Mercy partners with Microsoft to use artificial intelligence

 



Microsoft and Mercy collaborate to empower clinicians to transform patient care with generative AI
September 27, 2023 | Microsoft News Center  

EDMOND, Wash., and ST. LOUIS — Sept. 27, 2023 — Microsoft Corp. and Mercy are forging a long-term collaboration using generative AI and other digital technologies to give physicians, advance practice providers and nurses more time to care for patients and improve the patient experience. This work represents what’s next in healthcare for applying advanced digital technologies to the delivery of care to consumers.

“With the latest advances in generative AI, this moment marks a true phase change where emerging capabilities can help health care organizations address some of their most pressing challenges, create needed efficiency and transform care,” said Peter Lee, corporate vice president of research and incubations at Microsoft. “Mercy has a reputation for ongoing innovation and — through our years working together — has been a leader in the industry in creating an intelligent data platform on which to launch this kind of transformation. This is just the beginning, and it’s inspiring to see Mercy’s leadership adopting these tools to empower physicians, providers, nurses and all clinicians to improve patient care.”

Mercy plans to use Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to improve care in several immediate new ways:

  • Patients will have the information to better understand their lab results and engage in more informed discussions about their health with their provider through the help of generative AI-assisted communication. Patients will be empowered to get answers in simple, conversational language.
  • Mercy will apply generative AI when taking patient calls for actions like scheduling appointments. Beyond the initial call, the AI solution will provide recommendations for additional follow-up actions to make sure all the patient’s needs are met during a single interaction, limiting the need for follow-up calls.
  • A chatbot for Mercy co-workers will help quickly find important information about Mercy policies and procedures, and locate HR-related answers such as information on benefits or leave requirements. By helping nurses and co-workers find the information they need more quickly, they can spend more time on patient care.

Mercy CEO Steve Mackin Discusses Collaboration with Microsoft (Video Short)

“Because of all the investments we have made together with Microsoft in the past few years, including the use of Microsoft’s secure cloud, we are better positioned to perform real-time clinical decision-making that ultimately improves patient care (Video Short),” said Joe Kelly, Mercy’s executive vice president of transformation and business development officer. “With Microsoft, we are exploring more than four dozen uses of AI and will launch multiple new AI use cases by the middle of next year to transform care and experiences for patients and co-workers. This is predictive, proactive and personalized care at its best.” (Read More)

Mercy looks to AI to relieve burden on health care workers, answer patients' questions Annika Merrilees Sep 29, 2023

One company that provides electronic medical record software, Epic (MyChart), has an AI-based tool with Microsoft that helps doctors respond to patient emails more quickly. Lee said he’s found that some patients sometimes like the AI-assisted letters more, because they can add empathetic flourishes that doctors may not have time to. (Read More)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Moral Injury in U.S. Health Care: Beyond Burnout in the Age of COVID-19

Moral Injury in U.S. Health Care: The Ethical Wounds Behind Burnout Understanding How Systemic Pressures and the COVID-19 Pandemic Deepen Clinicians’ Moral Distress In recent years, doctors and nurses have reported high levels of exhaustion and cynicism – traditionally labeled “burnout” statnews.com – but many experts now argue that this misses the core problem. Instead, a deeper moral injury is at work. Moral injury occurs when clinicians are repeatedly forced to act against their professional and personal values, leaving them with guilt, shame, and a sense of betrayal  statnews.com   pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov . This article explores moral injury – a term borrowed from military psychology – and explains how business pressures, staffing shortages, electronic bureaucracy, and especially the COVID-19 crisis have created ethical conflicts in U.S. medicine. We contrast moral injury with burnout, review evidence of its prevalence and harm, and examine proposed responses to heal...
Read more

Why Seniors Should Record Their Doctor Visits

Research Snapshot: How Much Do Seniors Forget? General Findings Patients forget 40–80% of information shared by healthcare providers immediately after a visit—and nearly half of what is remembered can be inaccurate PubMed Central . One classic study reported that patients forgot 56% of their instructions just minutes after leaving the clinic PubMed Central . In another study, only 49% of medical decisions and recommendations were recalled accurately without prompting; prompts helped recall about 36% more , leaving 15% of information incorrectly remembered or forgotten altogether AARP   PLOS . Age-Related Recall Decline Episodic memory (like remembering what the doctor said) declines with age. Studies show a moderate inverse relationship between age and recall, meaning older adults correctly remember significantly less verbal information PubMed Central . Specifically, “older-old” adults (roughly age 80+) recall fewer medication instructions than “younger-ol...
Read more

Navigating the Waves of Caregiving: An Elderly Pastor's Journey Through Unexpected Shocks

Image
  At 80, Mike Faces a Sudden Role Reversal, Revealing the Harsh Realities of Aging, Medical Systems, and Resilience Introduction In a quiet California home, an 80-year-old semi-retired pastor named Mike found himself thrust into the role of full-time caregiver for his wife, Judy, after a sudden medical crisis. Drawing from his experiences chronicled in a personal YouTube video, Mike's story illuminates the profound shocks that accompany late-life caregiving. Inspired by Dedra Edwards's book " Toolkit for Caregivers ," his account serves as a cautionary tale and guide for those approaching or already in their golden years, emphasizing preparation, advocacy, and grace amid uncertainty.
Read more