Instead of spending time searching through training libraries, UNC Health team members can quickly access references that streamline their administrative burdens by leveraging OpenAI services on Microsoft Azure.
By Andrea Fox June 26, 2023
UNC Health, participating in Epic’s generative artificial intelligence program that utilizes Microsoft Azure, will begin rolling out its internal chatbot tool with a small group of clinicians and administrators. It plans to offer the tool more broadly later this year.
WHY IT MATTERS
The Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based health system announced its first AI-powered app is a conversational bot that works like Chat GPT in a secure, governed internal environment.
“By using this technology carefully and safely, we believe we can help improve the way healthcare is provided throughout North Carolina and across the country,” said Brent Lamm, UNC Health’s SVP and CIO, in a statement.
The team anticipates identifying multiple other use cases as the tool is implemented across its network of 15 hospitals, 19 healthcare campuses and 900 clinics beginning later this year, according to the health system’s announcement.
“This is just one example of an innovative way to use this technology so that teammates can spend more time with patients and less time in front of a computer,” added Dr. David McSwain, UNC Health’s chief medical informatics officer and a pediatric critical care physician at UNC Children’s Hospital.
THE LARGER TREND
Electronic health record vendors – Epic and eClinicalWorks – announced their new GPT features at HIMSS23.
While the EHR vendors are developing a number of automated software programs that use large language models and predictive models, they are focused on how their customers will use the tools.
On the showroom floor in April, Epic representatives said that because there are a lot of unknowns with LLMs, the company is focused on tool accuracy and working directly with customers to ensure their users understand what they are working with.
“We are developing additional ways to incorporate generative AI across our applications, from ambulatory to inpatient to [customer relationship management] to revenue cycle,” said Seth Hain, senior vice president of research and development for Epic.
Like Epic, Salesforce integrated GPT into its HIPAA-compliant environment to summarize care team conversations. eClinicalWorks also added GPT tools in its EHR to cut a number of administrative steps.
While caution is warranted, GPT-4 and LLMs hold promise for healthcare, according to Manny Krakaris, CEO of Augmedix, which uses natural language processing in its automation platform.
LLMs are “very accurate in responding to specific prompts or questions,” he told Healthcare IT News in April.
“They’re also broadly applicable, so they can cover a wide range of subjects.”
ON THE RECORD
“We want to lead the nation in safely applying this technology to benefit our teams and our patients,” said Rachini Ahmadi-Moosavi, UNC Health’s chief analytics officer, in a statement.
“By partnering with Microsoft to develop the required expertise and processes for UNC Health, we can reduce friction in certain areas of work for our teammates while ensuring all the information remains protected. This tool is just the first step toward leveraging the emerging AI technology to transform healthcare operations.”
“Through the responsible integration of Azure OpenAI Service and other advanced technologies, our collaboration with UNC Health seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians and others whom UNC Health Serves,” added Dr. David Rhew, global chief medical officer and vice president of worldwide healthcare at Microsoft.
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.