ATLANTA \u2014 Georgia hospitals are turning to AI to help with care and fight doctor burnout as patients ask what this means for their privacy.<\/p>\n
Channel 2 Action News investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln went inside a hospital to see this new ambient listening technology in person.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt keeps key details that you might not have remembered,\u201d said Emory Health emergency room doctor Tricia Smith. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult for physicians to deliver care and also keep an accurate record.\u201d<\/p>\n
This new technology is changing that. Smith has used the technology for more than six months and says it significantly reduces time spent working on patient documentation.<\/p>\n
The technology works by recording and organizing a summary of the visit, sitting in the room with you and your doctor to take notes on your visit. Then, doctors review and edit the AI-generated notes to guard against mistakes.<\/p>\n
Several North Georgia hospital systems have adopted the technology, including Emory Health, Northeast Georgia Health System and Piedmont Hospital. Across the industry, healthcare research firm KLAS found 79% of healthcare organizations now use some form of AI technology.<\/p>\n
Doctors say patients are often open to allowing their doctor use it to support their work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been amazed,\u201d said Northeast Georgia Health System doctor Margaret Schutte. \u201cThe majority of older folks say, \u2018Girl, if it helps you, I love it. Let\u2019s do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Schutte said she received little pushback from patients since the technology rolled out.<\/p>\n
But some Georgia patients, like Stephanie Johnson, prefer their doctor\u2019s human ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would opt out,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cBecause he can read my emotions and my expression and inflection in my voice, whereas AI would not be able to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other patients are more willing to try the technology. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am open to using new technology,\u201d Sojourner Grimmett said. \u201cI liked that my doctor stayed engaged. She didn\u2019t have to take notes while trying to give me eye contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
But both say privacy remains a major concern.<\/p>\n
\u201cData breaches are common,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI\u2019d be concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Matthew Zimmie, Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Northeast Georgia Health System, says they tested the technology for a year and that they have extensive cyber protections in place to keep data secure.<\/p>\n
Still, cybersecurity researcher Willis McDonald says he understands patients\u2019 concerns. While HIPAA rules still apply to AI technology, meaning everything stays within the hospital rather than on a doctor\u2019s smart phone, he points to a wave of breaches caused by hospital hacks in the past year. <\/p>\n
And according to the HIPAA Journal, 2024 was the worst year for hospital data breaches, with hacking leading the way as the most common cause. Fourteen breaches each involved more than one million lost personal medical records.<\/p>\n
Still, when those breaches happen, there are often steep fines attached to encourage compliance with industry best practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re charged per record lost,\u201d McDonald said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of preparation and legal work behind implementing these systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that legal landscape is shifting. Georgia lawmakers are trying to stay ahead of the AI curve by introducing two bills in the Georgia state House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
One would prohibit making healthcare decisions based only on AI. The other gives the Georgia Technology Authority power to shape statewide policies.<\/p>\n
All of this to put the guardrails in place to make AI a tool that doctors and patients can trust and rely on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really put some kind of trust into companies and to my doctor, right?\u201d Grimmett said. \u201cHoping that hey, it\u2019ll be okay, and this tool will be helpful for both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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