The answer lies in a multi-disciplinary approach to AI design that includes cognitive engineers, psychologists, and social thinkers. This collaboration ensures that AI development is rooted in a holistic understanding of human needs, reflecting both our psychological complexity and social interconnectivity.

To illustrate, consider preparing a family’s favorite meal: one must not only measure tastes and interests but also be familiar with dietary restrictions, have the necessary kitchen tools, and ensure that the final dish is adaptable to the preferences of each family member. Similarly, consumers of AI technology should be aware of how it works, the benefits it provides, and how to integrate it into their lives satisfactorily.

Innovators Must Focus on Foundational Principles:

1. Innovator Knowledge: AI creators must extend their expertise beyond technical knowledge to include a deep understanding of the human psyche, encompassing emotional and affective dimensions. As modern humans grapple with increasing stress and psychological issues, the goal of technology should be to foster joy, peace, and fulfillment.

2. Consumer Education: The responsibility lies not in manipulating minds but in educating society. Proper education does not exclusively pertain to specialized courses or certifications but should be inclusive, aiming to:

• Connect all people with advanced tools.
• Instruct on the appropriate use of technology in both professional and personal realms.
• Alleviate fears of AI by promoting understanding and appropriate use.
• Help people manage their time effectively with AI.
• Position AI as a sophisticated tool for assistance, not a substitute for human interaction.
• Dispel myths about AI, highlighting the dangers of misuse rather than the technology itself.

This inclusive educational approach will enhance quality of life, work efficiency, and contribute to individual and societal well-being.

From Idea to Action

The core issue is whether AI developers have addressed the psychological and emotional needs of users in addition to cognitive aspects. The implementation of AI should not solely focus on enhancing productivity but also consider human happiness and well-being. It is imperative that AI innovators are attuned to the inner layers and emotions of users, and to what extent they factor in the above-mentioned principles during development. This warrants a broader discussion and necessitates ongoing comprehensive research.

The post Improving Well-being with Artificial Intelligence: A Structured Approach appeared first on Medika Life.

Humanity’s Cognitive Corpus as the Foundation

At their core, LLMs are constructed from the collective cognitive corpus of humanity. They are trained on extensive databases that encompass a wide array of human knowledge and expression, from literature and science to mundane conversations and esoteric debates. This training enables them to generate responses that are startlingly human-like, not just in the accuracy of the information provided but in the tone, style, and even creativity of their output.

A Mirror to Our Collective Mind

LLMs serve as a mirror, allowing us to see a reflection of our collective mind. In their responses, we find echoes of our thoughts, beliefs, biases, and aspirations. This reflection is not just a replication of what they have been fed; it is a recombination, a new synthesis of the myriad elements that make up human expression. In this way, LLMs can offer new insights, challenge established ideas, and even push the boundaries of creativity.

An Ethical and Philosophical Reflection

This mirroring raises critical ethical and philosophical questions. As we interact with LLMs, we must consider what it means for a machine to reflect our intelligence and creativity. How do we handle the biases inherent in the data they are trained on? What responsibilities do we have when these models echo back not just our wisdom but also our follies and prejudices? The way we answer these questions will shape not just the development of AI but our understanding of ourselves.

A Tool for Self-Reflection and Growth

LLMs can also be a tool for self-reflection and growth. By interacting with these models, we can gain a clearer view of our collective intellect and identity. They can help us identify gaps in our knowledge, inconsistencies in our thinking, and areas where our biases influence our judgment. This can be an invaluable resource in education, policy-making, and personal development.

The Future of Human-AI Interaction

Looking ahead, the relationship between humans and LLMs will likely evolve in fascinating ways. These models could become collaborative partners in creative endeavors, problem-solving, and exploring new frontiers of knowledge. The potential for these interactions is vast, limited only by our imagination and the ethical frameworks we build around AI.

Large Language Models like GPT are not just technological wonders; they are vital reflections of humanity. They hold up a mirror to our collective intellect, revealing both the brilliance and flaws inherent in our nature. As we move forward, it is essential to approach these models with a sense of responsibility and introspection, recognizing their potential to both mirror and shape our understanding of what it means to be human.

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The Adoption Disappointment

Digital health includes a plethora of technologies like electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, wearable devices, artificial intelligence (AI), and personalized medicine. Each one of these has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, making services more efficient, reducing costs, and improving health outcomes.

Yet, for all its promise, the adoption of these digital health technologies has been slower than anticipated. This brings us to ponder if the real issue is not with the speed of acceptance, but rather with the idea itself.

Factors Influencing Adoption

To better understand the reasons behind this paradox, it’s necessary to delve into the key elements influencing the adoption of new technologies in healthcare: clinical need, integration into existing workflows, cost, and clinical validation.

