Digital transformation: revolutionising healthcare with AI

AI is everywhere, even in places you might not expect

Although it’s often viewed as a valuable tool to streamline operations in fields like finance and manufacturing, AI’s impact on healthcare is proving to be even more profound. From accelerating drug discovery to improving diagnostics and personalising patient care,  AI isn’t just about innovation—it’s about improving outcomes, enhancing efficiency, and ultimately saving lives. To illustrate the transformative power of AI, let’s delve into a critical healthcare challenge: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). 

The AMR crisis – why it matters and how AI can help

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat to modern medicine. As microbes, such as bacteria, become resistant to existing treatments, the development of new antimicrobial compounds has lagged, creating an urgent need for innovative solutions.

This is where AI has a critical role to play. Researchers are beginning to use machine learning to identify novel compounds that could target resistant bacteria more effectively.

For example, a research team recently applied AI to analyse billions of molecular combinations, drastically speeding up the discovery process for potential new antibiotics. This approach allows scientists to pinpoint effective compounds at a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods. The potential is profound, as AI can sift through vast datasets and recognize patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed. This isn’t a futuristic dream – it’s happening now and could be a game-changer in fighting bacterial infections. This ties back to the idea of personalised medicine, detailed in a previous article titled ‘the transformative potential of AI in healthcare.’

Imagine a patient with an infection undergoing screening to identify the specific microorganism, possibly a type of bacterium, causing the illness. Using the results, AI-driven tools could recommend targeted antimicrobials for that specific bacterium. Not only would this reduce the scope for resistance to develop, but it would also improve patient outcomes by tailoring the treatment to their unique needs. Personalised, preventative medicine is the future.

Beyond AMR – AI’s broader impact in healthcare

While AMR is one example, it is far from the only area where AI is making significant strides in the healthcare industry. AI offers numerous opportunities to enhance productivity, including optimizing hospital workflows, streamlining the creation of discharge papers, improving community staffing schedules and more. Organizations like Navenio and Huma are already leading the way in leveraging AI for these purposes.

Navenio utilizes AI to optimize hospital workforce deployment by automating task allocation based on real-time location data from smartphones. This approach enhances operational efficiency and reduces response times. Similarly, Huma employs AI to manage healthcare data through a web-based platform that automates the collection, monitoring and analysis of patient health records. By reducing administrative tasks and enabling providers to make data-driven decisions, Huma’s platform significantly improves patient management and care delivery.

AI’s potential in healthcare extends to diagnosing complex conditions, automating administrative tasks and even predicting patient outcomes. Across the healthcare industry, AI is helping to empower patients with more personalised health insights, improve operational efficiencies and assist clinicians in diagnosing and treating complex conditions.

Administrative tasks, which are often time-consuming for healthcare professionals, are also being transformed. AI tools can help with everything from scheduling and staffing to processing patient records. These improvements not only save time but also allow doctors and nurses to focus more on patient care, which could significantly reduce staff burnout rates, improving hospital operational efficiency.

This wave of AI innovation is reshaping the healthcare landscape, delivering real value in both patient outcomes and cost efficiencies.

The consultancy perspective – unlocking AI’s potential in new areas

The properties that make AMR so interesting serve as a reminder of AI’s transformative power. AI can uncover solutions in overlooked spaces, and many organizations are still unaware of the potential applications.

An example of how consultants can help businesses unlock the value of AI in solving healthcare challenges comes from our client, Lucia Health Guidelines. Together, we built an integrated AI platform designed to help clinicians identify patients at risk of strokes using EKG images. The platform leverages AI to deliver analysis within seconds, achieving a detection rate accuracy of 94%. Beyond diagnosis, the solution supported clinicians with automated therapy plans, personalised risk assessments and seamless handoffs to long-term care practitioners. This project demonstrates the potential of AI to improve both diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes while streamlining healthcare workflows.

This is only one example of thousands of similar projects occurring worldwide, unlocking opportunities for businesses of all types. Consultants are positioned to uncover these opportunities, bringing strategy, expertise and innovation to unlock AI’s full value.

Conclusion

AI is no longer a tool of the future; it is a critical component of business success today. From addressing niche challenges like AMR to transforming operational efficiency across healthcare, its potential is vast and undeniable. Organizations that fail to embrace AI risk being left behind, encumbered by outdated administrative patient processes and reliant on potentially obsolete treatment methodologies.

Elixirr’s combined expertise in healthcare and AI has allowed us to help organizations identify where AI could add value, even in areas they might not initially think of.

If you’re ready to explore how AI can revolutionise your business and deliver tangible value, let’s talk.