Technology is improving member outcomes

LOREN KOERBER:  Hi everyone. My name is Loren Koerber, Vice President within Optum's Advisory and Implementation practice. Today I have a few questions for my colleague, Matt Matousek, Vice President of Digital Transformation within Optum Advisory and Implementation. We're going to talk about intelligent automation and how it's being applied across the healthcare continuum. So let's get started. Matt, explain what intelligent automation is and how it's being used in healthcare.

MATT MATOUSEK: Sure. Thanks, Loren. Thanks for having me. Intelligent automation, in a nutshell, is the use of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing, to streamline and automate administrative tasks that would normally require some sort of human intervention. Using intelligent automation allows for your educated and skilled teams to focus on other tasks, rather than manual procedures or actions. In health care, it's being used to improve clinical decision making, help clinicians make more accurate diagnosis, monitor patients more effectively, and even perform some procedures autonomously. It helps in the payer space at the contact centers for reducing keystroke tasks, things like swivel chair processes, and the ultimate goal of lowering handle times and contact rates. Intelligent automation also is being used to analyze large amounts of data, identifying patterns and trends, and to make predictions about patient outcomes.

LOREN KOERBER: It sounds like a no-brainer, right, that we're getting rid of some manual processes so staff can focus on more critical tasks. So give a more specific example of how it's being used.

MATT MATOUSEK: Absolutely. One example of its use is to improve the accuracy of medical coding and billing. It's a big topic right now. In fact, we’re helping many organizations reimagine, re-engineer their revenue cycle management and payment integrity processes. Another example is its use in analyzing medical imaging. This is a deep learning technology that improves diagnostic accuracy and speed for patients looking for outcomes.

LOREN KOERBER: I thought you were going to say something about robots, Matt.

MATT MATOUSEK: We are seeing the rise of co-bots in healthcare. Co-bots are robots that work alongside humans in shared workspaces. We're seeing their value in mobility assistance, prosthetics, and within areas of patient care as well, through things like ambient listening and remote diagnostics. It's a growing area for sure.

LOREN KOERBER: So all great examples. What are some more specific benefits about using intelligent automation in health care?

MATT MATOUSEK: First, it's always about the patient, member, or those administering the care, ultimately to drive to better outcomes collectively. And with that comes our desire to do it better every day and to be more efficient. It's human nature. By automating tasks, payers and providers can free up more time and reduce costs to focus on improving member care and creating improved benefits and programs that help people live healthier lives, and as they say, help make the health system work better for everyone. That includes an improved work environment for care providers. The benefits of these efficiencies gained results in the opportunity for organizations to redirect their focus on growth and invest in innovation. We want to help organizations grow and innovate and drive to more personalized care. It's who we are as Optum. It's part of our DNA.

LOREN KOERBER: So there's loads of good stuff. What about the concerns or challenges associated with intelligent automation?

MATT MATOUSEK: One concern across industry is the potential for bias in the data that's being analyzed. And specifically in healthcare, if the data isn't representative of the patient population or the benefits member, the predictions made by the algorithms may not be accurate, which is why 89% of health care leaders trust a health care focused company, not a tech focused one, to address the unique challenges of using AI in health care. Optum leads the way in health care data and informatics. It's clearly our differentiator and we are meticulous in our protocols to ensure the meaningful use of AI in all of our practices.

LOREN KOERBER: What about the future, Matt? How do you see intelligent automation evolving and the impact it'll have on health care?

MATT MATOUSEK: Yeah, Loren, I think we'll see even more applications of intelligent automation in health care in varying forms, from personalized medicine to virtual assistance. But I think it's important to mention, now more than ever, that the human element is so critical. Our creative thinking, our creative questioning, and our creative thought processes, all the attributes that define us as individuals and that add to the complex calculation of the algorithms that drive these advancing technologies. We can't lose who we are as humans and our desire to care for one another. Of course, technology will enable our abilities to care for others, but can't replace us.

LOREN KOERBER: Such good insights. Thanks for sharing, Matt. It's been a pleasure speaking with you.

MATT MATOUSEK: No problem, Loren. Thanks a lot for having me.