At the upcoming MedCity ENGAGE conference in San Diego on November 6-7, a series of startups will discuss how their artificial intelligence tools seek to improve patient engagement.
One company in the mix is Ada, which offers an AI-powered app that allows people to better understand their health and navigate to the proper care.
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Here’s how the tool works: Anyone can download the Ada app for free. The patient plugs in a bit of basic information, such as their first name and gender. The app also asks about any existing conditions, like high blood pressure or diabetes.
Next, the tool focuses on assessing the patient’s main symptom, whether it’s a headache, rash or pain in a certain part of the body. Once the patient answers questions about their issue, the app helps them find out what could be wrong. Ada provides a report that typically includes a list of three to five possible conditions. Through the report, patients are able to learn and read more about each condition.
Finally, Ada offers suggestions on what the patient should do next, be it a visit to a specialist, doctor or emergency care.
In a recent phone interview, Ada co-founder and CMO Dr. Claire Novorol, who will be speaking at ENGAGE, said the startup has completed more than 7 million assessments thus far.
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While Ada is free to users, Novorol noted that insurers and health systems pay the company to direct patients to the right care options within their networks.
Overall, the startup’s goals include increasing healthcare access and thereby cutting down on costs. Its tech-based approach can be particularly useful to patients in rural areas as well as those who are elderly and immobile.
Ada harnesses AI to more effectively reach patients. But at ENGAGE, Novorol and the other speakers in the session will address a major question: Can artificial intelligence outperform humans when it comes to engagement?
“First of all, interacting with an AI is not the same as interacting with a human, nor should it necessarily be,” Novorol said.
Instead, she stressed that artificial intelligence can best be used to complement what a doctor or other clinician can do. For instance, an AI isn’t rushed for time and it can be available 24/7 to answer questions. But in other cases, an AI won’t cut it — the patient simply needs to see another human.
“I don’t think we should focus on AIs trying to emulate what a human professional can do,” Novorol said. “It’s about what we can use them for that would simply be very difficult or impossible for a human to do.”
Photo: MF3d, Getty Images
