The 21st century is said to be of automation technologies. The wave of automation technologies has already hit many industry sectors. One of the industries that now rely heavily on automation technologies is the healthcare industry. AI-led operations management services in healthcare are no more a far-fetched idea in 2022. Increasing digitization in the healthcare industry is the biggest reason for the use of automation technologies. AI tools for digital transformation in the healthcare industry make services more accessible and affordable. Healthcare is one of the basic public services, and it should be affordable. With enhanced affordability, healthcare services can be accessed by each section of society. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fulfilling the dream of making healthcare more affordable in 2022. Read on to know how AI enhances the affordability of healthcare service offerings.

Proactive healthcare is always cheaper

Most of us believe in reactive healthcare. We go to the doctor or start paying attention only after a disease has made its home in our body. Most of us are living fast-paced city lives and do not have time for fitness. As a result, diseases can come uninvited and hamper our lifestyle. Doctors are also forced to prefer reactive healthcare due to a lack of technologies. When the patient shows symptoms, doctors can run diagnostics to identify the underlying problem. However, some diseases have asymptotic symptoms which may not be visible to the naked eye. Once a disease has made its home in the human body, extra funds and effort are needed to remove it.

Have you heard of cancer cells (tumours) that spread in the body? When cancer cells are left unattended, they spread to different parts of the body. Developed cancer cells are dangerous and can even lead to the death of the patient. Not to forget, the patient has to go through multiple chemotherapies at frequent intervals after the cancer cells have outgrown themselves. It increases the overall cost of the treatment and decreases the chances of survival. If only doctors could identify the presence of cancer cells early, the chances of survival would have increased. If cancer cells are detected in the early stages, the chances of survival for the patient increase. Not to forget, the cost of multiple chemotherapies can also be decreased if the cancer cells are detected in the early stages.

The real challenge is to identify a disease in any human body proactively. Cancer cells may start building in the human body without the patient having no symptoms or uneasiness. Traditional diagnostic technologies used in the healthcare sector also fail to identify a disease proactively. It is where the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare proves to be valid. AI-led predictive analytics models have the power to detect a disease before it has completely made a home in the human body. Predictive analytics models analyse the patient data at all times. They also use historical data of previous patients to detect unusual behaviour and patterns. Once an anomaly is detected, they inform the healthcare professionals about it. Based on the information provided by predictive analytics models, clinical diagnostics can be performed at the target location in the body. With proactive detection of disease, doctors will have to put in fewer efforts and resources. Also, the patient will spend less on proactive treatment as compared to reactive treatment.

AI eliminates human biases during treatment

There can be instances where one can find human biases in the healthcare industry. For example, sometimes the patient may not need any particular diagnostic test but still has to go through it. It usually happens without the patient knowing that they do not need a particular diagnostic test. In some instances, pharma companies push the patient for any particular treatment for their profit. Even if there is a cheaper way to get rid of the problem, human biases can make the treatment expensive. Unfortunately, these things do exist in the healthcare industry and increase the cost of treatment.

AI-based systems will suggest the operative procedure without any biases. AI-enabled medical care will not be focused on milking money from the patient. AI-enabled medical care will reduce the cost of recovery and the requirement for manual effort. An example of AI helping healthcare professionals is the area of drug discovery. Researchers do not have to test multiple drugs on the patient to find the right one. Predictive analytics models powered by AI have the power to predict the right drug combination in fewer attempts. AI-based systems for healthcare will not seek personal or monetary benefits. They can be programmed/designed to offer the cheapest and quickest way for patient recovery.

AI democratizes healthcare

In a truly equal world, healthcare should be accessible to everyone. However, it is an ideal scenario that isn’t achieved yet in most parts of the world. The real challenge is to extend healthcare to the rural parts. People living in rural areas have to invest in transportation first to reach a suburb or city. Sometimes, the patient’s health deteriorates before they reach a city to get medical attention. With the help of AI, medical care can now be extended even to rural areas. Healthcare services can be democratized in the true sense with the help of AI. Quality care can be offered to everyone with the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Many countries have now launched mobile vans/caravans equipped with medical equipment. Those vehicles can be installed with AI-led diagnostic systems to extend medical assistance to remote areas.

Reduce diagnostics charge with AI

As discussed above, predictive analytics models can determine the underlying problem easily. With predictive analytics models and AI-based systems, doctors can easily reach the root cause of unusual symptoms in the body. With effective data analytics and root cause analysis, doctors can proactively detect the underlying problem. Doctors do not have to prescribe many tests on the patient to know the underlying problem. The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare also reduces the chances of misdiagnosis. Witness the paradigm shift in the healthcare industry due to new-age technologies!