AI Case Study
Japan to automate patient information entry and some medical procedures by investing in 10 AI-powered hospitals
The Japanese government plans to invest more than $100 million in over half a decade to develop 10 hospitals that will be enhanced by AI, by 2022. AI-assisted programs will be able to complete patients' charts according to conversations with doctors during examinations, read magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic imaging and even analyse blood samples. The initiative aims to enable short-handed doctors to focus on patient care, combat chronic lack of doctors and nurses in some areas and also cut down medical expenses.
Industry
Healthcare
Healthcare Providers And Services
Project Overview
"The Japanese government is teaming up with businesses and academia to set up hospitals enhanced by artificial intelligence, seeking to allow short-handed doctors to spend more time on patient care while curbing medical spending.
The government is expected to invest more than $100 million in the effort over half a decade, with a target of establishing 10 model hospitals by the end of fiscal 2022. AI will help with tasks from updating patients' charts to analyzing tests and parsing images to help with diagnoses.
The effort aims to address structural challenges to health care, including the chronic lack of doctors and nurses in some areas and rising medical expenses. The initiative will also help make Japan more competitive on the world stage, giving AI development a shot in the arm and helping boost exports of medical equipment.
Three ministries central to the effort -- the education, industry and health ministries -- will recruit participating companies and hospitals this month, targeting AI specialists and medical equipment makers. A basic working framework will be established as early as September, with initial efforts set to focus on cancer patients.
Participants will develop AI-assisted programs that will automatically enter information into patients' medical records based on their conversations with doctors during examinations. That is expected to free doctors to focus on patients and give more time for discussing their conditions.
AI will also be used to parse magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic imaging, as well as analyze blood tests and other information. It will even study patients' DNA to help pick the most appropriate methods of treatment.
This computerized assistance is geared to ease some burdens for doctors and nurses and help address the labor shortfall. It is also expected to prevent doctors from failing to diagnose cancer. Yet, AI will remain in a supporting role, leaving final diagnoses up to doctors.
To improve AI's accuracy, participants will develop equipment for gathering data from blood pressure meters, electrocardiographs and other devices. The accumulation of data on Japanese patients will help refine AI's diagnostic capability.
Optimizing treatment with the help of AI is expected to cut down on unnecessary treatment, with the government counting on savings to the tune of hundreds of billions of yen per year."
Reported Results
Planned; results not yet available
Technology
Function
Information Technology
Data Management
Background
"While Japan had an all-time high of about 319,000 doctors as of the end of 2016, up 2.7% year on year, they tended to be highly concentrated in certain areas.
Japan's domestic market for medical devices is estimated at about 2.8 trillion yen. But imports surpass exports by 800 billion yen as doctors rely on foreign-made treatment equipment."
Benefits
Data
Patients' conversations with doctors during examinations, magnetic resonance imaging, endoscopic imaging, blood samples, DNA