Clinical Need: A new technology, regardless of its advanced nature, will only garner popularity if it addresses a compelling clinical need. Pulse oximetry, for example, was quickly adopted because it filled an urgent gap in the field of patient monitoring that was much less invasive than the old-school arterial puncture.

Digital health technologies should similarly prove that they can address real and pressing clinical challenges. Technologies that just duplicate current procedures without offering significant advantages may find their adoption lagging, whereas those offering substantial improvements are likely to gain traction faster.

Integration into Workflow: Healthcare professionals often work under high-stress conditions, with little room for additional burdens. Technologies that seamlessly integrate into existing workflows, such as pulse oximetry, gain rapid acceptance since they provide critical information without increasing the workload.Digital health technologies should follow suit, integrating smoothly into existing healthcare processes. This requires not only technological compatibility, but also an understanding of the working habits, communication patterns, and patient management approaches of healthcare professionals.

Cost: Healthcare is already grappling with escalating costs. New technologies, if expensive, can add to this burden. Innovations that provide cost savings are therefore more likely to be embraced.

Although many digital health technologies promise long-term cost savings, the upfront investment can be substantial. Therefore, demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of digital health remains an essential part of the equation.

Clinical Validation: Last but not least, robust clinical validation is essential for any new healthcare technology. This is typically achieved through rigorous, peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate the technology’s safety and effectiveness.

The track record of digital health technologies in terms of clinical validation is somewhat mixed. While some technologies have a strong evidence base, others have been brought to market with minimal validation. This lack of evidence can hinder adoption, as healthcare professionals are naturally wary of unproven technologies.

User Experience: Undoubtedly, the user experience is a pivotal factor in the acceptance of digital health technologies. Ultimately, the value of digital health technologies will be realized when they seamlessly blend into the healthcare journey, improving the user experience, and fostering a more patient-centric approach to care.

So, Is It Really the Idea?

Considering the multitude of challenges facing digital health, it may seem tempting to conclude that the problem lies with the idea itself. However, this oversimplifies the issue.

The concept of digital health is robust and promising. It has the potential to effect seismic shifts in healthcare, leading to better patient care at lower costs. However, like any disruptive innovation, it faces hurdles. The key to faster adoption lies not in discarding the idea, but in refining it.

Digital health technologies need to be designed and implemented with a keen understanding of the healthcare environment. Innovators should focus on addressing unmet clinical needs, facilitating integration into existing workflows, demonstrating cost-effectiveness, and backing their technology with robust clinical validation.

Taking a page from the successful adoption story of pulse oximetry, digital health needs to position itself as a solution, not a complication, in healthcare practice. As we refine these technologies, ensuring they’re attuned to the specific requirements of the medical field, we’ll likely see a significant acceleration in the adoption of digital health.

The adoption of digital health may not be about the speed, nor the idea itself, but rather how well the idea is tailored to suit the unique and complex world of healthcare. Just as with pulse oximetry, once digital health technologies align with these key factors, we could witness an adoption rate that matches or even exceeds the optimistic projections set for it. Let’s not give up on the idea – let’s refine and evolve it. The future of digital health is just around the corner, and it’s an exciting one!

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A panel of licensed healthcare professionals preferred ChatGPT responses 79% of the time and rated ChatGPT responses as higher quality and more empathetic. Gulp. Understandably, some doctors are not happy with this study. And many were not pleased with me for not diving deeper into the complexities inherent in the research in my initial LinkedIn post. Message heard. Understood!

The news headlines and the initial study callouts overplay the immediate importance of ChatGPT in the physician-patient relationship. Physicians do not fair poorly.  However, the authors provide an inflection point that should not be ignored and must be acknowledged – Communication is Part of the Care and Cure! Physicians must be trained and have time to deal with patient curiosity and urgencies. #Patientexperience is different. They do not want to sit idle or silent. They are curious and concerned.

As generations have become more familiar with technology in their day-to-day lives, perhaps they place more trust in machines’ “unbiased nature” over humans. That assumption has led to the rise of “#misinformation.” We believe our Twitter feeds if we don’t explore the facts further. But, our screens reduce the press of needing to engage with people at the moment – they give us time to think and check in with this “on-call” information aggregator. To let the information sink in without being confronted about the next step. Doctors are too often pressured into an eight-minute per-patient provider reimbursement model. It’s not their fault – it’s the system that they must co-exist within. But that tilted system leads to the consumer seeking – needing – alternatives. If so, even imperfect ChatGPT4 and beyond will be a go-to.

