#Role of AI in Healthcare

[atliq-ai-technologies]

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Transforming Patient Care

Imagine a world where a diagnosis takes seconds, treatment plans are personalized to the finest detail, and patient monitoring is continuous and seamless. This is not a futuristic dream but a burgeoning reality in today’s healthcare landscape. According to recent studies, the global AI in the healthcare market is expected to reach $45.2 billion by 2026, growing at a staggering annual rate of 44.9%. This rapid growth is a testament to the transformative power of AI automation in patient care.

AI is not just a buzzword; it is a catalyst for change, reshaping how we approach patient care. From enhancing diagnostic accuracy to personalizing treatment plans, AI automation is at the forefront of a healthcare revolution. In this blog, we’ll explore how AI is revolutionizing patient care, the benefits it brings, the challenges we face, and what the future holds for this exciting intersection of technology and medicine.

Definition of AI Automation

AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn. In the context of healthcare, AI automation involves using these intelligent systems to perform tasks that typically require human intervention. These tasks range from data analysis and diagnostics to treatment recommendations and patient monitoring. AI in healthcare leverages machine learning, natural language processing, and robotics to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and personalized care.

Historical Context

The journey of AI in healthcare began decades ago, with early applications focusing on decision-support systems and diagnostic tools. In the 1970s and 1980s, pioneering systems like MYCIN and INTERNIST-I demonstrated the potential of artificial intelligence in medicine by assisting doctors in diagnosing infectious diseases and complex medical conditions. However, limitations in computational power and data availability hindered significant progress. It wasn’t until the advent of big data and advanced machine learning algorithms in the 21st century that the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare began to flourish.

Benefits of AI Automation in Patient Care

Improved Diagnostics

One of the most significant benefits of AI in healthcare is its ability to enhance diagnostic accuracy and speed. AI-powered imaging and diagnostic tools leverage machine learning algorithms to analyze medical images and detect abnormalities with remarkable precision. For example, AI systems can identify early signs of diseases like cancer, fractures, and neurological disorders faster than traditional methods. This improves patient outcomes and reduces the time and resources spent on diagnostic processes.

Personalized Treatment Plans

AI in patient care extends beyond diagnostics to creating personalized treatment plans. AI can develop tailored treatment strategies that optimize efficacy and minimize adverse effects by analyzing a patient’s medical history, genetic information, and lifestyle factors. This level of personalization was previously unattainable with conventional methods.

Operational Efficiency

AI automation significantly streamlines administrative tasks, reducing healthcare costs and improving operational efficiency. From scheduling and billing to managing patient records, AI systems handle routine tasks with minimal human intervention, freeing healthcare professionals to focus more on patient care.

AI Automation in Clinical Settings

AI in Surgery

The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare extends significantly into the surgical domain. Robotic surgery and AI-assisted procedures have revolutionized the operating room, offering unprecedented precision and control. Surgeons now rely on AI to perform complex surgeries with enhanced accuracy, reducing the risk of complications and improving patient outcomes.

Example: One prominent AI surgical system is the da Vinci Surgical System, which allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures with robotic arms controlled by a computer. Another example is the Mazor X Stealth Edition, which combines AI and robotics for spinal surgeries, offering precise guidance and planning.

Patient Monitoring

Continuous patient monitoring and real-time data analysis are critical aspects of AI in patient care. AI technologies enable healthcare providers to monitor patients’ vital signs and health metrics around the clock, allowing for early detection of potential issues and timely interventions.

Technologies: Wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers equipped with AI can monitor heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs. Remote monitoring systems like BioIntelliSense’s BioSticker provide continuous, real-time health data, which is analyzed by AI to detect anomalies and alert healthcare professionals if intervention is needed. These advancements highlight the benefits of AI in healthcare, particularly in enhancing patient safety and care quality.

Telemedicine and Virtual Care

AI-driven telehealth platforms are expanding access to care, making healthcare services more accessible to remote and underserved populations. Telemedicine allows patients to consult with healthcare providers virtually, reducing the need for in-person visits and enabling timely medical advice and treatment.

