Research by NTT DATA, a Japan-based business and technology services, revealed Wednesday that 94 percent of respondents say GenAI accelerates research and development (R&D) to enable faster access to new treatments, improved diagnostics, predictive analytics and task automation.
The research, however, showed healthcare organizations are struggling to create cohesion between their generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) ambitions and strategies.
More than 80 percent of healthcare organization leaders surveyed said they have a well-defined GenAl strategy, but only 40 percent agreed their GenAl strategy strongly aligns with their business strategy.
Only 54 percent classified their GenAI capability as high performing.
Meanwhile, GenAI already is transforming healthcare through enhanced quality of patient and provider experiences as well as better financial outcomes.
Yet even greater improvements and return on investment are hindered by challenges in data security, privacy, ethics and regulatory compliance.
These findings are among the highlights of NTT DATA’s new executive insight report, GenAI: The Care Plan for Powering Positive Health Outcomes.
The report is based on responses from 425 decision makers and influencers from healthcare organisations across 33 countries.
According to the research, 95 percent believe cloud-based solutions are the most practical and cost-effective option for their GenAI technology needs.
75 percent acknowledge a lack of necessary skills to work with GenAI effectively, while 93 percent are addressing GenAI’s impact on employee roles and responsibilities.
“To achieve GenAI’s full potential in healthcare, organizations must align the technology to their business strategies, develop comprehensive workforce training, and implement multilayered governance strategies that prioritise people and keep humans in the loop,
“It’s vital to transparently show how the technology benefits patients by complementing human workers，” said Sundar Srinivasan, Head of Healthcare, NTT DATA North America.
It is noted that human-centric GenAI solutions enable clinicians and administrative staff to work more efficiently while maintaining a safe, patient-centered approach to healthcare.
The research also showed improved compliance and process adherence are among top outcomes from current GenAI investments, yet a massive 91 percent of healthcare executives are fearful of privacy violations and potential misuse of Protected Health Information (PHI).
Just 42 percent strongly agree their existing cybersecurity controls effectively protect current GenAI applications.
That said, 87 percent of respondents agree the existing benefits and long-term potential of GenAI outweigh security and legal risks.
59 percent plan significant GenAI investments over the next two years.
Other challenges for rapid and responsible GenAI implementation in healthcare include outdated technology infrastructure and data readiness.
91 percent say legacy infrastructure greatly affects their ability to use GenAI, while 44% strongly agree they have sufficiently invested in data storage and processing capabilities for GenAI workloads.
Only 48 percent have assessed the GenAI readiness of their data and platforms.
“In addition to clearly supporting operating objectives, AI systems also must be aligned with regulatory and clinical guidelines,
“Success hinges on high data quality and establishing collaborative decision-making teams,” Srinivasan said.