How AI and human expertise are working together at AdventHealth to improve patient care

AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health care systems, is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve patient care. While AI tools are generating excitement on a global scale, the organization is taking great care in choosing which ones to invest in.

“We’re not just throwing generative AI into healthcare,” Rob Purinton, AdventHealth’s vice president of analytics and performance improvement, explained to reporter Seraine Page in this Evolve Magazine article. Purinton added that all AI vendors must pass a rigorous reviewal process with patient privacy and data security at the forefront of those decisions.

“We rejected an AI tool this summer because the data was going overseas for storage. We had enough concerns about the security of data, so we passed on that one,” he said. “We have to look under the hood and see where data is going and how it’s being used and stored.”

Today, the nation’s only non-profit system headquartered in Florida uses AI to help diagnose and treat various medical conditions, such as strokes, where time is a critical component of patient care.

In 2020, AdventHealth integrated AI in its imaging departments to help high-stroke-risk patients receive a faster diagnosis, giving them access to life-saving treatment more quickly.

“Time is brain matter in a stroke. We want to respond as quickly as possible,” Purinton said.

Dr. David Sinclair, chief medical officer for AdventHealth Daytona Beach, explains how local imaging facilities are also benefiting from AI in this follow-up Evolve Magazine article.

“Our imaging equipment embedded with AI can produce a drastically better image quality, giving physicians a better look at their patient, all in a fraction of the time,” Sinclair told the Evolve Magazine reporter. “This means patients with a time-critical emergency can get a faster, more accurate scan completed at our emergency rooms and urgent care centers.”

Despite AI’s efficiencies, it is not expected to replace skilled nurses and physicians. Instead, AI tools are anticipated to complement their abilities and expedite patient care.

“AI is helping us capture more accurate, detailed care summaries in our patients’ health records,” Purinton said. “Having reliable and detailed care notes not only helps our patients stay on top of their health, but it also helps our clinicians collaborate more effectively by having a fuller picture of their patient’s whole health.”