Q&A

AI is Driving Faster Acute Care

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing healthcare, from ultrasound screenings to drug development to hospital emergency rooms. Discover how Vituity leverages the power of AI to tackle a pain point in emergency medicine — documentation —freeing up clinicians to provide faster care.

Rick Newell , MD, MPH

Chief Transformation Officer

Published July 23, 2024

A team of medical professionals is rushing a patient on a stretcher through a hospital corridor.

Q: What are some of the most promising applications of AI in healthcare today?

Rick Newell: AI is doing some incredible things in healthcare right now. It's helping us diagnose and treat diseases more accurately, tailor treatments to individual patients, and empower people to take charge of their health. It can even reduce burnout among healthcare providers by helping with tasks to free up clinicians’ time.

Q: How does AI personalize healthcare?

Rick Newell: AI can analyze a patient's genetic information, medical history, and lifestyle to create a treatment plan just for them. This is helpful not only for health and wellness but also for managing chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, where personalized plans can make a big difference in how well patients stick to their treatments and improve their overall outcomes.

Q: Can you expand on how AI helps reduce clinician burnout and improve efficiency?

Rick Newell: It’s remarkable. AI can automate routine tasks like data entry and appointment scheduling, giving healthcare providers more time to focus on patients. Plus, AI tools can analyze workloads and patient flow to optimize staffing, making the work environment less stressful and more efficient.

Q: How does AI fit into the broader strategy of Vituity?

Rick Newell: At Vituity, we see AI as a game-changer for patient care. One of our new tools, Sayvant, is a great example. It turns patient and physician conversations into accurate medical notes, solving a major pain point in medicine. By using advanced AI, Sayvant lets clinicians spend more time with patients and less time on documentation.

Q: What does Sayvant aim to achieve?

Rick Newell: Sayvant helps clinicians with their charting. It uses generative AI to create complete and accurate medical notes from doctors' speech. This includes comprehensive differential diagnosis and complex medical decision-making to improve documentation. The goal is to streamline the process so doctors can spend less time in front of a computer and more time at the bedside.

Q: Can you tell us about the development process of Sayvant?

Rick Newell: Sure! Sayvant was developed by Inflect, Vituity’s innovation and investment hub. We started with a proof of concept in October 2023 and had it up and running at the first site by April 2024. Given Vituity’s depth and breadth, we were able to leverage 50+ years of information and expertise including quality, patient safety, risk, and revenue cycle management. Feedback from our physician beta users was key in refining Sayvant to meet the real-world needs of the clinician.

Q: Who benefits the most from Sayvant?

Rick Newell: Physicians and Advanced Providers are the primary users, but everyone benefits. Clinicians get a break from the paperwork to spend more time with patients. Patients get more time with their clinicians, and healthcare systems can become more efficient.

Q: What are the ethical considerations of using AI in healthcare?

Rick Newell: There are definitely some big ethical questions. We need to make sure AI supports human judgment, not replaces it. AI decisions need to be transparent, and we must protect patient privacy and data security. Also, it's crucial to address any biases in AI to ensure fair treatment for all patients.

Vituity’s innovative use of AI highlights our dedication to patient-centered care. Sayvant is a prime example of leveraging AI to enhance medical documentation and emergency care delivery. By integrating more advanced technologies into clinical practice, we aim to provide exceptional care and create a healthcare system that works better for everyone.

Partnering to improve patient lives

Vituity branding with wave pattern footer