Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.
Latest in health-care technology
Tech companies talk future of AI in health care
This is Ashley, reporting live from Las Vegas.
I've spent the last few days on the exhibition floor at the health-care technology conference called HLTH. Companies like Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Google and more than 12,000 other industry leaders convened there this year.
This was my second time attending, and while there's a certain irony in walking through smoke-filled casinos to get to meetings about the future of health care, it's a helpful way to gauge what technologies the industry is excited about.
As I predicted in my coverage on Sunday, generative AI dominated my discussions, much like it did last year. However, the focus was less about the promise or potential of the tech, and more about practical, near-term use cases for the technology. If you're still skeptical about whether health systems are serious about AI, the answer is undoubtedly yes.
Providers want AI tools that will drive real returns for their organization, both from cost-savings and efficiency standpoints. They're not willing to wait long to start seeing results. Providers are also looking for guidance about how to effectively evaluate and implement the hundreds of solutions that have exploded onto the market. And investors are asking tougher questions about what a viable business model for a health-care AI company actually looks like.
There was a big focus on how AI could help to reduce the mountains of documentation that doctors and nurses are responsible for, which is a major cause of burnout in the industry. This has been a hot topic all year, so it wasn't a surprise to me. Microsoft, Google, GE HealthCare and Amazon all introduced new tools to address the issue, for instance.
"Primary care has always been plagued by administrative tasks. This is pervasive in health care, but it's especially acute in primary care," Dr. Andrew Diamond, chief medical officer at Amazon's primary care business One Medical, told CNBC. "AI holds tremendous promise to automate or streamline a huge amount of that work."
But while AI for administrative burnout was certainly popular, other themes also started to emerge. There was lots of talk about AI agents, for example, which can help users answer questions, automate processes and perform specific tasks. Several companies are also working on AI tools that can help identify and streamline relevant clinical trials for patients. Microsoft and GE HealthCare both announced early stage tools in these areas.
AI isn't going to change the industry overnight, but I was told over and over again that the innovation is happening fast – especially by the standards of health care, which has a reputation for being slow to adopt new tech.
These companies are trying to tackle complex problems, but there was a real sense of optimism on the floor. Providers, large tech incumbents and startups all seem to agree that AI is here to stay, and they clearly intend to use it.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.