Impact: The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare through telemedicine is profound, as it bridges the gap between patients and providers regardless of geographical barriers. For instance, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can conduct preliminary assessments, schedule appointments, and provide medical information, ensuring patients receive the care they need promptly. This increased accessibility is particularly beneficial for those living in rural or underserved areas, ensuring that more people can benefit from high-quality healthcare services.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

Data Privacy and Security: One of the primary concerns with AI in healthcare is ensuring patient data privacy and security. With vast amounts of sensitive information being processed, robust measures must be in place to protect against data breaches and unauthorized access. Ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of patient data is paramount to maintaining trust and compliance with regulations.

Bias and Fairness: AI algorithms can inadvertently perpetuate biases present in the data they are trained on, leading to unfair treatment outcomes. Addressing these biases is essential to ensure equitable healthcare for all patients.

Integration with Human Care: Balancing AI automation with the human touch in patient care is crucial. While AI can enhance efficiency and accuracy, the empathetic and compassionate aspects of human care are irreplaceable.

Artificial intelligence in healthcare is not just a technological advancement; it is a catalyst for transformative change. From improving diagnostic accuracy and personalizing treatment plans to enhancing operational efficiency and expanding access through telemedicine, the benefits of AI in patient care are profound and far-reaching. However, as we embrace this revolution, it is crucial to address the challenges and ethical considerations that come with it. Ensuring data privacy and security, mitigating biases, and maintaining the essential human touch in healthcare is paramount to realizing the full potential of AI.

The future of AI in healthcare is promising, with continuous advancements paving the way for even more innovative solutions. By navigating the complexities and balancing the integration of AI with human expertise, we can create a healthcare system that is more efficient, equitable, and patient-centred. As we move forward, the role of artificial intelligence in medicine will undoubtedly continue to evolve, driving us toward a future where high-quality healthcare is accessible to all. Embracing AI responsibly will enable us to unlock its full potential, ultimately transforming patient care for the better.

Check out the Original Article

[thinkitiveblog]

What is Digital Health & its Solutions?

The Covid-19 pandemic changed into a catastrophe that elevated the improvement and implementation of virtual fitness and healthcare information technology (IT) by at least a minimum of 5 years. It has additionally changed Americans’ attitudes toward healthcare providers and patient care. However, the point of interest on Covid-19 obscures three different underlying and interrelated topics to retain to force new applications for digital health and healthcare IT systems.

What is Digital Health?

In simple terms, digital health uses technology and tools to improve the healthcare system. Data science may do wonders using predictive analysis and pattern recognition to identify diseases early and save millions of lives.

Covid-19 boosts digital health in 3-4 months when it might have taken 3-5 years previously. Customers are eager to be a part of the digital transformation in the healthcare revolution. It is now common to use Telemedicine to provide online consultations, ePrescribing, Remote Patient Monitoring, and other similar technological solutions to improve healthcare efficiency. Many major and small companies are moving forward to reinvent healthcare delivery, including Google, Apple, Amazon, GE Healthcare, Siemens, Medtronic, and Philips.

Checkout below “The Digital Health 150” is CB Insights’ annual ranking of the 150 most promising digital health startups in the world.

Benefits of Technology in HealthCare

Digital health offers the ability to prevent illness and reduce healthcare costs while assisting people in monitoring and managing chronic disorders. It may also personalize medication for each patient.

The benefits of digital health also assist healthcare professionals. By considerably boosting access to health data and giving people more significant influence over their health, digital tools provide healthcare practitioners with a comprehensive perspective of patient health. As a result, efficiency has increased, and medical results have improved.

Impact of Digital Health?

Covid-19 forced everyone to use digital products for healthcare Services. 50%-70% population in urban cities book appointments online and take online consultations in most cases. It’s been the most common practice for everyone to order medicine online, thanks to the pharma supply chain. Labs and radiology also came to the party by providing a facility for taking samples at home and providing online reporting systems.

