B

y now, we have all seen it, Artificial Intelligence has gone mainstream! In recent days, you couldn’t watch any news broadcast or listen to any podcast without hearing about the Artificial Intelligence service called ChatGPT. If this was your first exposure to Artificial Intelligence you probably thought that it was a sudden development that came to be, basically, overnight.

For some people, sudden developments such as this one can be downright scary, but you shouldn’t fear, because the reality is that behind the scenes very smart people have been working on this and other AI solutions for many decades now. It just so happens that in the year 2023 we finally have the computing power and technical knowledge to finally make AI useful in a myriad of ways.

For example, ChatGPT is an attractive everyday use of AI and it certainly captures the imagination, particularly if you want to use it as a tool that works with you to enhance your creativity. However, AI has some even more impressive applications. Take Radiology for instance, where we are seeing some huge developments for Mammography, Oncology, MSK, X-Ray, MRI and CT.

It is quite easy to imagine a very immediate future, when every single radiological study is not just seen by your favorite radiologist, but also given a second look by his favorite AI counterpart. The use of AI in that manner would not only provide peace of mind, but would also be more efficient. In fact, there are already studies that assume full AI implementations across all healthcare institutions and they project that AI could save up to $360 billion per year in the US alone.

Yes, the concept of AI can be scary for some people just like the jump from a horse and to motor vehicles was, but a future without AI would be just as bleak now as one without cars would’ve been back then.

M

aking things simple is hard, but it show expertise.

Think back to the VHS days and how everyone had a flashing 12:00 clock because nobody made it simple to put in the correct time. Thankfully, we have come a long way since those miserable days and now most every gadget syncs up their time via the InterWeb.

So now that many things (cars, phones, airplane seat gadgets) have evolved into simpler interfaces do you still feel that the software you are using is simple and direct?

If it isn’t you should ask for better from the manufacturer and/or the decision maker that picked the software. Your clicks should be limited, your speed to getting to the information you want should be blazing and you should not need to become a Power User just to use the basics of the software.

Ask for better and easier user interfaces. No, demand it! There is no better litmus test as to whether the creator really understand your needs than for them to make it very easy for you to address them.

C

onsidering that our products and solutions are oriented towards the healthcare industry, you might be surprised with the title of this post and are likely asking yourself: “Self, what does technology in education have to do with healthcare?”

Well, as I sit here watching my daughter’s orientation seminars at The Ohio State University I’m shocked to see how far along we have come technology-wise with services for these students. 

For example, they have an App that provides them all the information they could want. From maps of the campus to locations of classes to nearby shopping and dining options to the hours of operations of places like the dozens of libraries and recreation centers to the schedule of all sporting and arts and entertainment event. All of this and more is at the palm of their hands.

This is definitely a long way from what I had available when I went to Case Western Reserve University and Florida Atlantic University in the 1990s. Back then, if the schools had a decent website it was a huge “win”. Today, these youngsters can even schedule their transportation and security escorts via the phone.

Seeing all this makes me wonder whether we in the “real world” are ready with similar technological advances in our workplaces for that moment when we hire some of these men and women when they graduate?

After four or more years of being exposed to such high end use of technology, will they be accepting of places that don’t use technology the same way they were using it in college? I, for one, don’t think they will.  I think they will favor employers that are already technologically advanced and are even looking to become more advanced on a yearly basis.

It is my hope that in providing some of the products and services that we offer via our Digital Solutions as well as our Siemens partnership that we will be one of those companies that not just attracts these best and brightest individuals, but also be in a position to impact positively the healthcare industry in the same vein.

T

echnology has come a very long way in the past decade plus. For example, I still remember 25+ years ago when booking a flight meant going to a travel agency or directly to the ticketing agent at the airport to get a printed and yes sometimes even a manually written ticket. Remember how does manual tickets would make your hands turn purple because of the copy layer they had? Good times!