Will Patients’ Data Ever Be Safe if We Let GPTs Into Healthcare?

In November 2023, OpenAI launched the long-awaited custom versions of its hugely popular ChatGPT platform. Custom GPTs can be tailored to serve specific purposes by combining specialist instructions, extra knowledge, and expertise. 

One of the most exciting applications of Custom GPTs is in the healthcare sector. There’s no doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) can bring significant benefits to patients and healthcare providers, like the potential for faster and more accurate diagnoses. However, there are also serious concerns about the safety and integrity of sensitive patient data.

AI is an invaluable tool to automate certain tasks, such as scheduling appointments, managing patient data entry, and processing insurance claims — freeing up time that medical practitioners can devote to patient-facing activities. On the flip side, AI can’t replace human expertise and compassion when it comes to holistic patient care. But can this technology streamline an admin-heavy industry?

To understand the impact of ChatGPT in healthcare better, we’ve asked a panel of experts to answer some common questions on this important topic.

What are the capabilities of ChatGPT in healthcare?

“The integration of ChatGPT in medical communication is revolutionizing patient interactions in healthcare. This powerful AI tool allows patients to have natural conversations with an intelligent assistant 24/7. ChatGPT can even provide personalized care recommendations by analyzing medical histories and personal preferences. However, data privacy and accuracy remain pressing challenges and there are major ethical implications of having an AI make medical suggestions.”

‍Ved Raj, IT Consultant at ValueCoders 

How comfortable are patients with the use of AI in healthcare?

“The most recent survey data suggests that American patients are split as to whether they are comfortable with the use of artificial intelligence in their healthcare experience. 

Despite 100% of US patient's healthcare journey involving AI either directly or indirectly, only 38% say they trust it. Many patients acknowledge that they have insufficient information and there is more they need to learn about the technology.”

‍Sara Heath, Managing Editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Marketing

Is there a place for AI technology in rural healthcare?

“Rural clinics and hospitals have been plagued with resource scarcity for decades. AI promises a fresh set of technologies in clinical care, revenue cycle optimization, and clinical decision augmentation that offer solutions to workforce shortages in clinical care and operations. Care teams that are able to readily assess and adopt appropriate AI applications will be poised to lead care in their respective communities into the foreseeable future.

Some of the most promising areas of AI integration are in medical scribe technologies, radiologic-assisted decision-making, scheduling optimization, and billing and coding review.”

‍Jed R. Hansen, Executive Director at Nebraska Rural Health Association

What are the pros and cons of AI healthcare for people battling addiction?

“Generative AI and similar tools help practices like PursueCare that treat substance use disorder by automating administrative tasks such as scheduling, certain aspects of documentation, and billing so that our staff can better focus on patient care. It can also enhance monitoring capability for needs and changes in a patient’s condition by analyzing data to connect the dots and make recommendations to a patient’s care team.

However, AI chatbots cannot provide empathy or understand the human emotion of an individual patient, which is important in therapy for addiction. We are also concerned about bias and inequality, as AI can inherit biases from the data it is trained on. Lastly, because addiction is highly stigmatizing, we worry about misuse of AI-driven tools that inadvertently share private health information without the patient’s consent.”

‍Nick Mercadante, Founder & CEO, PursueCare

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