Did you know that doctors and nurses spend over a third of their workweek on paperwork? This includes maintaining detailed patient records, filling out insurance forms and referrals, documenting procedures, organizing documentation for claims, and entering claim information into the system. A study published today by Google Cloud and The Harris Poll highlights the extent of this burden and also emphasizes how generative AI can help.
In the United States, clinicians, including doctors and nurses, report losing nearly 28 hours per week to administrative tasks, leaving less time for what truly matters: patient care. It’s no surprise that 82% of clinicians report feeling burnt out. This issue isn’t limited to doctors; insurance staff face an even larger mountain of paperwork, dedicating 36 hours per week to administrative tasks such as maintaining member records and compiling documents for claims.
Burnout, Errors, and Less Time with Patients
This administrative overload contributes to many of the biggest challenges in healthcare:
- Burnout and Staff Shortages: 82% of clinicians, 81% of medical staff, and 77% of claims staff agree that administrative work contributes to burnout. Additionally, 85% of provider leaders and 78% of insurance leaders report that excessive administrative work has led to staff shortages.
- Reduced Time with Patients: 8 out of 10 providers say administrative tasks reduce time spent with patients, and 68% believe this negatively impacts the quality of care. This sentiment is shared by 93% of clinicians, 88% of medical staff, and 94% of claims staff, who feel they could devote more time to patient care if their administrative burden were reduced.
- Increased Risk of Human Error: Two-thirds of providers and 89% of payers express significant concern about human errors in administrative tasks, with 22% and 49%, respectively, being "extremely" concerned.
Generative AI Solutions
However, there is a promising solution to ease many of these tasks: generative AI. The study found that healthcare professionals are open to using generative AI, with 91% of providers and 97% of payers expressing satisfaction with AI’s potential to reduce administrative burdens. The general public feels similarly, with 72% of respondents stating that using AI is a helpful way to give healthcare providers more time to talk with them. Here are some ways generative AI can assist:
- Streamlining the search for patient documents and medical records
- Creating clinical documents, such as discharge summaries, progress notes, and referral letters, giving clinicians more time to focus on reviewing and finalizing documents
- Obtaining prior authorization approvals faster by pre-filling forms, flagging potential issues, and suggesting relevant clinical guidelines
- Speeding up turnaround times in medical imaging by drafting initial report drafts, allowing radiologists to prioritize complex cases and collaborate more effectively
While AI cannot replace human compassion and expertise in healthcare, it can assist healthcare professionals by allowing them to focus more on people rather than paperwork. By reducing administrative burdens, AI can pave the way for a more efficient, accurate, and human-centered system where patient needs always come first.