There are changes afoot that we need to make happen sooner rather than later by moving minds, systems, and behaviors so that life-sustaining and life-saving approaches to patient care may eventually tip the scale of human survival toward health and wellness. However, we see data from a human perspective – sometimes self-interests or emotional needs for control. ChatGPT is the aggregate of data and human input. It is not divorced from us but a faint mirror of the human experience.

Yes, this study is worth reading. Yes, many have criticized its design and the intent of the authors. Yes, many are fearful that machines may replace physicians. But, the latter assumption is doubtful. Reading between the lines reinforces that, as industry colleague Ritesh Patel often says, “If it moves, digitize it!” People get their information in ways that are quick and convenient. That is a reality everyone in the health community must face!

The medical community and health communicators must rise to the moment if they want to harness this technology. Learn about ChatGPT and how it operates – its prompts. Also, read words from experts on the digital health news platform Medika Life including the insightful words by innovation theorist John Nosta. John will rock your boat; however, often, he points to where this is going.  Read the words of Tom Lawry, former head of Microsoft’s AI team, author of the best-seller Hacking Healthcare, and a global counselor on the practical application of AI.

Almost one year ago, I penned a piece titled: Health Possibilities We Cannot Afford to Block. There were 10 ideas/technologies included in that piece – #1 was #AI. That’s the heart of ChatGPT. Fixing one part of the healthcare puzzle is encouraging – but is it transformational? What can we do to make things work better for patients? Medicine can harness the power of ChatGPT to make it work even better for patients seeking healing solutions. Perhaps we can give physicians more time to help patients feel their doctors have and always are among their greatest advocates. We can also bring technology companies and leading medical associations together to talk about ChatGPT influence on trusted people-to-people connections, particularly with physician-patients.

Why do consumers turn to machines instead of people for medical counsel?  Well, we haven’t been able to clone or at least develop teaching models drawing upon the many outstanding physicians who demonstrate incredible patience and empathy for patient woes and questions – doctors like WebMD’s John Whyte and NHS’s and Microsoft’s Junaid Bajwa—many answers to consider. Among the most important are skill, collaboration and empathy.

Consumers may feel that devices are better listeners and work with them in partnership. We should expect this outcome due to the fragmented health ecosystem that consumers must navigate with difficulty. We must recognize that ChatGPT’s interest and popularity among health information seekers didn’t just happen. It is possible to realize that these same information seekers feel they are not getting what they seek.

Keep learning! This is not the end of humanity and the beginning of the Matrix – where people, software and machine battle for survival. The world will be changing in amazing ways in the short years ahead. Collaboration and communications go hand-in-hand as essential tools for healing.

The post Does Artificial Intelligence (#AI) Chatbot Outperform Physicians in Patient Experience? appeared first on Medika Life.

Digital health has been promising to revolutionize the healthcare industry for years. While there have been some notable achievements, the sector has often fallen short of the lofty expectations set by the industry and its supporters. However, the rapid emergence of GPT may have signaled a pivotal moment for digital health. This potential inflection point not only drives innovation around large language models LLMs and GPT but also illuminates other areas of technological advancement. Furthermore, this turning point could lead to a ‘cognitive embrace’ for patients and clinicians, encouraging them to embrace technology as an essential part of care and innovation, akin to the optimism surrounding clinical trials.

The Game Changer: GPT’s Impact on Digital Health

—Accelerating Medical Research

GPT and LLMs have demonstrated their potential to accelerate medical research by rapidly analyzing large volumes of data, extracting meaningful insights, and generating hypotheses. By leveraging these capabilities, researchers can streamline the literature review process, identify patterns that would be difficult for humans to discern, and ultimately expedite the discovery of new treatments and therapies.

—Enhancing Telemedicine

Telemedicine has been growing in popularity over the past few years, but GPT’s NLP capabilities can take it to the next level. By integrating GPT into telemedicine platforms, healthcare providers can better understand and address patient concerns, improving patient satisfaction and reducing the risk of miscommunication. Additionally, GPT can enable more efficient triage by quickly identifying urgent cases and directing patients to appropriate care providers.

—Empowering Patients with Health Information

GPT can also help patients become more engaged and informed about their health. By providing personalized health information and answering common medical questions in an accessible, user-friendly and user-centric format, GPT can help patients better understand their conditions and treatment options. This heightened engagement and understanding can lead to improved adherence to treatment plans and, ultimately, better health outcomes.

—Streamlining Clinical Documentation

Clinical documentation can be a time-consuming and burdensome task for healthcare professionals. GPT’s ability to quickly and accurately transcribe and summarize medical conversations can reduce the time spent on documentation, allowing clinicians to focus more on patient care.

