcare advancements,” said Parminder Bhatia, Chief AI Officer of GE HealthCare.

“Utilising operational AI and machine learning can bring providers together and streamline data sets,” said Keith Dreyer, DO, PhD, Chief Data Science Officer, Mass General Brigham. “The strategic use of AI offers great potential for the future of healthcare and we’re proud to be at the forefront of the movement. This technology has the potential to reduce burnout and allow physicians to spend more time with patients, which may ultimately lead to better outcomes.”