How University Hospitals is embracing AI

University Hospitals is seeing the benefits of incorporating artificial intelligence across the system.

Dr. Cliff Megerian, the CEO of University Hospitals, says the system is incorporating AI because, “It's here. It's real.”

The health system, which operates 21 hospitals in Cleveland and northeastern Ohio, is using AI to help clinicians and to help identify patients who may be overdue for a screening.

“If you're a primary care doctor anywhere in the country, you'd likely have a panel of anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 patients, some as high as 2,500 patients that you personally take care of,” Megerian says.

“There's no way possible, except going through every single chart every other day to know which woman is turning the age at which she needs a mammogram,” he says. “There's no way you can always have a handle on who's turning 45 and needs a colonoscopy. If you're a pediatrician, it's very hard to keep track of … the second, third dose of a particular vaccine. With AI, we're able to mine the charts, and we're able to know in advance which one of your patients is time for, let's say, colonoscopy.”

In addition, AI tools notify patients that it’s time for a colonoscopy and can help them with automated scheduling.

“Those are all tools we never had before, and it's safer for the patient, and it's better,” Megerian says.

• Read more: University Hospitals CEO Dr. Cliff Megerian talks about the system’s financial turnaround

The health system has also been rolling out ambient documentation tools that use AI technology to record physicians’ conversations with patients and provide notes and summaries of the visits within seconds. Doctors can also use the technology to quickly order follow-up tests or new prescriptions.

Doctors and healthcare leaders say AI documentation tools are saving time in updating patient records. The technology allows physicians to have face-to-face conversations instead of being fixed on a computer and typing.

Megerian, who still sees patients, says he is confident that the documentation tools reduce stress on physicians.

“It's going to lower the burnout,” Megerian says. “It's going to make it more efficient for our clinicians, and actually have a more delightful, I hope, experience for the patient.”

“Many patients, when they go to see a physician, the physician is busy looking at the keyboard. This will allow the physician to look at the patient, eye-contact, emote, be with the patient, and not worry about keeping the record, because it's being done,” he says.

Megerian is also optimistic about using AI to avoid delays and denials when the system files claims with insurance companies.

Too often, insurers will deny coverage “for something that clearly is the right treatment,” Megerian says. And he says the health system encounters situations where insurers have previously signed off on treatment and then denied payment.

Megerian says he’s optimistic that AI can help avoid rejections or delays in reimbursement for services.

“We had legions of people writing appeal letters,” Megerian says. “Now we have AI tools that can scour the chart, understand what the denial is about, have prima facie evidence that this is not an accurate denial, that either the contract of the insurance company, and/or the medical judgment calls for this, and generate these automatically in real time, as opposed to having hundreds of people writing letters.”

University Hospitals has also used newly available AI tools with the system’s transition to Epic’s electronic health record system. He says those AI capabilities are improving revenue cycle management and making the system more efficient.

He also says AI is showing value in messaging and communications.

“AI has many assets already that it's bringing to the table,” he says.