With increasing digital health innovations in medical apps and wearable devices that help individuals calculate calories burned and consumed. These devices and apps motivate one to get off the couch, walk, exercise for a few hours, and burn calories. These tiny little steps from individuals give long-term digital health benefits. Some smart innovations allow one to take pictures and calculate the nutritional value of given food. Now with the help of mhealth, Remote patient monitoring and wearable devices allow us to monitor every aspect of health like weight, exercise, blood pressure, water level, and other health parameters to help us control our health balance.

What are digital health solutions?

There are many healthcare solutions developed by many companies. Please check the list of famous ones.

Telemedicine App

Telemedicine is coined as using digital media and software programs to provide healthcare offerings through the net without healthcare companies needing to be physically present. It has become famous as an alternate method of treating patients without exposing them to covid-19.

Remote Patient Monitoring

The growing aging of society and the uptick in the variety of chronic diseases necessitate more collaboration among healthcare providers and patients. With the help of remote patient monitoring software, one can monitor all activities and health metrics and provide vital remedies via the internet without personally inspecting them all the time.

Every healthcare provider aims to run his practice effectively. Practice management software helps providers deliver care effectively. PMS’s essential components are Appointment booking, patient management, Billing and Claims Processing & Reporting.

Chronic Care Management

Chronic Care Management solution allows providers to onboard patients with 2 or 3 chronic conditions. CCM solution allows providers to create care plans with actionable items to be done by patients. Application tack every minute the provider spends to create a claim at the end of the month.

Revenue Cycle Management

Revenue cycle Management enables providers to manage their financial workflows associated with patient medical billing and Invoicing, Insurance verification with authorization and eligibility checking, claim processing and follow-up, denial & rejection handling, payment collection and AR follow-up, Electronic remittance and explanation of Benefits posting.

EMR/EHR Software

EMR system is software that privileged hospitals to deal with patient clinical data. The EMR  is a digital chart that a healthcare practice or organization uses to maintain a patient record. It eliminates the older paper chart and can often communicate with a pharmacy. Learn More

[laivinduroriginal]

The Future of GPT: An In-Depth Analysis

1. Introduction Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) technology has changed the way artificial intelligence interacts with human language. Since its inception, GPT has been pivotal in advancing natural language understanding and generation, making it a powerful tool across many sectors. As we look to the future, understanding the potential of GPT’s evolution, its applications, and the…

[projectchampionz]

EXPLORING THE ROLE OF HEALTHCARE FINANCE IN DRIVING INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT

EXPLORING THE ROLE OF HEALTHCARE FINANCE IN DRIVING INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT 1.1 Introduction Healthcare finance plays a critical role in shaping the delivery of medical services and advancing innovations in healthcare. The integration of finance into the healthcare sector influences not only the quality and accessibility of services but also the adoption of new technologies. As…

[reallytoosublime]

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked a revolutionary transformation in various industries, and perhaps one of the most profound impacts has been witnessed in the healthcare sector. AI is redefining the way medical professionals diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes, reducing costs, and improving overall healthcare delivery.

One of the primary areas where AI is making a significant impact is medical diagnostics. AI-powered algorithms have demonstrated remarkable accuracy in interpreting medical images such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. These algorithms can quickly and accurately identify anomalies, such as tumors, fractures, and other abnormalities, often with a level of precision that rivals or even surpasses human radiologists. This not only speeds up the diagnostic process but also reduces the chances of human error, leading to earlier detection and treatment of diseases.

AI is also playing a crucial role in personalized medicine. By analyzing vast amounts of patient data, including genetic information and medical histories, AI algorithms can identify patterns and correlations that enable more targeted and effective treatment plans. This allows healthcare providers to tailor interventions to each individual's unique needs, maximizing treatment efficacy and minimizing adverse effects.

In addition to diagnostics and personalized medicine, AI is reshaping the drug discovery and development process. Traditional drug development is often time-consuming and costly, with many potential candidates failing during clinical trials. AI-driven approaches, such as machine learning and deep learning, can analyze massive datasets to predict the effectiveness and safety of potential drugs, leading to faster and more efficient drug development pipelines. AI algorithms can also help identify new drug targets and repurpose existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes, potentially revolutionizing the way we approach the treatment of diseases.

