GE HealthCare announced Tuesday the launch of a new artificial intelligence-enabled SaaS application to help healthcare organizations optimize resources and expand care access.
GE HealthCare Global Chief Science and Technology Officer Taha Kass-Hout, M.D., told Fierce Healthcare “common pain points” for the company’s health system customers are rising patient care demands, staffing shortages and increasing costs.
“In this environment, it’s more important than ever for health systems to maximize their existing resources,” Kass-Hout said. “In order to do that, they need help getting ahead of bottlenecks and resource constraints before they can cause system-wide disruptions.”
That’s where CareIntellect for Operations comes in.
The application can forecast capacity constraints up to 72 hours in advance by analyzing patient- and operational-level data points, including bed availability, staffing and other data.
CareIntellect for Operations uses two proprietary GE HealthCare models: Pressure Forecast and Estimated Day of Discharge. Moreover, the company says the system is informed by more than two decades of healthcare operations expertise, including insights from GE’s Command Center software.
“The broader goal is to help health systems move from reactive operations to a more proactive model,” Kass-Hout said. “So beds, staff, imaging, transfers and other resources can be coordinated more effectively and patients can move through care with fewer unnecessary delays.”
Moreover, Kass-Hout said the tool is a good example of where GE HealthCare is focused—"using AI and cloud-based software integrated into existing customer workflows” for problem solving, connecting information and helping to distill actionable information.
“Since 2023, GE HealthCare has invested more than $5.1 billion in innovation to elevate care, support clinicians, and streamline operations,” Kass-Hout said.
Honolulu-based Queen’s Health Systems and Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health will be the first two clinical sites to implement the tool, executives say.
“Managing demand and capacity across our system in a coordinated, predictable way is essential to delivering exceptional care,” said Katie Flanagan, Duke Health associate vice president of patient flow and care coordination, in a statement. “CareIntellect for Operations builds on three years of partnership with GE HealthCare, giving our teams a three-day view of what's coming so they can move faster from analysis to action, for the benefit of our patients.”