Tech

Why I left medicine – and why AI might convince me to return

Tech

October 14, 2023

My first job as a physician assistant was in a neuro-oncology department. I was young, newly certified, and eager to interact with patients. The physician who mentored me there made sure I had the opportunity to counsel patients, and provide guidance and comfort after a new diagnosis. These are situations where a clinician needs time and space to be empathetic.

On one occasion, I spent nearly 45 minutes in the exam …

ChatGPT: Charting the future of health care with visionary AI

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

October 12, 2023

As technology advances, the health care sector perennially seeks innovative solutions to enhance patient care, diagnostic capabilities, and accessibility. OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, with its pioneering vision feature, has emerged as a potentially transformative tool, enabling myriad applications that traverse beyond textual interactions and delve deeply into the visual realm.

Elevating user interactivity in health care consultations. They were integrating visual capabilities in ChatGPT-4 ushers …

Bridging disciplines: the unseen power of bilingualism in AI and health care

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

October 5, 2023

In the bustling corridors of medical facilities, a new language is quietly making its presence known, intertwining with the traditional vocabulary of health care professionals. This language, artificial intelligence (AI), is not spoken in words but in algorithms and data, reshaping the health care landscape in unprecedented ways. The University of Texas at San Antonio has perceptively recognized this evolution, launching a pioneering dual-degree program that intertwines medicine and AI, …

Utilizing AI may reduce maternal and infant mortality

Matt Eakins, MD

Tech

October 1, 2023

The United States health care system is in the midst of a crisis. Despite being among the richest nations in the world, it consistently ranks among the lowest for maternal health outcomes—and that’s before you begin digging into the health disparities women of color face in this nation.

Pregnancy-related complications kill Black mothers three times as often as white and Hispanic women. Not to mention, more than half …

How to facilitate caregiver learning and support to improve clinical care outcomes

Kerri Milyko, PhD

Tech

September 30, 2023

Caregivers are arguably the most important members of a patient’s care team, with more touchpoints and access to a patient and their lifestyle than any provider or specialist. With approximately 43.5 million caregivers in the U.S., 40 percent are in high-burden situations where caregivers take on substantial cumulative physical, emotional, social, and financial strains to care for a person with a disability or chronic, complex disease. Within these situations, …

AI is living up to its promise as a tool for radiology

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian

Tech

September 21, 2023

For the last few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been proving itself as an effective tool in breast cancer screening. An ever-growing list of research studies has shown that using AI in mammography can safely and efficiently reduce patient wait times while reducing the pressure on in-demand radiologists.

This is significant, as early detection greatly improves patient outcomes and long-term survival. Imagine how much more significant it would be if AI …

I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

Shiv Rao, MD

Tech

September 21, 2023

As I pull into clinic, my intention is always the same: be fully present with each patient. By the time I’m two patients in, the reality is always different.

We’ve all read the mindfulness quotes about the virtues of being “in the moment,” but somewhere after the first couple visits of the day we face a decision—to shift our attention away from patients and toward the computer screen with the aspiration …

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I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

AI-driven diagnostics and beyond

Michael Kirsch, MD

Tech

September 20, 2023

Years from now, the notion of simple telemedicine will seem quaint. Keep in mind that as recently as a decade ago, most physicians would have denied that telemedicine could ever play a role in the medical profession. Physicians would have argued that this would dismantle the fundamental unit of medical care – the in-person office visit.

Physicians would have rigidly maintained that they had to be face-to-face with their patients. Doctors …

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AI-driven diagnostics and beyond

The need for adaptability is imperative in the era of artificial intelligence

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

September 12, 2023

In a world increasingly dominated by technology and artificial intelligence (AI), adaptability is no longer just a desirable trait—it’s a necessity. Leon C. Megginson’s insightful quote, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change,” serves as a timely reminder of this reality. This article explores why adaptability is crucial, especially in the …

Harnessing the power of gamification in mental health apps

Carter Do and Thomas Pak, MD, PhD

Tech

September 2, 2023

From stomping on koopas and collecting coins as Mario to “catching ’em all” in Pokemon, video games have enthralled both our childhood, and countless other childhoods. It was our guilty pleasure, much to the chagrin of our parents. Media portrayed video games as bad for your mental health, with the message that video games rot your brain. While the effects of videos on mental …

Leveraging ChatGPT’s high IQ to assist doctors

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

September 1, 2023

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about significant advancements in various fields, including health care. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is one such AI that has shown great promise in assisting professionals, particularly doctors, in their daily tasks. This article will discuss the average human IQ, the estimated IQs of notable individuals, the average IQ of doctors, the IQ of ChatGPT, its strengths and limitations, and how it can …

How the 3 laws of thermodynamics illuminate the pathways of health care and AI

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

August 21, 2023

The principles governing the universe are not confined to physics and chemistry. In health care, a field that profoundly examines life’s intricacies, we find parallels with the three laws of thermodynamics. This article unveils these connections, offering a physician’s insights into the applications of these principles in patient care, medical innovation, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care.