The Cognitive Shift: Embracing Technology in Healthcare

The rapid advancements in GPT and LLMs have spurred a cognitive shift among patients and clinicians, who are increasingly viewing technology as an integral part of healthcare. This shift is reminiscent of the mindset of those who eagerly seek out clinical trials as new and superior treatment options. As patients and providers embrace this digital transformation, the healthcare industry can expect to see an acceleration in technological innovation and adoption.

Another Digital Health Inflection Point?

The emergence of GPT may represent a critical inflection point in the digital health landscape—but we’ve been here before. Nevertheless, the potential applications in medical research, telemedicine, patient empowerment, and clinical documentation highlight the transformative impact GPT can have on the healthcare industry. Furthermore, the broad acceptance by many stakeholders reflect a cognitive shift toward embracing technology as an essential part of care and innovation may drive the digital health sector to new heights. GPT is more than just a breakthrough; it is the catalyst that will propel digital health into the future.

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The McCormick Conference Center has enthusiastic attendees, filling session rooms and the exhibit hall.  But the meeting’s focus and content – along with the recognition that the pandemic and economy require new thinking and approaches to health information and health-tech innovation.  What HIMSS lacks in meeting SWAG, it more than makes up for in nuts-and-bolts content on integrating bold ideas and new inventions into the healthcare system.  That’s its differentiator in a sector that seems to be adding more and more gatherings.

SESSION ROOMS ARE FILLED – WHY? ATTENDEES SEEK TO LEARN AND APPLY!

How does HIMSS plan its content sessions – which are peer-review selected – through the tireless work of its staff and volunteers who pour over countless (and largely excellent) submissions to drill down to the hundreds that reach the program.  Despite the number of concurrent sessions, the rooms are packed, reinforcing why people come to HIMSS23 – to listen and learn!

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS!

For years, people in the health sector have talked about its growing fragmentation.  As fast as companies invent new information systems and technologies, new problems arise with integration and security.  The puzzle pieces are proliferating but have yet to bring the ecosystem closer. Health professional burnout has been the constant refrain from physicians and the COVID staff drop-out rate has been as alarming as the alert bells pinging at nursing stations.

The tone and content at HIMSS23 reflected the need to stop concentrating on the problems and new ideas and center around solutions.  Keynotes such as Tom Lawry, a long-time Microsoft AI leader and now a “recovering alum,” and John Whyte, MD, chief medical officer of WebMD, led and moderated sessions that shifted to the practical use of information in the care setting. Not new ideas but how to better leverage and apply tools to improve workflow and patient care.

The meeting was also more global in perspective.  For example, Whyte’s session on the Quest for the Perfect Healthcare System – How Do We Get There? Wisely compared the UK’s favored National Health System to the “highly remunerated USA system and everything in between.” There is a hunger to use HIMSS as a pathway to better (best is far off) practices. At the same time, Lawry brought leading minds in AI together from health systems that employ the tool to reach patients most at risk and shift their attention from sick care to deploying preventive health care.

THE HIMSS EXHIBIT FLOOR FOCUSES ON PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS

The exhibit floor has been packed wall-to-wall with booths that are as educational as the sessions themselves.  Many of the breaking ideas in the news – some that justifiably frighten society, such as AI and ChatGPT – showed their more practical, life-saving side.  While health and home and wearables that collect and transmit personal information become the new doctor’s black bag, some companies exhibiting are seeking to resolve problems that should keep us up at night, such as cybersecurity and data protection.

Here are some of the hundreds of companies exhibiting that caught my eye. Others should explore what others in the sectors are doing to make new ideas and inventions into practical (and necessary) tools to leverage current systems.

FORGET THE AI AND CHATGPT BUZZ – COMPANIES ARE DELIVERING SOLUTIONS NOW

Health at home is less expensive and preferred.  But can it work with people with more serious medical needs?  ATLASense provides ICU-level monitoring in the home; it is wireless and simulates the predictive capabilities of an attentive onsite nurse. Using 15 sensors and measuring 50 biomarkers, it’s a small, wearable medical device that is reusable. The data flow to health professionals overseeing care offers a pathway to send people from acute care to a place that supports healing.  

Patients must be part of the care conversation.  That has long been the mantra of the patent community and has recently been acknowledged by drug development and payer systems.  Belong Life is among the world’s more extensive patient navigation and social networks for cancer and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The platform is used by nearly 1 in 10 cancer patients and 1 in 5 MS patients.

What’s new is its AI Mentor and ChatGPT patient system. The company – driven by compassion and confidentiality – has a model that makes a virtual community practical for people with these serious health concerns. With this new AI effort, Contract Research Organizations and their pharma sponsors should take note of a pathway to better understand what people need and want.