AI is ushering in a new era of possibilities in the healthcare industry. From improved diagnostics and personalized treatment plans to streamlined operations and drug discovery, AI is driving significant advancements that have the potential to revolutionize patient care and reshape the healthcare landscape as we know it. As technology continues to evolve, stakeholders must work collaboratively to harness AI's potential while safeguarding patient privacy and ensuring that the benefits are accessible to all segments of society.

How AI is Revolutionizing The Modern Healthcare Industry

[youtubemarketing1234]

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked a revolutionary transformation in various industries, and perhaps one of the most profound impacts has been witnessed in the healthcare sector. AI is redefining the way medical professionals diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes, reducing costs, and improving overall healthcare delivery.

One of the primary areas where AI is making a significant impact is medical diagnostics. AI-powered algorithms have demonstrated remarkable accuracy in interpreting medical images such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. These algorithms can quickly and accurately identify anomalies, such as tumors, fractures, and other abnormalities, often with a level of precision that rivals or even surpasses human radiologists. This not only speeds up the diagnostic process but also reduces the chances of human error, leading to earlier detection and treatment of diseases.

AI is also playing a crucial role in personalized medicine. By analyzing vast amounts of patient data, including genetic information and medical histories, AI algorithms can identify patterns and correlations that enable more targeted and effective treatment plans. This allows healthcare providers to tailor interventions to each individual's unique needs, maximizing treatment efficacy and minimizing adverse effects.

In addition to diagnostics and personalized medicine, AI is reshaping the drug discovery and development process. Traditional drug development is often time-consuming and costly, with many potential candidates failing during clinical trials. AI-driven approaches, such as machine learning and deep learning, can analyze massive datasets to predict the effectiveness and safety of potential drugs, leading to faster and more efficient drug development pipelines. AI algorithms can also help identify new drug targets and repurpose existing drugs for new therapeutic purposes, potentially revolutionizing the way we approach the treatment of diseases.

AI is ushering in a new era of possibilities in the healthcare industry. From improved diagnostics and personalized treatment plans to streamlined operations and drug discovery, AI is driving significant advancements that have the potential to revolutionize patient care and reshape the healthcare landscape as we know it. As technology continues to evolve, stakeholders must work collaboratively to harness AI's potential while safeguarding patient privacy and ensuring that the benefits are accessible to all segments of society.

How AI is Revolutionizing The Modern Healthcare Industry

[gangadhar7758]

Advantages of Using Chatbots in Real Estate

Chatbots used in real estate are essentially virtual agents that save time and free up live agents to focus on more complex aspects of the job. These ai chatbots are used to contact potential customers through various messaging apps. The intent is to convert these prospects into conversations and turn them into existing customers.

Read more: Advantages of Using Chatbots in Real Estate

[mostlysignssomeportents]

America's largest hospital chain has an algorithmic death panel

It’s not that conservatives aren’t sometimes right — it’s that even when they’re right, they’re highly selective about it. Take the hoary chestnut that “incentives matter,” trotted out to deny humane benefits to poor people on the grounds that “free money” makes people “workshy.”

There’s a whole body of conservative economic orthodoxy, Public Choice Theory, that concerns itself with the motives of callow, easily corrupted regulators, legislators and civil servants, and how they might be tempted to distort markets.

But the same people who obsess over our fallible public institutions are convinced that private institutions will never yield to temptation, because the fear of competition keeps temptation at bay. It’s this belief that leads the right to embrace monopolies as “efficient”: “A company’s dominance is evidence of its quality. Customers flock to it, and competitors fail to lure them away, therefore monopolies are the public’s best friend.”

But this only makes sense if you don’t understand how monopolies can prevent competitors. Think of Uber, lighting $31b of its investors’ cash on fire, losing 41 cents on every dollar it brought in, in a bid to drive out competitors and make public transit seem like a bad investment.

