Leading tech companies including Nvidia, Google, and Microsoft will converge in Las Vegas to unveil groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) tools aimed at reducing the administrative burdens faced by healthcare professionals.
The highly anticipated showcase will take place at the annual HLTH conference, one of the largest healthcare technology events, expected to draw over 12,000 industry leaders.
At the heart of this year’s conference will be AI-powered solutions designed to address the excessive documentation and paperwork that doctors and nurses must handle daily. These administrative tasks—ranging from patient record management to insurance compliance—are widely seen as a major contributor to burnout among healthcare professionals. According to consulting firm Mercer, the mounting workload is expected to contribute to a nationwide shortage of 100,000 healthcare workers by 2028.
Tech companies are eyeing a slice of a projected $6.8 trillion healthcare market by the end of the decade, with AI-driven tools to streamline clerical work emerging as a potential game-changer.
Google, for example, is working to expand its footprint in healthcare by focusing on administrative relief through AI. The company announced the general availability of Vertex AI Search for Healthcare, a tool that allows developers to help physicians quickly access information spread across various medical records. This follows a successful trial at last year’s HLTH event. Google also introduced updates to its Healthcare Data Engine, which supports generative AI in healthcare platforms.
Initially, Google released some findings from a survey showing that clinicians spend an average of 28 hours per week on administrative tasks. The survey also revealed that 80% of healthcare providers believe this clerical work detracts from patient care, while 91% expressed optimism about AI’s potential to streamline these tasks.
Similarly, Microsoft announced its suite of healthcare AI tools on October 11, which include medical imaging models, a healthcare agent service, and an automated documentation tool for nurses. While these offerings are still in development, Microsoft is already making strides in AI documentation with its DAX Copilot tool, developed through its subsidiary Nuance Communications, which Microsoft acquired in 2021 for $16 billion. The AI-powered DAX Copilot transcribes doctor-patient interactions and converts them into clinical notes, reducing the time physicians spend on paperwork.
In response to the unique documentation needs of nurses, Microsoft is also building a specialized AI tool tailored to their workflows. With AI scribe tools gaining popularity, Nuance is competing with other companies like Abridge and Suki, both of which will also present their solutions at HLTH. Abridge, which raised over $460 million and received backing from Nvidia’s venture capital arm, has seen rapid adoption of its AI-based clinical documentation tools.
Nvidia itself is preparing to highlight its contributions to easing healthcare workloads during the conference. Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s Vice President of Healthcare, will deliver a keynote address on Monday, focusing on how generative AI can free up more time for healthcare professionals to dedicate to patient care.
Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs), crucial for AI models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, have positioned the company as a key player in the AI revolution. With Nvidia shares surging over 150% this year, the company has steadily expanded its presence in the healthcare sector, providing AI tools for medical devices, drug discovery, genomics, and medical imaging. In March, Nvidia announced expanded partnerships with industry giants like Johnson & Johnson and GE HealthCare.
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While the healthcare sector has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies, the buzz around administrative AI tools has grown significantly since the launch of ChatGPT two years ago. Nonetheless, many healthcare systems are still in the early stages of evaluating AI tools and vendors, with the HLTH conference offering a prime opportunity for tech companies to prove they can address one of healthcare’s most complex and pressing challenges.