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) describes the network of physical objects — “medical things”— embedded with sensors, software and other technologies.  Today, devices are found within 75% of connected assets in hospital systems.  These technologies are a boost to patient convenience and provider care.  And they pose a great cybersecurity danger – a real medical risk to patients.  Hospitals are notoriously vulnerable to hacking. 

IoMT is an easy target for cyber attackers and is among the more worrisome unaddressed cybersecurity risks to medical networks.  Cylera is becoming a global go-to partner to guard against these clear and present dangers using forms of AI and to create a digital twin that assesses IoMT devices to remediate discovered risks.

Health systems are experiencing a challenging financial year – even shuttering doors in remote areas where care is desperately needed. Predictions are that only “must-have” technologies will be considered going forward. Given this backdrop, HIMSS23 conversations focused on technologies that automate existing manual processes to reduce costs.  

This is especially important in revenue cycle management, where providers experience staff shortages and shrinking margins. FinThrive shows health system CIOs the pathways to invest in intelligent, integrated technologies that automate revenue cycle operations. The company connects the revenue cycle teams through a SaaS platform to make collaborative decisions.

Hospital at home is the fastest-growing US care pathway. Keeping people at home after discharge is the desired outcome.  Putting that into practice is the challenge.  Honeywell is taking a practical approach to how AI can move health systems from patient vitals data collection to smarter, faster clinical decision-making. Here is a real-time monitoring system that captures patients’ vital signs within a hospital and remotely. The “Real-Time Health System” (RTHS) uses a wireless QR code skin patch for real-time monitoring. The patch connects to an intelligent app and caregivers receive real-time alerts of significant patient status changes.  Along with propping up pillows and tracking med times, home caregivers become partners in care delivery and people can heal at home safely.

Among the more challenging health intersections is between providers and payers. The tussle for reimbursement requests is friction, repetitive work and outdated workflow. MRO is improving the complex relationship between providers and payers through more thoughtful patient information and clinical data exchange.  Streamlining back-end workflows between providers and payers is a data handshake between financial decision-makers to improve interoperability and intelligent solutions to reduce provider-payer friction.

The real-time sharing of patient insights is a constant HIMSS23 call to action.  The system collects volumes of information.  But “after the fact” analysis means the barn gate on a patient’s care closes by the time the data are assessed.  Effective data-driven care coordination is mission-critical for providers and health plans as they shift to value-based programs. PointClickCare seeks to facilitate better care by tapping one of the most underutilized and required assets – collaboration. 

In connecting data from more than 27,000 long-term and post-acute care providers, more than 2,800 hospitals and 2,000 ambulatory clinics, every major health plan across the US, and some 75 state and government agencies, this is an example of how information can piece together the fragmented health ecosystem.

Interoperability remains a distant desire. SEQSTER, a pioneer in patient-centric healthcare data technology and patient management, announced its partnership with CLEAR, the secure identity platform to provide patients with Individual Access Services.  Announced during HIMSS23, the platform enables consumers to confirm their identities, access medical records and safely share them with various clinical trial research organizations within the SEQSTER Operating System for healthcare.

Health information for consumers and providers remains key to people’s health and wellbeing. Front and center on the exhibit floor is WebMD. The company used HIMSS23 to launch WebMD Ignite offering a comprehensive suite of healthcare solutions to kickstart healthcare organizations’ efforts to improve engagement and fuel growth through every stage of the healthcare journey, from discovery to recovery.  The solutions are the culmination of curated acquisitions from leading healthcare companies within the WebMD Health Network – including WebMD Provider Services, Krames, Mercury Healthcare, and The Wellness Network. 

THE POWER OF NOW

The combination of COVID, recognizing that the system is awash in data and spiraling health costs, and looming cyber risks that make health data vulnerable, is shifting business and medical leaders to advocate for immediate solutions.

HIMSS23 continues to be the meeting ground for government officials, mega-companies, and start-ups to see each other more as collaborative partners than competitors in the system’s improvement.  What was historically the playground of ideas and inventions has transformed into the roll-up-the-sleeves community. The conversations have been less about the system’s shortfalls and more about fixes that improve access, reimbursement and keeping people out of the hospital or getting them home faster. 

One thing that hasn’t changed is the refrain that the consumer is the customer.  That’s not the case.  The system itself remains the primary focus of the industry.  The outcome of a viable, more accessible health system that uses the information to perform cost-effectively will benefit the ecosystem – including the people that seek healing.

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A Duke University professor of bioscience, Dr. Nita Farahany, has published a book on the subject, and what it reveals may be intellectually exciting, but also seriously concerning. The broad scope of the book’s topic I’ve summarized below, along with some additional information.

