Becker's connected with Brian Patel, MD, senior vice president for medical affairs, medical director and chief quality officer at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Mass., to find out what development in healthcare he is most interested in.
Question: What healthcare trend are you most excited about?
Dr. Brian Patel: One of the biggest ones is technological advancement and the use of artificial intelligence and how we are advancing healthcare management, both in the healthcare sphere in general, and also how it is being used to help optimize physician work by helping reduce administrative burdens.
Our health system has been piloting technology to help physicians save time by using technology to complete their documentation in a more timely manner. We've received some really positive feedback around that from the physicians that have been trialing it. I think now, the goal is to make it more accessible to physicians that are interested in using it.
Q: Do you have any reservations about AI in healthcare?
Dr. Patel: I do think there are things we have to be cautious about in the implementation of technology, and it's important to be aware of the potential consequences of implementing these technologies. So there's a lot of exciting potential out there, but we also have to make sure we're doing it in a responsible manner that continues to maintain safety, privacy and care quality.