The First Law of Thermodynamics: energy conservation

Thermodynamic principle: Energy in …

The future of medicine: Advancements and greed collide

Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD

Tech

August 12, 2023

In the future, I foresee a world without pandemics, cancer becoming a thing of the past, and advancements that enable bionic adaptations to our bodies, leading to a life expectancy of easily over one hundred years.

While some of these advancements may seem distant, we are on the cusp of making them a reality within the next few decades. However, it’s essential to question whether human greed could hinder technological progress, …

Improving patient and population health insight through next-generation tokenization of real-world data

Adam Mariano, Esq., MSPH

Tech

August 6, 2023

Big Data in health care has the potential to drastically improve patient-level insights when combined with personalized patient data. Understanding a patient’s whole health journey is critical to conducting impactful research, making the right diagnosis, clinical decision support, and securing health equity for individuals and communities; however, the ability to uncover actionable insights from Big Data can prove to be elusive. To harness the full potential of Big Data, stakeholders …

Harnessing the power of code interpreters in health care: a look at ChatGPT’s new feature and HIPAA compliance

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

July 31, 2023

In the rapidly evolving health care landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is making significant strides, transforming how we approach patient care, medical research, and health care operations. One such advancement is the introduction of code interpreters in AI systems, such as the one recently introduced in ChatGPT. This powerful feature opens up many …

Harnessing light field technology for enhanced navigation and imaging

Samuel Browd, MD, PhD

Tech

July 26, 2023

Imagine being able to cross a chasm between a digital world and a physical world in an operative environment. The medical technology sector has only begun to tap into the vast possibilities presented by light field technology, particularly in surgery, where it offers significant advantages, including computational imaging, improved data quality, and the elimination of harmful radiation. The application of light field technology holds the potential to revolutionize the operative …

AI in health care: Could it be an unexpected catalyst for physician burnout?

Tatum R. Dam, Joshua I. Leaston, Diana A. Hla, and Ank A. Agarwal

Tech

July 23, 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly ingratiated itself in the health care landscape, emerging as a powerful tool with the potential to revolutionize various aspects of clinical practice. From enhancing diagnostic precision to streamlining administrative workflows, AI is touted as a solution to many of health care’s long-standing inefficiencies. Yet, the transformative power of AI is a double-edged sword, and its integration may bear unintended repercussions for not …

Why oncology is ripe for digital innovation

Andrew Norden, MD, MPH, MBA

Tech

July 18, 2023

In every aspect of our lives, whether it is online banking or shopping, we rely on technology to make things better, more convenient, and more efficient. Yet in health care, and particularly cancer care, that is not the case. Oncology has been revolutionized in recent decades by therapies targeted to specific biomarkers and immunotherapy. Despite being a leader in therapeutic innovation, oncology lags behind in adopting easy-to-use apps and other …

Lowering hallucination results with ChatGPT

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

July 14, 2023

The advances of AI, specifically models like GPT-4 from OpenAI, have given rise to powerful tools capable of generating human-like text responses. These models are invaluable in myriad contexts, from customer service and support systems to educational tools and content generators. However, these capabilities also present unique challenges, including the generation of ‘hallucination’ results. In AI, hallucinations refer to instances when the model provides information that, although plausible, is not …

How COVID-19 unleashed the power of microservices and container-based solutions

Mike Hines

Tech

July 11, 2023

Our reaction to COVID-19 brought us a very sudden socially distanced, remote-working, touchless economy, in which the majority of our daily interactions needed to be remote interactions. Some industries adapted easily (think tax preparation), and some, like health care where personal contact is often mandatory, struggled to find solutions. However, health care IT departments adjusted quickly and deployed a truly impressive array of low and no-contact services. The solutions ranged …

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