Two distinct businesses, Meta and Neuralink, are investigating the potential for using innovative technology to reveal people’s thoughts. The ultimate aim of both businesses—which are addressing it in different ways—is to create tools that can record and decipher the neural activity of the brain.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is looking into the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that allow for the direct recording of neural activity from the brain. Scientists want to create a wearable gadget that can record electrical signals produced by brain activity and convert them into digital signals that a computer can understand.

Users will talk to digital systems with their minds thanks to the device, which works like a keyboard or mouse. Even though we don’t know all of the details about their technology yet, it is thought that their device would accurately read brain activity by using electrodes and machine learning algorithms.

On the other hand, Neuralink is investigating the creation of a brain implant that can communicate with the brain directly. The implant consists of a tiny chip that is placed into the skull and coupled to electrodes that are inserted into the brain. It is currently being tested on animals. The ability of the electrodes to pick up neural activity lets the brain and digital systems talk to each other in both directions and makes certain parts of the brain work.

Neuralink’s goal is to create a tool that can treat neurological conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, but the technology can also divulge private thoughts. The idea of the “thought police” is becoming a reality. It has shades of the book “1984” only this one is a definite reality.

Though they are both still in the early phases of research, Meta and Neuralink’s technologies have the power to completely change the way we interact with digital systems and disclose private thoughts. But this technology also brings up important ethical and legal questions about how these devices can be used and abused.

One of the biggest worries about brain-computer interfaces is that they could spy on people. Devices might be able to reveal private information like opinions, thoughts, and emotions if they can accurately read cerebral activity. They might employ this information in criminal investigations or even to influence people. As a result, there might be a need for legal action to control the use of such devices and safeguard people’s privacy.

The potential for such technology to be abused is another worry. For instance, there would be a risk of cyber-attacks or hacking if a brain-computer interface were used to control a digital system like a car or an airplane, which may have disastrous effects. Also, this technology could make mind-controlled soldiers or other mind-controlled laborers, which would take away people’s freedom and be against human rights. Are we headed for the world of Total Recall?

The development of brain-computer interfaces has the potential to completely change how we use digital systems and reveal our deepest thoughts. However, it also raises important ethical and legal questions. It is crucial to carefully weigh the possible advantages and risks of such technology and to make sure that moral and legal frameworks are in place to safeguard people’s liberty and privacy.

Obviously, one of the problems with this technology is the lack of understanding in legal circles about it. If people in Congress can’t follow explanations of current technology, how will they respond to highly complex systems?

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The concept of rest has been an important aspect of human history, both in terms of religious traditions and in contemporary society. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the seventh day is regarded as a day of rest, symbolizing the completion of creation and the appreciation of its beauty.

However, in today’s world, with technology enabling us to work around the clock, the idea of taking time to pause and reflect is often lost. Perhaps it’s time to explore the philosophical implications of the concept of rest and how it can help us put our lives and technological achievements into perspective.

In the book of Genesis, after creating the universe and all its inhabitants, God looked at his creation and saw that it was good. He then rested on the seventh day, not because he was tired or needed to recover, but to reflect on his creation and appreciate its beauty. This concept of rest is not just about physical relaxation, but also about taking time to appreciate and reflect on the good that has been accomplished. In the modern world, however, the pace of human accomplishment is almost continuous, and there is no time for such reflection.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.  Genesis 1:31

The technological advancements of the modern age have made our lives faster and more efficient, but they have also made it more challenging to slow down and reflect. With constant access to the internet, social media, and work emails, it can be challenging to disconnect and take a moment to appreciate what has been achieved. This constant connection to technology has led to a world that is always on, always working, and always striving for more. However, this constant striving can also lead to burnout, a lack of perspective and a vapid existence.

The bible, in Exodus, commands us to take a pause and reflect. This pause is not just about resting physically but also about taking the time to appreciate what has been accomplished and put it into perspective. In our modern world, this pause can be difficult to achieve, but it is essential for our well-being and for understanding the impact of our technological advancements.

The Greek word “schole” has given rise to the word “school,” but it has a deeper meaning that goes beyond the traditional idea of a place of learning. “Schole” can be interpreted as “restful learning,” which emphasizes the importance of taking time to breathe, contemplate, and discuss what one is learning. The idea is to create an environment where learning is not just about acquiring knowledge, but also about fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and the world.

This concept of rest—or disconnect—is not just about taking a break from work but also about taking time to appreciate the good in life. It is about taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of nature, the people around us, and the technological advancements that have made our lives easier. Taking the time to reflect on our achievements and put them into perspective is crucial for our mental and emotional well-being. It can help us gain a sense of gratitude and see the bigger picture of our lives and technological advancements.  This shift or separation allows us to move from being a participant to an observer, facilitating a new perspective on the world. And, as a function of this perspective, it enables us to evaluate innovation and technology from a more comprehensive viewpoint, taking into account the impact of our actions on the larger system.