Or think of Big Tech, locking up whole swathes of your life inside their silos, so that changing mobile OSes means abandoning your iMessage contacts; or changing social media platforms means abandoning your friends, or blocking Google surveillance means losing your email address, or breaking up with Amazon means losing all your ebooks and audiobooks:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/facebooks-secret-war-switching-costs

Businesspeople understand the risks of competition, which is why they seek to extinguish it. The harder it is for your customers to leave — because of a lack of competitors or because of lock-in — the worse you can treat them without risking their departure. This is the core of enshittification: a company that is neither disciplined by competition nor regulation can abuse its customers and suppliers over long timescales without losing either:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

It’s not that public institutions can’t betray they public interest. It’s just that public institutions can be made democratically accountable, rather than financially accountable. When a company betrays you, you can only punish it by “voting with your wallet.” In that system, the people with the fattest wallets get the most votes.

When public institutions fail you, you can vote with your ballot. Admittedly, that doesn’t always work, but one of the major predictors of whether it will work is how big and concentrated the private sector is. Regulatory capture isn’t automatic: it’s what you get when companies are bigger than governments.

If you want small governments, in other words, you need small companies. Even if you think the only role for the state is in enforcing contracts, the state needs to be more powerful than the companies issuing those contracts. The bigger the companies are, the bigger the government has to be:

https://doctorow.medium.com/regulatory-capture-59b2013e2526

Companies can suborn the government to help them abuse the public, but whether public institutions can resist them is more a matter of how powerful those companies are than how fallible a public servant is. Our plutocratic, monopolized, unequal society is the worst of both worlds. Because companies are so big, they abuse us with impunity — and they are able to suborn the state to help them do it:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B

This is the dimension that’s so often missing from the discussion of why Americans pay more for healthcare to get worse outcomes from health-care workers who labor under worse conditions than their cousins abroad. Yes, the government can abet this, as when it lets privatizers into the Medicare system to loot it and maim its patients:

https://prospect.org/health/2023-08-01-patient-zero-tom-scully/

But the answer to this isn’t more privatization. Remember Sarah Palin’s scare-stories about how government health care would have “death panels” where unaccountable officials decided whether your life was worth saving?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26195604/

The reason “death panels” resounded so thoroughly — and stuck around through the years — is that we all understand, at some deep level, that health care will always be rationed. When you show up at the Emergency Room, they have to triage you. Even if you’re in unbearable agony, you might have to wait, and wait, and wait, because other people (even people who arrive after you do) have it worse.

In America, health care is mostly rationed based on your ability to pay. Emergency room triage is one of the only truly meritocratic institutions in the American health system, where your treatment is based on urgency, not cash. Of course, you can buy your way out of that too, with concierge doctors. And the ER system itself has been infested with Private Equity parasites:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/17/the-doctor-will-fleece-you-now/#pe-in-full-effect

Wealth-based health-care rationing is bad enough, but when it’s combined with the public purse, a bad system becomes a nightmare. Take hospice care: private equity funds have rolled up huge numbers of hospices across the USA and turned them into rigged — and lethal — games:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/26/death-panels/#what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-CMS

Medicare will pay a hospice $203-$1,462 to care for a dying person, amounting to $22.4b/year in public funds transfered to the private sector. Incentives matter: the less a hospice does for their patients, the more profits they reap. And the private hospice system is administered with the lightest of touches: at the $203/day level, a private hospice has no mandatory duties to their patients.

You can set up a California hospice for the price of a $3,000 filing fee (which is mostly optional, since it’s never checked). You will have a facility inspection, but don’t worry, there’s no followup to make sure you remediate any failing elements. And no one at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tracks complaints.

So PE-owned hospices pressure largely healthy people to go into “hospice care” — from home. Then they do nothing for them, including continuing whatever medical care they were depending on. After the patient generates $32,000 in billings for the PE company, they hit the cap and are “live discharged” and must go through a bureaucratic nightmare to re-establish their Medicare eligibility, because once you go into hospice, Medicare assumes you are dying and halts your care.

