Machine learning: Collaborate, coordinate and communicate

A. Technology in the healthcare industry has become a vital component in the communication between healthcare providers. Artificial intelligence and machine learning allow practitioners to improve the three core pillars of the healthcare industry to improve post-acute care—collaboration, coordination and communication—and develop a customized health care plan for patients that will provide a cost-effective solution and avoid hospital readmissions.

Machine learning platforms are closing the gap in healthcare communications by helping identify potential issues and patient needs which, left unaddressed, will result in higher costs and subpar health outcomes. The analytical technology has the capacity to identify obstacles that could prevent patients from following their physician's instructions before they happen, thus improving outcomes. For example, machine learning platforms can inform healthcare providers of stores near the patient's home that provide a specific food or nutritional product being recommended to a patient for their diet, or alert them when a patient needs transportation support to keep a follow-up appointment at their office.

Additionally, these smart networks serve as a matching system to help identify intelligent protocols that will benefit a particular patient, treating them as an individual and not as a member of the general population. This holistic approach allows providers who otherwise would not be connected, to collaborate online to develop the best healthcare journey to fit each patient's needs. This allows the patient to avoid a trial-and-error care approach that can accrue unwanted healthcare outcomes and costs, and replace it with a planned direct path of care that can ensure best results at a lower cost.