The concept of rest is an essential aspect of the human experience, both from a religious and contemporary perspective. In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, it can be challenging to slow down and take time to appreciate the good in life. However, taking the time to reflect and put our achievements into perspective is crucial for our mental and emotional well-being. We can all benefit from taking a moment to rest and appreciate the beauty of the world and the technological advancements that have made our lives easier.

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Many opinions have been swirling about this technology for the past several weeks, but whether we like or dislike the idea of this technology may be immaterial. The fact is if technology is easy to use and improves our lives – like the iPhone appears to – then it is here to stay. Electronic health record (EHR) systems are like ChatGPT; we can see their utility and imagine how they will facilitate care that saves and improves patients’ lives, but they’re not all the way there, not yet.  But we need to get them there – and quickly. We can.

Information is not only today’s currency; access to it is also often the difference between life and death in medicine. We have all seen firsthand how fragmentation in the health ecosystem overwhelms professionals at the front lines of patient care. Unable to access siloed information, providers often lack the background to make timely, life-sustaining decisions. This leads to poorer patient outcomes, added costs, and health professional burnout.  It results in health disparities unaddressed and the inability to engage effectively in treatable noncommunicable illnesses.

Providers and payers operate within silos, with little economic incentive to collaborate. The resulting fragmentation means that patients often fall through gaps in care as their cases are handed off from one team to another. The need to foster coordination between health stakeholders and technology has great potential, but culture and old habits can crush change.

Too Busy to Read Patient Records

As hospital floor shifts change, health professionals have little time to “get up to speed” on their patient responsibilities – and nurses are often assigned to different floors on successive shifts, making it difficult for them to gain experiential knowledge of a patient’s needs. This makes the EHR the only way to learn about their charges, which is a tenuous situation.

I know this too well. During the last 12 days of my physician father-in-law’s life, a nurse at a leading hospital replied to my questions about his care with a worrying admission: “I don’t have time to read patient records.” That admission is symptomatic of systemic failures. EHRs are not standardized; patient data cannot easily be shared between providers or accessed by patients visiting multiple hospitals. This leads to duplicative tests and procedures and can lead to medical errors and misdiagnoses, sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

For the sake of patient’s lives and health, that technology needs to be easier to use and needs to improve patients’ lives.  There must be interoperability between health systems and technology platforms.

Solutions from Government and the Private Sector

Thomas Mason, MD, Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, a long-time public health advocate, is among the nation’s leading experts addressing the challenges of patient care, technology, and information. Dr. Mason believes that interoperability is crucial for delivering quality care to patients. He’ll share his thoughts at the upcoming American Telemedicine Association meeting in San Antonio about The State of Interoperability in Transforming Healthcare with fellow industry expert Ardy Arianpour, a passionate entrepreneur and CEO of Seqster, a healthcare data management platform.

“Interoperability is essential for improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs,” says Dr. Mason. “When providers can access complete and accurate patient information, they can make better-informed decisions about their care.”

Arianpour agrees. “The lack of interoperability between healthcare systems remains a major challenge. Electronic health records are not standardized, making it difficult for healthcare providers to exchange patient data.” To overcome this challenge, Arianpour believes telemedicine and remote patient care are essential tools. “Telemedicine can help to bridge the gap between patients and providers by allowing them to communicate remotely. This improves patient access to care and makes it easier for providers to monitor their patient’s health and deliver timely interventions.”

However, telemedicine and remote patient care are only part of the solution. Too often, the patient clinical data needed for prior authorization for payer approvals operate across different data systems with different electronic standards for storing the information. That adds to the physicians’ workflow and delays patient care. True interoperability – meaning seamless data exchange between health systems – is the key to curing fragmentation in the health ecosystem and providing genuine, patient-centered care.

In short, the system has to revolve around the patient, not the platform.  Right now, it just…doesn’t.

Patients are not empowered to take control of their medical destiny. Many lack access to reliable health information, and those with chronic conditions often struggle to manage their records. Instead of being at the center of care, they are often on the outside, looking in.

So, what can be done to address this isolation? Can it be solved by better coding and coordination of technology by technologists? Or must there be more to it?

Taking Action, Making Changes

To bring existing technology forward to the point where it breaks information logjams, heals fragmentation, and puts patients back at the center of care, five solutions need to be prioritized:

1. We need to break down the silos within the health provider community, improving and leveraging technology so that it supports collaboration between providers and payers to ensure patients receive seamless, coordinated care that keeps them healthier.

