Ochsner Innovation Lab’s AI Tool Helps Predict — and Prevent — Patient Health Crises

The drama of a “code team” racing to a patient’s bedside is a frequent scene in the myriad of hospital-based television shows that are popular today, but the innovationOchsner team has plans to replace the emphasis on teams that respond after a cardiac arrest.

What if you could predict a potential event in the next four hours and, by doing so, avoid having it occur in the first place?

An artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by the innovation team at Ochsner Health System — using Epic’s machine learning platform and powered by Microsoft Azure — produced a predictive model that continually monitors patient data to identify subtle changes in a patient’s condition.

Richard V. Milani, MD, FACC, FAHA, medical director of innovationOchsner

This is one of many projects Ochsner Health System’s innovation lab, innovationOchsner, is tackling.

InnovationOchsner was founded in 2015 with the goal of improving the experience for patients and healthcare providers, says Richard V. Milani, MD, FACC, FAHA, medical director of innovationOchsner and chief clinical transformation officer and vice chairman of the cardiology department. The group’s technology-based initiatives are being implemented on both the inpatient and outpatient sides of healthcare.

Outcomes based on the AI tool and early-warning alerts are positive, says Milani: “We’ve been able to intervene and reduce these events by 44 percent.” With the pilot project completed, plans to expand the program include rolling it out across multiple hospitals in the system.

In our latest In the Lab article, we get an inside look at how transformation happens at Ochsner Health. Developing tools that make a nurse’s or physician’s job more efficient, and allow them to provide better care to patients, can be accomplished with technology and a fresh look at workflow, Milani says.

Read it now: AI and Digital Medicine Provide Real-Time Data to Improve Patient Care

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