The Impact of AI on the Home Health Industry

How is AI going to affect the home health industry?

We have all read articles about AI going after various industries – many such pieces begin or end with a pithy: “And AI wrote this article!” While discussing various ideas about artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) is fun, exploring how AI might affect your industry is also fascinating. So, how is AI going to affect the home health industry? This article explores various ideas that have been proposed in the last several months.

How is AI Going to Affect the Home Health Industry?

There are many ways that AI could affect home health. We could get highly speculative and consider ideas of AI chatbot doctors. Or we could think about the near future and discuss how AI software companies are already teaming up with EMR systems to assist in proper documentation.

There is no way to know what the far future will hold, so let’s get practical in this article and discuss how AI may affect the home health industry in the near future.

Fortunately, technology is here to build automation and efficiency into operations. Here are a few ways that cliniCONNECTS helps contract therapy companies to scale through streamlined processes:

Documentation/Compliance

Documentation is likely where AI will make the most immediate impact. At least one company is providing AI assistance to some EMR systems to ensure the correct CPT codes are used during documentation. This could be utilized further to assure compliance, build predictive models that help businesses understand what areas in the home health industry are underserved, and more.

Diagnostic Assistance

Much has been said about AI’s pattern recognition abilities and how this might assist diagnostics. While there are some far-future ideas that AI will be able to diagnose in its own right, that model is not compatible with current AI models. Instead, some companies and medical practitioners use AI as a diagnostic confirmation/second opinion tool for sharing ideas about what a particular set of symptoms may mean or as a sounding board for various treatment regimens.

Chronic Disease Management

As AI becomes more advanced and stable, it may play a role in chronic disease management. The current artificial intelligence system is based on collecting massive amounts of data in a particular area and making informed recommendations utilizing that information – just as we humans do. When it comes to chronic diseases, this software may be able to collect and analyze patient data to adjust treatment plans and provide personalized lifestyle recommendations.

Direct Patient Assistance

AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants can engage with patients through natural language processing, answering their queries, scheduling appointments, and providing information on home care procedures. Several companies are currently working on AI-driven virtual assistance and chat, and one such company will likely emerge to help the home health industry specifically.

Fraud Detection

AI may assist in identifying fraudulent activities within home health services, reducing healthcare fraud and abuse while ensuring proper utilization of resources.

Medication/Therapy Management

Companies may begin to use AI to assist patients in adhering to their medical schedules by providing reminders and tracking activities. For example, if a physical therapist offers a series of exercises to be completed daily, AI can be utilized to help patients stay on track.

Artificial intelligence/large language models are here to stay. Implementing this new technology will help your home health company step ahead of the pack.

At cliniCONNECTS we utilize intelligent algorithms to automatically match patients and clinicians so that your administrative staff has time to explore new technologies like AI and provide better patient outcomes. If you are ready to automate and organize your home health business, talk with the cliniCONNECTS directly by scheduling your free demo today.

And just so you know – this article was written by a human with some AI assistance. Fusing the two together is the way we will move forward into a better, more efficient, and exciting future.

Artificial intelligence/large language models are here to stay. Implementing this new technology will help your home health company step ahead of the pack.

And just so you know – this article was written by a human with some AI assistance. Fusing the two together is the way we will move forward into a better, more efficient, and exciting future.