Can GenAI help make health care affordable? Consumers think so

By Asif Dhar, M.D., US Life Sciences & Health Care leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Bill Fera, M.D., principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and Leslie Korenda, MPH, research manager, Deloitte Services LP, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions

Many health systems are dealing with rising costs, clinician burnout, workforce shortages, inflation, and high interest rates.¹ Some of those macro-economic issues have consumers worried about paying for unexpected medical expenses.² As health systems explore generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help solve their challenges, some consumers are optimistic the same technology might help make health care more affordable and accessible. We see generative AI as the latest step along the journey toward Deloitte’s vision of the Future of Health^TM, which we first outlined in 2019.

According to Deloitte’s 2023 Health Care Consumer Survey, more than half of respondents (53%) believe generative AI could improve access to health care, and 46% said it had the potential to make health care more affordable. People who had experience with generative AI were more optimistic—69% thought it could improve access, and 63% said it had the potential to make health care more affordable. The results are based on a nationally representative survey of 2,014 US adults (click here to the full results and methodology).

Many consumers are already using GenAI for health

Health was one of the top reasons people said they use generative AI. Although just 48% of consumers surveyed said they are using the technology, 84% have at least heard of it. Respondents also consider the technology to be particularly reliable for health care. Additionally, the federal government is preparing for widespread adoption in health care. On October 30, the White House issued an Executive Order, which calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to establish an AI taskforce within 90 days that will develop policies and frameworks for the responsible use of generative AI.³

With the government and consumers coming on board, health care organizations should consider how generative AI could help increase trust, improve the patient experience, and help make care more customer-centric. Hospitals and health systems might, for example, use generative AI to respond to patients after hours, triage patients to the best care setting, or answer questions about symptoms or medications. It could also be used to create personalized health information, help diagnose symptoms, present treatment options, summarize dense health care literature, offer wellness tips, or recommend clinicians. Given that the technology is still relatively new, the usage is likely to increase significantly in the coming months—especially if the pace of adoption continues at the current trajectory. Here’s a look at some of the key findings from our survey :

• Consumers are beginning to view generative AI as reliable: While generative AI is still in early stages, it could help empower consumers to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Respondents who have accessed generative AI for health and wellness say they have used it to learn about medical conditions (19%); understand treatment options (16%); decipher technical language (15%); and improve their well-being (15%). The vast majority of these users (69%) rated the information as either very reliable or extremely reliable.
  
• People who have used generative AI are most optimistic: Consumers who have tried the technology for health and wellness appear to be most optimistic about its potential. Slightly more than 70% of generative AI-users thought the technology could revolutionize care delivery, versus just 50% of consumers who have not used it.
  
• Consumers want transparency when generative AI is being used: Consumers appear to be on board with clinicians who use generative AI to provide additional information about their conditions (e.g., treatment options), and for reviewing or interpreting lab results. However, they tend to be less comfortable with providers who might use generative AI for care decision-making (e.g., diagnosis, triage, and nature of treatment). We also found that four in five consumers think it is important or extremely important that their health care provider let them know when they are using generative AI for their health needs. Consumer preferences about generative AI could encourage health care organizations to develop transparent processes and design regulatory and patient-protection programs that reflect consumer concerns.
• Uninsured are more likely to use generative AI to help access health care: People who lack health coverage are more likely than insured consumers to use generative AI for health care, including mental health support, to find a doctor, or to identify the most appropriate care site (e.g., emergency room, doctor’s office, urgent care). This might indicate the potential of generative AI to help address affordability. Uninsured respondents were also more comfortable sharing health information with generative AI and more likely to rely on it if the information was developed with input from diverse communities. However, just 33% of uninsured consumers rated the information they received from generative AI as helpful, compared to 51% of insured consumers. While the uninsured population might have a lot to gain from the technology, this segment of the population tends to be much more price sensitive.⁴

Health care/life science companies should consider consumer perspective

Generative AI has the potential to transform clinical workflows, drive new efficiencies, enhance the patient experience, and improve outcomes (see From fax machines to GenAI, are hospitals/health systems ready?). Many life sciences companies are already integrating generative AI into their organizations (see Can life sciences companies unlock the full value of GenAI?). While hospitals and health systems might be a step or two behind in adopting the technology, 53% of them say they are experimenting with a few generative AI use-cases, and 27% are attempting to scale the technology across the entire enterprise, according to our upcoming 2024 Health Care Outlook survey. Moreover, 83% of respondents have implemented, or plan to implement, governance and oversight structures for generative AI.

Health care organizations and consumers are generally optimistic that generative AI could help address some of the macro-economic pressures that are squeezing hospital margins and making health care unaffordable. As generative AI becomes more widely used and understood, health care organizations should try to harness the optimism among consumers that was highlighted in our survey results. They should consider building an organizational strategy around generative AI and develop or enhance a transparent approach that helps to demonstrate the technology as trustworthy, ethical, and reliable. Generative AI should be seen as another tool that could help health care and life sciences organizations address access and affordability while helping them navigate some of the macroeconomic pressures they face.

Our survey responses illustrate a high level of confidence that generative AI could have a positive impact on health care. It will be up to health care organizations to maintain that level of optimism by ensuring the technology is used responsibly and transparently.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the team from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, including Dr. Jay Bhatt, Wendy Gerhardt, Maulesh Shukla, and Richa Malhotra for their work in research management, survey design, analysis, and interpretation.

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Endnotes:

^{1_{2023 U.S. health care CFO survey, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, 2023}}

^{2_{Inflation’s impact on health care, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, November 2022}}

^{3_{President Biden issues Executive Order on safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, The White House, October 30, 2023}}

^{4_{Key facts about the uninsured population, Kaiser Family Foundation, December 19, 2022}}

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