As burnout among healthcare workers continues to be a major concern, the use of artificial intelligence, EHRs and other automation tools may be able to have a positive impact on hospitals and health systems. When it comes to artificial intelligence, some legal issues arise. That's why we interviewed Carly Koza, an authority on this topic and Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney associate. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is a national law firm with 450 attorneys and government relations professionals across 15 offices representing companies including 50 of the Fortune 100. Koza discusses what healthcare provider organizations should prepare for when it comes to growing AI implementation, how AI can help combat increasing demands on healthcare workers, ways AI can help healthcare provider organizations ensure quality patient care, and legal matters that arise from these issues.

As healthcare provider organizations confront the steep challenge of securely and efficiently bridging the digital gaps among various technology systems, many are looking to cloud technologies that empower interoperability, marry healthcare information systems with AI, and ensure the privacy and security of patient data. With this in mind, Healthcare IT News turned to Concord Technologies, a cloud fax and document process automation company (it will be in booth 634 at HIMSS20 in March), to look ahead at 2020 and identify three trends with AI-based cloud fax technology. The CAQH Index shows a $9.8 billion savings opportunity for the healthcare industry by reducing the administrative burden found in eligibility and benefit verification, prior authorization, claim submission, coordination of benefits or a crossover claim, claim status inquiry, claim payment, and remittance advice. CAQH is a non-profit alliance of health plans and trade associations developing and leading initiatives designed to positively impact the business of healthcare. In 2020, AI-enabled technologies will transform administrative workflows across digital channels, reducing administrator and clinician burnout and improving overall staff satisfaction, said John Harrison, senior vice president at Concord Technologies.

Predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, personalization, consumer-centric services, enhanced security and telehealth all will affect the delivery and business of healthcare in big ways in 2020, according to five health IT experts from GetWellNetwork, a digital health company that focuses on the patient experience and patient engagement. Healthcare IT News interviewed the CEO, CSO, CISO, CTO and vice president of strategy at GetWellNetwork to get their perspectives on where health IT is headed this year. Their answers ran the gamut, and are good indicators for where healthcare provider organization CIOs and other provider IT leaders need to keep their eyes on. In 2020, predictive guidance will enhance patient workflows, leading clinicians to increasingly deliver the right modality of treatment, adjust treatment recommendations as needed and triage patients to the right location throughout their care journey, whether it is the ER, urgent care or an at-home video consultation, said Robin Cavanaugh, chief technology officer at GetWellNetwork. "Additionally, predictive analytics will guide patient care by suggesting additional healthcare services that similar patients have utilized, augmenting treatment protocols with healthy living suggestions and curating information to resources that may be helpful after treatment," he added.

Amazon ( NASDAQ: AMZN) has introduced a new healthcare application which interfaces with electronic health records and significantly improves patient and clinician interaction. Amazon Transcribe Medical digitally converts speech ( patient and medical professional conversations) via a microphone feed to text for inclusion within clinical documentation and other healthcare data records. Amazon Transcribe Medical can accurately process spoken dialogue plus medical and pharmacological descriptions and clinical terminology aligned with medical professional and patient discussions. The application can populate electronic health records ( EHR) that is also referred to as electronic medical record ( EMR) which healthcare professionals and their provider organizations use to record and manage patient data. In healthcare and an array of other industries, advances in voice recognition and transcription technology are widely welcomed and highly anticipated.

Artificial intelligence is a highly complex technology that, once implemented, requires ongoing oversight to make sure it is doing what is expected of it and ensure it is operating at optimal levels. Healthcare provider organizations using AI technologies also need to make sure they're getting the biggest bang for their buck. In other words, they need to optimize the AI so that the technologies are meeting the specific needs of their organizations. We spoke with six artificial intelligence experts, each with extensive experience in healthcare deployments, who offered comprehensive advice on how CIOs and other health IT workers can optimize their AI systems and approaches to best work for their provider organizations. Optimizing AI depends on the understanding of what AI is capable of and applying it to the right problem, said Joe Petro, chief technology officer at Nuance Communications, a vendor of AI technology for medical image interpretations.

The healthcare analytics market is booming and will be worth close to $54 billion worldwide by 2025, according to a March 2018 report from Grand View Research. Given the need to achieve the Triple Aim, along with the rise of precision medicine and the move toward value-based care, data analytics have never been more important to healthcare provider organizations. As the technology continues to grow and mature, here's the pressing question for healthcare and IT leaders: How will analytics tools evolve – and what should they expect to come next? We asked experts from across the industry about major shifts on the horizon. Here's what they said healthcare decision-makers should be tracking now.