Demystifying AI in Geriatric Healthcare Part 1: Preparing for Change

Augmented Intelligence (AI) technology has expanded its presence across essentially every industry, boosting efficiency and cutting down on menial tasks along the way. Geriatric and long-term post-acute care (LTPAC) are no different. However, while many have embraced AI’s upsides, others remain hesitant. Whether from uncertainty around implementation or caution toward new technologies, a portion of geriatric care providers continue to hold out on AI. Yet, AI itself is among the key tools available to help tackle the numerous and growing challenges facing geriatric healthcare.

In this three-part series, we’ll explore why now is the time to adopt AI in geriatric care, specific AI uses in this essential industry, effective implementation strategies and how meaningful AI can positively impact the care that patients receive.

Why Now Is the Time for AI in Geriatric Healthcare

Compassionate, effective geriatric care remains as important as ever, yet significant challenges lie ahead:

• U.S. population aged 65+ projected to double by 2060
• U.S. may face nursing shortage of up to 200,000 by 2030
• 42.5% of physicians report burnout symptoms, with documentation a leading cause
• $138,000: average annual cost of nursing home care
• Nursing home population projected to grow 75% to 2.3 million by 2030
• Disparate electronic health records (EHRs) prevent data sharing, leading to fragmented information and delays

An aging, expanding population, growing costs and a shrinking pool of care professionals threaten to bog down LTPAC providers with inefficiency and burnout. Fortunately, AI healthcare technology has capabilities to help overcome these obstacles. By automating tasks in data entry, billing, reporting and more, AI can help providers run more efficient practices while continuing to deliver the top-notch care that aging people need. Implementing AI now can allow providers to build resilience for the projected challenges ahead.

While the benefits of AI software in geriatric care speak for themselves, the concept of actually implementing such technology may seem intimidating. Fortunately, there’s still time to build organizational confidence and buy-in for a successful AI adoption process.

Overcoming Barriers and Building Readiness 

It's natural to encounter barriers to AI adoption within an organization. Change often inspires resistance, after all. Yet, with the right mix of communication, collaboration and empathy, geriatric care providers can inspire confidence among their team members.

Build Awareness: Communicate AI's capabilities and how they can both support improved care delivery and reduce burnout. Show that AI isn't replacing people; it's replacing tasks and inefficiencies.

Align Vision and Goals: Create a clear vision for how the organization will improve after full AI adoption to empower staff, optimize processes and simplify reimbursement. At the same time, provide clear goals for how to realistically achieve that vision.

Collaborate and Experiment: Include team members in the AI experimentation process. Give the people in your organization a hands-on reason to buy into AI adoption.

This process will likely require time and effort. Adopting new tools across an organization isn't easy, but it can transform the care that providers offer, and patients receive.

Choosing an Effective AI Partner

Choosing a technology partner that values transparency, ethics and innovative solutions is essential to successfully implementing AI in geriatric healthcare. Doing so allows your organization to move confidently toward its strategic goals while maintaining integrity of care that helps patients in meaningful ways.

Netsmart brings both innovative AI technology and responsible AI ethics to its LTPAC provider clients, along with a wealth of expertise and resources to help users build confidence. For example, the upcoming GEHRIMED® mobile phone app features Bells™ Virtual Scribe—an AI assistant that simplifies clinical notetaking by listening to and automatically transcribing clinical visits. It's a powerful tool for geriatric and LTPAC providers, along with other automation solutions of the CareFabric® platform and other AI expertise offered by Netsmart.

Looking Forward—The Future of AI in Geriatric Care

LTPAC providers are just beginning to take advantage of AI's capabilities, and substantial shifts in the industry are on the horizon as a result. We will continue to explore these ideas in part 2 of our webinar series: Implementing AI—Strategies for Seamless Adoption and Success. This next chapter will discuss best practices for AI implementation, addressing common challenges such as interoperability, regulatory compliance and staff adoption.

In the meantime, providers can start their own AI journeys by assessing organizational readiness, spreading awareness, and defining initial use cases for AI implementation. As always, Netsmart AI experts are ready to provide insight where it’s necessary.