AI Is Exploding in Popularity — How will Healthcare Patients and Providers be affected?

A new consumer survey from Weave found that people are accepting of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare settings, and they see it leading to enhanced care and patient experiences. The majority of consumers (65%) are open to providers using AI tools in their practices and two in three people (67%) believe it’s likely that it will become a common tool used in healthcare. The survey was commissioned in August 2023 by Weave to 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18+ to find out their opinions on AI in healthcare.

65% of consumers are open to healthcare providers using AI tools

Similarly, in a separate survey of more than 265 customers conducted in August 2023, Weave found that 3 in 4 (75%) of healthcare providers believe that AI is likely to become a prevalent tool in healthcare. 

So what does this mean for healthcare providers? While some consumers and providers have ethical concerns over use of the AI technology in healthcare, they also believe there are benefits to the technology such as making care more accessible to all, easier scheduling of appointments and better communication between patients, doctors and staff. Younger generations in particular expect providers to integrate AI into their everyday practice workflows (70% of Millennials; 64% of Gen Z). As such, providers should take steps to integrate the technology into everyday workflows or they may risk losing out to others that do.

3 in 4 healthcare providers believe AI will become a prevalent tool in healthcare

AI can Improve the Quality Care

We’ve seen interest in AI skyrocket across industries over the past year, however 88% of Weave customers claim they have yet to incorporate AI into their daily operations. Despite slow adoption in healthcare, nearly 2 in 5 providers (38%) agree that AI could help improve patient care or experience at their office while more than half (51%) think it could help improve office efficiency. 

There are countless benefits to healthcare that AI can deliver, and consumers agree. More than 1 in 3 consumers (37%) believe that AI will make healthcare more accessible to all — and that number increases among younger generations with more than 2 in 5 (44%) of Millennials saying the same. Among other benefits, more than 1 in 4 consumers (27%) believe that AI will enable more accurate diagnoses and another 25% believe the technology will enable more personalized care.

As providers look to new solutions to assist in managing offices and meeting ever-changing patient expectations, the adoption of AI technologies, specifically generative AI tools, can offer high ROI by helping to streamline operations and patient communications. AI-powered tools can assist providers in streamlining administrative tasks, such as appointment scheduling, billing, and record-keeping, which can ultimately free up more time for delivering quality patient care.

AI Enhances the Patient Experience

Well over half (63%) of Weave customers believe that AI will significantly influence the future of healthcare. In a similar vein, the majority of consumers (52%) believe that AI will have a huge impact on healthcare that will drastically change the healthcare patient experience as we know it today.

When it comes to patient communication, more than 1 in 4 consumers (27%) believe that AI will allow better communication with their doctor and staff. Currently, 1 in 3 consumers (34%) are only somewhat satisfied with the level of technology that their healthcare provider offers and believe they should offer more modern technology. 

1 in 3 consumers aren’t satisfied with their healthcare provider’s technology

There are a number of ways providers can integrate the technology to deliver enhanced experiences. Patients are increasingly sending questions via email, text, or through a patient portal, resulting in more administrative duties for office staff and providers alike. AI can help to diminish the amount of time needed to respond to these inquiries by providing quick and accurate responses to common questions. By decreasing the amount of time providers need to spend responding to messages, they have more face time with patients and can ultimately experience less burnout by reducing the amount of administrative work on their plates. 

Consumers see numerous benefits in the technology as well. Weave’s consumer survey found that 2 in 5 Millennials (40%) and nearly half of Gen Z (47%) believe that AI will allow them to schedule appointments more easily, 37% of consumers believe it will make healthcare more accessible to all, and a quarter (25%) believe it will enable more personalized care.

The data is clear: there are advantages for both providers and patients when integrating modern technology like AI in healthcare practices. Of Weave customers using AI, half claim they save an average of 1 hour a day with the technology — allowing them more time to work with patients 1-1 and deliver personalized experiences. 

How Healthcare Professionals can Adopt the Technology

Implementing modern technology like AI can have a positive impact on providers’ bottom lines. Conversely, if healthcare providers don’t begin to integrate the technology, they may begin to see patient attrition. Weave’s survey found that more than 1 in 3 consumers (36%) claim that they would switch healthcare providers if another provider was utilizing AI technology in their practice and their current provider was not — and that number increases substantially among younger generations with nearly half of Millennials (49%) and 44% of Gen Z saying the same.

1 in 3 consumers would change providers in favor of one utilizing AI technology

AI is transforming healthcare as we know it, addressing provider challenges and enhancing the patient experience. While some people have ethical concerns over use of the technology in healthcare, there are numerous benefits to the technology from a patient care and experience perspective. As labor shortages and burnout continue to impact the healthcare industry, providers should look to modern technology tools to diminish administrative work, free up valuable provider time, and enhance patient experiences overall.

With thoughtful implementation, providers can integrate AI tools effectively into their practices to meet patient expectations and deliver better experiences. AI has the potential to create long-term benefits for patients and providers with improved patient satisfaction, more time for personalized patient interactions, and enhanced health care outcomes.

Methodology:

The consumer survey was commissioned in August 2023 by Weave to 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18+ to find out their opinions on the use of AI in healthcare settings. In addition, Weave surveyed 267 customers, including office managers, practice owners and providers, in August 2023 to uncover provider interest and utilization of AI.