PE-owned hospices bribe doctors to refer patients to them. Sometimes, these sham hospices deliberately induce overdoses in their patients in a bid to make it look like they’re actually in the business of caring for the dying. Incentives matter:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/12/05/how-hospice-became-a-for-profit-hustle

Now, hospice care — and its relative, palliative care — is a crucial part of any humane medical system. In his essential book, Being Mortal, Atul Gawande describes how end-of-life care that centers a dying person’s priorities can make death a dignified and even satisfying process for the patient and their loved ones:

https://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/

But that dignity comes from a patient-centered approach, not a profit-centered one. Doctors are required to put their patients’ interests first, and while they sometimes fail at this (everyone is fallible), the professionalization of medicine, through which doctors were held to ethical standards ahead of monetary considerations, proved remarkable durable.

Partly that was because doctors generally worked for themselves — or for other doctors. In most states, it is illegal for medical practices to be owned by non-MDs, and historically, only a small fraction of doctors worked for hospitals, subject to administration by businesspeople rather than medical professionals.

But that was radically altered by the entry of private equity into the medical system, with the attending waves of consolidation that saw local hospitals merged into massive national chains, and private practices scooped up and turned into profit-maximizers, not health-maximizers:

https://prospect.org/health/2023-08-02-qa-corporate-medicine-destroys-doctors/

Today, doctors are being proletarianized, joining the ranks of nurses, physicians’ assistants and other health workers. In 2012, 60% of practices were doctor-owned and only 5.6% of docs worked for hospitals. Today, that’s up by 1,000%, with 52.1% of docs working for hospitals, mostly giant corporate chains:

https://prospect.org/health/2023-08-04-when-mds-go-union/

The paperclip-maximizing, grandparent-devouring transhuman colony organism that calls itself a Private Equity fund is endlessly inventive in finding ways to increase its profits by harming the rest of us. It’s not just hospices — it’s also palliative care.

Writing for NBC News, Gretchen Morgenson describes how HCA Healthcare — the nation’s largest hospital chain — outsourced its death panels to IBM Watson, whose algorithmic determinations override MDs’ judgment to send patients to palliative care, withdrawing their care and leaving them to die:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/doctors-say-hca-hospitals-push-patients-hospice-care-rcna81599

Incentives matter. When HCA hospitals send patients to die somewhere else to die, it jukes their stats, reducing the average length of stay for patients, a key metric used by HCA that has the twin benefits of making the hospital seem like a place where people get well quickly, while freeing up beds for more profitable patients.

Goodhart’s Law holds that “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” Give an MBA within HCA a metric (“get patients out of bed quicker”) and they will find a way to hit that metric (“send patients off to die somewhere else, even if their doctors think they could recover”):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law

Incentives matter! Any corporate measure immediately becomes a target. Tell Warners to decrease costs, and they will turn around and declare the writers’ strike to be a $100m “cost savings,” despite the fact that this “savings” comes from ceasing production on the shows that will bring in all of next year’s revenue:

https://deadline.com/2023/08/warner-bros-discovery-david-zaslav-gunnar-wiedenfels-strikes-1235453950/

Incentivize a company to eat its seed-corn and it will chow down.

Only one of HCA’s doctors was willing to go on record about its death panels: Ghasan Tabel of Riverside Community Hospital (motto: “Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life”). Tabel sued Riverside after the hospital retaliated against him when he refused to follow the algorithm’s orders to send his patients for palliative care.

Tabel is the only doc on record willing to discuss this, but 26 other doctors talked to Morgenson on background about the practice, asking for anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the nation’s largest hospital chain, a “Wall Street darling” with $5.6b in earnings in 2022.

HCA already has a reputation as a slaughterhouse that puts profits before patients, with “severe understaffing”:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/workers-us-hospital-giant-hca-say-puts-profits-patient-care-rcna64122

and rotting, undermaintained facililties:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/roaches-operating-room-hca-hospital-florida-rcna69563

But while cutting staff and leaving hospitals to crumble are inarguable malpractice, the palliative care scam is harder to pin down. By using “AI” to decide when patients are beyond help, HCA can employ empiricism-washing, declaring the matter to be the factual — and unquestionable — conclusion of a mathematical process, not mere profit-seeking:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/26/dictators-dilemma/ggarbage-in-garbage-out-garbage-back-in

But this empirical facewash evaporates when confronted with whistleblower accounts of hospital administrators who have no medical credentials berating doctors for a “missed hospice opportunity” when a physician opts to keep a patient under their care despite the algorithm’s determination.

