AI guru set to save NHS millions after using the technology to reduce the number of missed appointments
AI software: Dr. Chris Bates, director of research and analysis at TPP
A leading data scientist has praised the power of artificial intelligence (AI) after it helped reduce the number of patients skipping GP appointments by almost a third.
Chris Bates, director of research and analysis at clinical software company TPP, said his company’s technology could save the cash-strapped NHS a fortune. No-shows are responsible for more than a million missed GP appointments every month – equivalent to one in twenty scheduled consultations.
This increases pressure on a healthcare system already burdened by the demands of an aging population.
Now Leeds-based TPP has developed an AI tool that predicts which patients are likely to not turn up for their appointments.
The company uses machine learning models to analyze patterns in patient behavior based on a range of factors. The algorithms analyze demographic details including age, gender and appointment booking history.
Young men from lower socio-economic backgrounds in and around cities are the most likely to miss a GP appointment, Bates told the Mail.
Patients who live closest to a doctor’s office are more likely to skip a consultation than those who live further away, although it is not clear why this is the case, he said.
Armed with the information about the type of patient most likely to skip an appointment, GP practices can take action to encourage them to show up, by sending them a text or speaking to them on the phone.
The idea is not to deprive patients of the opportunity to visit their GP based on an AI profile, but instead to encourage them to come by giving them additional reminders.
“There has been too much hype about AI in healthcare and not enough has been delivered – we are changing this,” Bates said.
‘This is a brilliant example of what machine learning will bring to healthcare, helping to tackle real-world problems for frontline teams and patients.’
Missed appointments cost the NHS £216 million a year, according to its own figures – enough to pay for 2,325 full-time doctors.
A successful trial of the AI technology is being rolled out across the country in Norfolk.
“Since we started using the report, we have seen our DNA (Did Not Attend) rate drop by 30 percent, which equates to hundreds of appointments since the start of the pilot,” said Karen Bell, operations manager at Trinity’s practice and Bowthorpe. in Norwich.
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