UPMC Enterprises tells CB Insights: Artificial intelligence will have greatest impact on health care

Research firm CB Insights wanted to pinpoint technology or business model innovations that are likely to impact health care.

CB Insights, known for its database of private companies and detailed research reports, asked 15 smart people for answers. UPMC Enterprises President Tal Heppenstall was among the group of executives asked to weigh in.

Answers provided by Heppenstall and 14 other leaders from a variety of health care organizations, including health IT, venture capital, and pharmaceuticals, was published Nov. 15 in a report on the CB Insights website.

Titled “15 Smart People in Healthcare,” the report, which is behind a paywall, focuses on the following question: What technology or business model innovation will have the greatest impact on health care in the next 5 to 10 years?

Heppenstall’s response draws from UPMC Enterprises work on artificial intelligence (A.I.) and natural language processing:

“UPMC expects the advanced application of artificial intelligence, especially technologies that employ natural language processing, to fundamentally improve health care in the coming years. As health care becomes more consumer-centric, A.I. technologies will allow more direct and efficient relationships between patients and their providers, enhancing the care provided both inside and outside of the hospital. A.I. needs to play a big role in improving the consumer experience in health care while reducing provider burnout.”

UPMC isn’t the only organization that views A.I. as having great potential to change health care in the coming decade. CB Insights reports that two-thirds of the responses referenced the technology, which it said was “the biggest trend to watch.”

Other key findings CB Insights pulled from the responses were:
  • Value-based contracting presents a big opportunity: New tech solutions will be key as risk shifts to providers.
  • Lowering consumer health care costs is a priority: More consumer-focused players such as Amazon are entering the market, which is likely to put downward pressure on prices.
  • Technology will tackle administrative burdens: New tech solutions will make it easier to deliver care by removing administrative functions.
Below are some other noteworthy answers.

Annie Lamont, co-founder and managing partner at venture capital firm Oak HC/FT: “Until you engage patients where they are and treat them in the lowest-cost setting, you will never bend the cost curve and unlock opportunities to deliver a great consumer experience.”

Mehdi Ghissassi, head of strategy and business operations for Google DeepMind: “By providing a much more thorough understanding of a patient’s condition, A.I. should allow clinicians to deliver more personalized, precise diagnoses and treatments, often before any harm sets in.”

Rick Wassel, vice president of strategic innovation and partnering at Adventist Health System: “Innovations that are at the intersection of new technologies including A.I., genomics, big data, and blockchain with solutions that simplify the consumer’s lifelong healthcare experience.”

Marc Leibowitz, global head of health technology and digital health at Johnson & Johnson: “The organizations that are successfully attracting bona fide digital talent at scale and blending this with deep scientific know-how will provide a leading indicator of who are likely to emerge as winners in healthcare.”

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