• We have to remember that hospital staff are often overworked and sometimes, managed less than optimally.  As we’ve seen, they may lack time to read patient histories.  Perhaps using AI developments that can provide concise patient histories with prioritized care notes – programs like Chat GPT, for instance – can help convey what is critical for providers to know.

• We need to harmonize clinical and administrative data systems to improve workflow and eliminate time-consuming, payer-specific requirements that providers often must address before delivering efficient care.

• We need to invest in interoperable technology that allows for the seamless exchange of patient data between providers. This will improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs by eliminating duplicative tests and procedures.

• Finally, patients also need to be empowered to take control of their health. This means providing user-friendly interfaces that give patients access to reliable health information and the tools to manage their care, which connect to EMRs and patient portals. This is particularly important for people living with the challenges of chronic conditions.

Our healthcare system needs to be more cohesive, efficient, and cost-effective. While we have spent billions developing the technological tools we are confident can help drive this system-wide improvement, we must face the reality that the situation is worsening. We are spending more and seeing patient outcomes decline. 

Riffing on iconic advertising giant David Ogilvy, innovation theorist John Nosta writes, “GPT is like a lamp post to an intoxicated person at night. It provides support but not illumination.” Interoperability is designed to lift up health professionals and patients – healers and those seeking to be healed.  If so, it will soon illuminate the best path to care once we harken to the words of Dr. Thomas Mason and Ardy Arianpour.

Maybe it’s time we start with this simple idea; if the technological solutions we develop don’t make patients’ and health professionals’ lives easier, it’s as though they were never created.

[Special thanks to authors John Bianchi and Cullen Burnell for their review of this article.]

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As humans, we are instinctively drawn to ourselves. It’s an inherent trait that defines our existence and makes us who we are. However, as technology advances and becomes increasingly sophisticated, we begin to question whether we can embrace it as am intimate part of ourselves. This is the Scorpion Effect.

The story goes that a scorpion stings because it’s in its nature to do so. Similarly, as humans, we struggle to embrace technology because it goes against our very nature. While technology may be incredibly useful and powerful, it’s also foreign to us. We simply can’t relate to it in the same way that we can relate to other humans.

Perhaps the biggest reason for our reluctance to embrace technology is the belief that it represents an existential threat. Many people fear that technology—particularly AI—will eventually replace humans, making us obsolete or subservient. And others feel that technology robs us of some fundamental aspect of ourselves that historically is the domain of humanity. This can include qualities and emotions such as creativity, musical virtuosity and even love. The rise of artificial intelligence in lens of Hollywood and its dystopian perspective has only fueled these fears.

The emergence of GPT technology, such as GPT-3, exacerbates the problem of the Scorpion Effect by blurring the lines between what is human-generated and what is machine-generated. GPT technology is a form of artificial intelligence that is capable of generating human-like language and responses to various prompts. It’s captured the world’s imagination—for better or worse.

GPT technology can be incredibly useful in a variety of applications, from chatbots to content generation. However, the fact that machines are now able to generate language that is nearly indistinguishable from that of humans raises questions about what it means to be human and how we interact with technology.

Further, GPT technology can be used to generate content at a massive scale, potentially leading to the creation of vast amounts of low-quality, machine-generated content. This could ultimately devalue the role of human creativity and expertise in content creation, as more and more tasks are handed over to machines. And the use of GPT technology in social media and other platforms could lead to the spread of misinformation and fake news. If machines are able to generate convincing language and responses, it becomes more difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is fake.

Another concern is the potential loss of privacy and personalization in our interactions with technology. As machines become more sophisticated at generating human-like responses, it becomes easier to forget that we are interacting with a machine rather than a human. This could lead to a loss of trust and transparency in our interactions with technology.

In addition to the fear of being replaced or subordinated, there is also the issue of the fundamental differences between humans and machines. We are made of flesh and blood, while machines are made of silicon and carbon. While we can certainly create machines that mimic our behavior and thought processes, they will remain different, in both structure and function. This fundamental difference between humans and machines creates a deep chasm that can be difficult to bridge. We may be able to program machines to do certain tasks or behave in certain ways, but will they truly understand what it means to be human?

Moreover, some argue that there is a “spark of life” that separates humans from machines. This spark is what makes us unique and gives us our humanity. It’s what enables us to feel emotions, experience the world around us, and form connections with other people.

Of course, this isn’t a uniform consensus. Many people embrace technology and see it as a powerful tool that can help us improve our lives and make the world a better place. The Scorpion Effect is a reminder that our relationship with technology is complicated and multifaceted. While we may be attracted to technology for its power and utility, we also have a deep-seated fear of what it represents. And the sting of technology—particularly as it advances as a cognitive tool—can be deadly. But the realistic and unrealistic fears that it congers can be even worse.

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