- Artificial Intelligence Helps Detect Early COVID-19 Symptoms
Olive will support clinical and operational staff in the scheduling at Tufts Medical Center, as well as boost initial screening and information entry step-stages that were previously performed manually.
The health system will be able to expand testing capacity and address additional challenges as a result of the pandemic through Olive’s network of AlphaSites, which are on-site artificial intelligence command centers for workforce operations powered by the technology.
Currently, Tufts administers more than 12 percent of all COVID-19 tests in the Boston area and has processed over 100,000 COVID-19 tests in total since the start of the pandemic.
The artificial intelligence tool may save clinicians nearly 50 hours per day collectively in data entry, the press release stated. This number could increase as more tests are administered to the community.
"Part of our COVID-19 response includes making testing available to as many people in our community as possible – and a key component of that is leveraging technology to support frontline workers," Kristine Hanscom, CFO of Tufts Medical Center, said in the press release.
"We were looking for an AI platform to strengthen and connect the moving parts in our technology infrastructure as we continue to scale testing capabilities. An AI workforce will operate behind the scenes to manage data and information processing so our clinical team can be as agile as possible as they continue to focus on delivering world-class patient care."
The streamlined process will direct patients to the testing or the emergency department based on the symptoms and health history that they reported on the Tufts Medical Center website.
Patient screening and specimen data will then be entered into the Tufts system to update EHR records and identify data inconsistencies or duplications. This will allow for more accurate and timely information to doctors and nurses on the frontlines.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations and health systems have leveraged artificial intelligence and data analytics to help tackle various data challenges.
In mid-August, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched an artificial intelligence-based medical imaging center to fight COVID-19.
The center, called the Medical Imaging and Data Resource (MIDRC), will create new tools that physicians can use for early detection and personalized therapies for coronavirus patients.
Additionally, MIDRC will lead the development and implementation of new diagnostics, such as machine learning algorithms that will “allow rapid and accurate assessment of disease status and help physicians optimize patient treatment.”
The National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of NIH, lead the multi-institutional collaboration.
“This major initiative responds to the international imaging community’s expressed unmet need for a secure technological network to enable the development and ethical application of artificial intelligence to make the best medical decisions for COVID-19 patients,” said Krishna Kandarpa, MD, PhD, director of research sciences and strategic directions at NIBIB.
“Eventually, the approaches developed could benefit other conditions as well.”
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