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Mass General Brigham’s Care Connect program, which uses artificial intelligence paired with remote physicians who deliver 24/7 online primary care for urgent needs, is growing and will hire more clinicians.
WHY IT MATTERS
Care Connect, which launched last year, is MGB's alternative for patients in need of but unable to find timely access to primary care services.
Its doctors "see" 40 to 50 patients a day through the AI platform, according to Dr. Helen Ireland, a primary care physician who manages the program, in an NPR story published Jan. 9.
"By February, the MGB network plans to make Care Connect available to all Massachusetts and New Hampshire residents who have health insurance, and will hire more doctors to staff the program as needed," she told NPR.
In the Boston area, patients can have a hard time finding doctors, nurse practitioners or physician assistants taking new patients. Appointment delays are notorious in the medically robust region.
Last year, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission called the Bay State's primary care access situation "dire" and said the causes go beyond provider burnout, which "makes the work of primary care unsustainable."
Low payment rates are also unappealing to entry-level clinicians, the report said.
The commission called the evidence on use of AI models to reduce administrative tasks "mixed."
Meanwhile, MGB launched the AI-driven online primary care program to offer patients a place to seek care for common ailments and more moderate mental health concerns.
Patients spend about 10 minutes using the AI tool to describe symptoms, according to the story, and it offers a certified doctor-suggested diagnosis and treatment plan. Care Connect reportedly had 12 U.S. physicians working remotely with the AI to support patients 24/7.
One of its patients, Tammy MacDonald, said she has downloaded and used the Care Connect app three times since September. She autonomously booked an appointment for travel-related shots, but the other interactions led to real conversations with the remote PCPs.
"I gained some peace of mind, knowing that I have a plan between now and me finding another in-person doctor," she said in the story.
THE LARGER TREND
Some MGB doctors have reported concerns that they will help develop the next generation of AI medical tools that replace them.
"All decisions about patient care are still made by real doctors," Ireland responded in the story. "We are not replacing our in-person primary care."
While tools like generative AI can be "anxiety-provoking," working from guiding principles helps to ensure equity and fairness, according to Dr. Rebecca G. Mishuris, MGB's vice president and chief medical information officer.
"We're also starting to demand things of vendors, of developers, so they are developing solutions that meet the needs, meet our guiding principles as healthcare organizations," she told Healthcare IT News in a prior conversation about the responsibilities of growing use of AI and how it can support care teams.
Mishuris noted that "incredible shortages of staff" helped drive the organization's focus at the time on developing tools that reduce burdens, empower providers and improve patient health outcomes in a "reliable and consistent way."
In the last two years, MGB has studied how AI might improve patient outcomes, such as developing a frailty index as an Epic-based electronic health record tool. And it has looked at how large language models like ChatGPT might augment homegrown diagnostic decision support tools. Additionally, the health system is rolling out new initiatives.
Last month, MGB announced its first company, AIwithCare, to use and scale a Retrieval-Augmented Generation AI application to reduce the work of clinical trials. Developed by MGB researchers, the application aims to slash the work of matching patient populations with relevant trials.
ON THE RECORD
"Care Connect is just one solution among many in this broader strategy to alleviate the primary care capacity crisis," Dr. Ron Walls, MGB's chief operating officer, said in the NPR story. "Our investment supports retaining our current physicians as well as recruiting new ones."
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
