FHIR TL;DW: AI Opportunities for Patients

October 24, 2024

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In our FHIR TL;DW (Too Long; Didn’t Watch) series, we share bite-sized summaries and insights from key HL7 FHIR DevDays presentations.

AI is already transforming our everyday lives—so why shouldn’t it do the same for our health? During a panel discussion at FHIR DevDays, four empowered patients (Hugo Campos, Grace Cordovano, Dave deBronkart, and Chethan Sarabu) shared insights on how they are using AI to make more informed health decisions. I’ve outlined key insights from the talk below.

AI Use Cases for Patients

The panelists highlighted several ways patients are already using AI to manage their health:

Reducing administrative burdens
Interpreting and analyzing medical records
Understanding clinical literature and terminology
Brainstorming diagnoses and treatment options
Verifying the accuracy of medical bills

The Shift in Doctor-Patient Dynamics

We’re already seeing that some patients have more experience with large language models (LLMs) than their doctors. We need to make sure that doctors are equipped to work with both patients who know very little and those who are well-informed. This requires a change in the power dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship, and we’re gradually seeing this shift.

Fixing the Data Problem

Patients often face a wide range of decisions—some life-changing, others less critical—many of which they have to navigate alone. With AI, they now have the tools to make more informed and smarter decisions in managing their own health.

However, widespread adoption of AI by patients is hindered by the availability of structured medical data. In the U.S., the 21st Century Cures Act is expected to improve data access, but there are still challenges in collecting and cleaning data from multiple sources.

That’s where FHIR implementers have a role to play—by increasing the availability and accessibility of health data.

Learn More FHIR

At Firely, we’re committed to sharing best practices and insights for everything FHIR. For more in-depth insights and discussions on navigating FHIR challenges, explore our blog and FHIR training courses.

Interested in more talks like this? Join us and HL7 at the next FHIR DevDays, the largest FHIR-only event in the world where you can learn all about FHIR and hone your FHIR expertise. There’s plenty of content for both developers and non-coders, for FHIR starters and FHIR experts alike.

For the full length video of this panel presentation, you can find that here. For all videos from FHIR DevDays 2024, head over to the Devdays 2024 playlist on Youtube.

By René Spronk

René Spronk is a trainer and educator specializing in healthcare interoperability standards. He focuses on FHIR, as well as related standards such as HL7 v2 and IHE, helping organizations understand how health information can be shared effectively across systems. At Firely René works with healthcare providers, vendors, and other stakeholders, delivering training and guidance that makes complex interoperability topics accessible and practical. His work primarily focuses on Europe, where he supports organizations in understanding the European interoperability landscape and EU legislation, including the European Health Data Space (EHDS).