Safely harness the power of Generative AI in healthcare with clinically validated Virtual Triage

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May 03, 2023, 08:14 ET

Combining large language models (LLMs) and virtual triage is the key to advancing the effectiveness of generative AI chatbots for healthcare navigation.

CHICAGO, May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The integration of generative AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), with Clearstep Virtual Triage has the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery. When used correctly, combining LLMs with virtual triage solutions allows healthcare organizations to provide patients with timely, helpful, and accurate care and advice. And considering that 89% of patients search online for their symptoms before seeking healthcare guidance or connecting with their provider, providing these services has become increasingly important for healthcare organizations.

Some organizations hesitate to harness the power of LLMs due to their novelty and unpredictability. While those hesitations are not unfounded, working with the right partner can turn LLMs into technology that healthcare organizations can trust to provide comprehensive virtual triage solutions to their patients.

LLMs are trained on vast amounts of data, making them particularly effective at generating responses; however, these responses are often inconsistent and unvalidated. It goes without saying that ensuring the accuracy and validity of any responses given to patients is crucial to their well-being. So, while LLMs can answer a patient's question almost instantaneously, organizations can't trust these responses. Even more troubling, they can't tweak any answers once they find an inaccuracy and are held liable for these inaccuracies. For these reasons, it's safe to say that LLMs cannot stand alone to provide healthcare advice and answers to patients in a virtual triage setting. However, by combining LLMs with trusted, consistent, and validated technology, healthcare organizations can harness the untapped potential of generative AI.

Working with a virtual triage partner that integrates LLMs with already validated clinically robust technology can help organizations enhance and improve information dissemination, decision support, and, ultimately, patient outcomes. That said, finding the right partner who knows how to work with generative AI is essential to turn it into something healthcare organizations and patient-consumers can trust.

Clearstep provides:

Productive information and decision support for nearly 100% of all healthcare-related searches.
Clinically validated triage algorithms developed in collaboration with the co-author of the same telephone triage protocols used by >95% of the call centers in the country.
Algorithms that have already been validated in >300 million nurseline encounters and are trusted by health systems in >15 states to route tens of thousands of patients.
The ability to match patients to the appropriate triage algorithms for ~500 unique symptoms, representing >97% of all incoming searches via the free-text search bar.

The remaining 3%, most of which are esoteric questions, can be sent to an LLM and subsequent manual verification by Clearstep's medical experts for future use. This process helps ensure a panel of medical experts verifies every recommendation provided by Clearstep. Verified answers are then added to improve the model's accuracy over time and ensure it continues providing the best guidance possible.

Healthcare organizations with the ability to easily tweak any guidance related to digital-self triage ad hoc, allowing them to provide patients with up-to-date and relevant information.
Indemnification for all health system customers with a comprehensive insurance package—the LLMs available via APIs, on the other hand, assume no liability for their outputs.

Overall, integrating LLMs into virtual triage represents a significant step forward for healthcare. By providing accurate and timely guidance to healthcare patients for literally any healthcare-related question, this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach care delivery.

To learn more about how Clearstep's conversational AI chat systems, powered by its market-leading digital self-triage and LLM integrations are better routing and supporting patients, please visit www.clearstep.health

About Clearstep Smart Care Routing™

Clearstep is the market leader in digital self-triage powered by clinically-validated AI. Clearstep's AI chat systems guide patients through the complexities of managing their healthcare. Clearstep partners with integrated delivery networks to activate its technology on their websites, mobile apps, and patient portals. Clearstep provides patient-centric care navigation and reduces strain on call center/care teams by automating symptom checks, triage, common patient requests, remote patient monitoring, and clinical workflows- ultimately improving efficiency, experiences, and outcomes. www.clearstep.health

SOURCE Clearstep