At its annual user group meeting, Epic introduced two AI solutions, ‘Emmie’ and ‘Art’, designed to offer support for patients between appointments and to gather contextual information and insights around patient health concerns for clinicians prior to patient visits.
Taking to LinkedIn, Epic shared the impact of Emmie for patients, said to be informed by patient charts and their connected devices, the AI offers functionality such as “easy-to-understand” explanations of test results, suggested next steps, and conversations about different aspects of their health.
For clinicians, the Art AI solution works on gathering data collected by Emmie to offer relevant insights prior to appointments, generating pre-visit summaries, taking notes in real time, and taking actions such as placing orders. “Art is designed to reduce administrative burden, help doctors better understand their patients, and offer context-informed insights,” Epic states.
The post attracted attention from a number of commentators, who noted the potential for Epic’s solutions to have an impact on patient-centred care, to bring the worlds of patients and clinicians together, and to help patients better understand their own health.
Helen Lu, clinical director of informatics and analytics at Community Health System, shared her own experience from the Epic UGM, posting: “The first day of #UGM made one thing crystal clear: Epic is going all in on #AI. We’re not talking about adding AI as a feature – it’s becoming embedded across the entire care journey: pre-visit, during visit, after care, and in ongoing patient management. Epic’s release roadmap shows just how fast things are moving, from phenotype extraction to insight cards to smarter in-basket tools that directly target provider burnout.”
The UGM is taking place from 18-21 August in Wisconsin, marketed as an “otherworldly collaboration” bringing healthcare leaders together to discuss health technologies.
Wider trend: AI in health and care
A recent HTN Now webinar saw us joined by expert panellists from across the health sector to debate the practicalities of AI technologies, exploring topics including implementation, adoption, the role of data, policy, regulation, evaluation and best practices. Panellists included Neill Crump, digital strategy director at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust; Lee Rickles, CIO, director and deputy SIRO at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust; and Beatrix Fletcher, senior programme manager (AI) at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
For a HTN Now panel discussion from last year we looked at whether the reality of AI will live up to the current hype, and how to manage bias in healthcare data. Expert panellists included Puja Myles, director at MHRA Clinical Practice Research Datalink; Shanker Vijayadeva, GP lead and digital transformation for the London region at NHS England; and Ricardo Baptista Leite, M.D., CEO at HealthAI, the global agency for responsible AI in health. The session explored topics including what is needed to manage bias; what “responsible AI” really looks like; how to ensure AI is inclusive and equitable; how AI can help support underserved populations; the deployment of AI in the NHS; and the potential to harness AI in supporting the shift from reactive to proactive care.
Last month, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust published an AI Strategy, outlining current and future AI work along with plans for benefits realisation, implementation, AI workforce development, infrastructure and data architecture.
Join HTN and experts from across the health and care sector for a panel discussion on approaches to AI, policy, safety, regulation, and evaluation, scheduled for 27 August, 10-11am. The session will explore key focuses and challenges for the implementation of AI. To learn more, or to register, please click here.
