Healthcare technology executives weigh in on the industry’s anti-predictions and forthcoming challenges. The near-term impact of AI, generative AI, and financial headwinds in healthcare remains a topic of caution and skepticism. Doug Hirsch, from GoodRx, dismisses the idea that AI and virtual reality can make healthcare more affordable, advocating for scalable technologies that reduce complexity. Evidation‘s Deborah Kilpatrick emphasizes the need to safeguard against bias in data ecosystems built on EHRs.
Healthcare IT purchasing will continue to be complex and resource-intensive, influenced by clinicians while generative AI developers must proceed cautiously. The intricate nature of healthcare IT buying decisions will remain challenging for vendors to navigate. Sonia Millsom, CEO of Oxeon, predicts a crisis due to workforce scarcity and archaic workflows.
Physicians will continue to have significant influence in healthcare, making decisions beyond clinical issues. Member antipathy towards health plans is expected to return to pre-ACA era restrictions. Generative AI product makers are urged to prevent bias due to legacy access issues in clinical data.
The pace of investment in AI and overhyped AI models are expected to progress cautiously. The healthcare industry still faces challenges in adopting AI, with skepticism about the impact of AI on healthcare affordability. General Catalyst’s purchase of a hospital and the buzz around AI-enabled care pods are likely to have limited impact in the near future.
Healthcare executives emphasize the need for careful adoption and expansion of AI, echoing the sentiment that the role of doctors cannot be replaced by bots. Skepticism remains about the rapid expansion of new Medicare Advantage plans. The decentralized trials model is anticipated to be replaced with new solutions for patient care and physician relationships in research centers.
Our Perspective
We believe that although there is much excitement and investment in AI, the evolving nature of healthcare means that some overhyped technologies may not have the anticipated impact. We emphasize the importance of responsible AI adoption in healthcare while promoting better patient care and equitable solutions. This is an area where we have to move cautiously, but nonetheless should move forward.
Pinnacle Digital Advisors
This article originally published: [https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethjoseph/2023/12/14/overhyped-digital-health-executive-anti-predictions-for-healthcare-in-2024/?sh=67b858ba522f]