A new report from Google Cloud and The Harris Poll has shed light on the overwhelming administrative workload facing healthcare professionals and the promising role of generative AI in alleviating these burdens.
The study paints a stark picture of the current healthcare landscape, where clinicians in the United States, including doctors and nurses, lose nearly 28 hours per week to administrative tasks. This leaves precious little time for what matters most: patient care. The situation is even more dire for insurance staff, who dedicate a staggering 36 hours weekly to administrative duties.
This administrative overload is not just a matter of inconvenience; it's fuelling some of healthcare's most pressing challenges. Burnout has become rampant, with over 80% of clinicians, medical staff, and claims personnel, attributing their feelings of exhaustion to administrative work. The ripple effects are felt throughout the healthcare system, as executives report that this paperwork deluge has led to significant staffing shortages.
Perhaps most concerning is the impact on patient care. Four out of five providers admit that administrative tasks eat into time they could spend with patients, and more than two-thirds believe this negatively affects the quality of care they can provide. Moreover, the risk of human error looms large, with a majority of both providers and payors expressing significant concern about mistakes creeping into administrative tasks.
The report offers a glimmer of hope in the form of generative AI. The healthcare community appears ready to embrace this technology, with over 90% of providers expressing optimism about AI's potential to lighten their administrative load. This sentiment is echoed by the general public, with nearly three-quarters of respondents supporting the use of AI to free up more time for doctor-patient interactions.
Aashima Gupta, Global Director for Healthcare Strategy & Solutions at Google Cloud, emphasised that while AI cannot replace the human element in healthcare, it can be a powerful ally. "It can support healthcare professionals, allowing them to focus more on people, not paperwork," Gupta stated.
The study outlines several promising applications of generative AI in healthcare administration. These range from streamlining searches through patient documents and medical records, to drafting clinical documents like discharge summaries and referral letters. AI could also expedite the often-cumbersome process of obtaining prior authorisations, and accelerate turnaround times in medical imaging by generating initial report drafts.