From AI transcription tools to the incorporation of AI assistants, healthcare is racing to adopt the fast-growing technology. Behavioral health leaders have raised concerns over AI integration into mental health services, especially when there is no clear governance, but innovation remains essential, according to Tracey Izzard-Everett, vice president of behavioral health services at Sentara Health.
Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara operates more than 300 sites of care across Virginia and North Carolina, completing more than 2.8 million patient visits each year.
“We’re still evaluating how much we can put into AI,” Ms. Izzard-Everett told Becker’s. “I do think that there’s some pretty solid basics that help clinicians, like note-taking. So I do see value in it moving forward.”
Sentara aims to use AI as a workplace multiplier, a tool that enhances hospital performance and allows healthcare professionals to accomplish more with fewer resources. Part of Sentara’s strategic adoption of AI was investing in ambient listening, a technology that securely records and transcribes patient-provider conversations.
Using natural language processing and other AI, the system generates structured clinical notes for the provider to review and complete. Other systems have explored this technology to reduce paperwork for clinicians and improve the accuracy of documentation. This tool has not seen much patient pushback, and the team has continued to move forward with other AI tools, she said.
Sentara is also working toward using AI as a decision-making tool to move patients more efficiently through the emergency department. Using data science, the hospital could better identify patients who are low risk.
Ideally, this system would allow patients to be discharged at a faster rate, reducing emergency department wait times that can stretch to 18 to 20 hours, Ms. Izzard-Everett said. It could also allow the hospital to send home about 70% of low-risk patients.
“We’re using AI and machine learning to identify risks and treatment approaches more quickly,” Ms. Izzard-Everett said. “It allows us to analyze a vast pre-approved set of data so that we can get to a solution more quickly.”
Clear governance is essential as health systems balance innovation with patient safety and privacy. Sentara formed a rigorous governance committee with legal involvement and stringent processes for AI approval and appropriate use, she said.
In recent months, states have enacted laws to govern AI and its use in mental health services throughout the country.
“I hesitate to say, yes, let AI be a therapist, because I think that there are some nuances that humans need to evaluate,” Ms. Izzard-Everett said. “So I’m anxious and excited to see where it can go.”