This is the true “AI Safety” risk. It’s not that a chatbot will become sentient and take over the world — it’s that the original artificial lifeform, the limited liability company, will use “AI” to accelerate its murderous shell-game until we can’t spot the trick:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/10/in-the-dumps-2/

The risk is real. A 2020 study in the Journal of Healthcare Management concluded that the cash incentives for shipping patients to palliatve care “may induce deceiving changes in mortality reporting in several high-volume hospital diagnoses”:

https://journals.lww.com/jhmonline/Fulltext/2020/04000/The_Association_of_Increasing_Hospice_Use_With.7.aspx

Incentives matter. In a private market, it’s always more profitable to deny care than to provide it, and any metric we bolt onto that system to prevent cheating will immediately become a target. For-profit healthcare is an oxymoron, a prelude to death panels that will kill you for a nickel.

Morgenson is an incisive commentator on for-profit looting. Her recent book These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs — and Wrecks — America (co-written with Joshua Rosner) is a must-read:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/02/plunderers/#farben

I’m kickstarting the audiobook for “The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation,” a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and bring back the old, good internet. It’s a DRM-free book, which means Audible won’t carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/05/any-metric-becomes-a-target/#hca

[Image ID: An industrial meat-grinder. A sick man, propped up with pillows, is being carried up its conveyor towards its hopper. Ground meat comes out of the other end. It bears the logo of HCA healthcare. A pool of blood spreads out below it.]

Image: Seydelmann (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GW300_1.jpg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

[sunshinesmebdy]

Pluto in Aquarius: Brace for a Business Revolution (and How to Ride the Wave)

The Aquarian Revolution

Get ready, entrepreneurs and financiers, because a seismic shift is coming. Pluto, the planet of transformation and upheaval, has just entered the progressive sign of Aquarius, marking the beginning of a 20-year period that will reshape the very fabric of business and finance. Buckle up, for this is not just a ripple – it's a tsunami of change. Imagine a future where collaboration trumps competition, sustainability dictates success, and technology liberates rather than isolates. Aquarius, the sign of innovation and humanitarianism, envisions just that. Expect to see:

Rise of social impact businesses

Profits won't be the sole motive anymore. Companies driven by ethical practices, environmental consciousness, and social good will gain traction. Aquarius is intrinsically linked to collective well-being and social justice. Under its influence, individuals will value purpose-driven ventures that address crucial societal issues. Pluto urges us to connect with our deeper selves and find meaning beyond material gains. This motivates individuals to pursue ventures that resonate with their personal values and make a difference in the world.

Examples of Social Impact Businesses

Sustainable energy companies: Focused on creating renewable energy solutions while empowering local communities.

Fair-trade businesses: Ensuring ethical practices and fair wages for producers, often in developing countries.

Social impact ventures: Addressing issues like poverty, education, and healthcare through innovative, community-driven approaches.

B corporations: Certified businesses that meet rigorous social and environmental standards, balancing profit with purpose.

Navigating the Pluto in Aquarius Landscape

Align your business with social impact: Analyze your core values and find ways to integrate them into your business model.

Invest in sustainable practices: Prioritize environmental and social responsibility throughout your operations.

Empower your employees: Foster a collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and contributes to the social impact mission.

Build strong community partnerships: Collaborate with organizations and communities that share your goals for positive change.

Embrace innovation and technology: Utilize technology to scale your impact and reach a wider audience.

Pluto in Aquarius presents a thrilling opportunity to redefine the purpose of business, moving beyond shareholder value and towards societal well-being. By aligning with the Aquarian spirit of innovation and collective action, social impact businesses can thrive in this transformative era, leaving a lasting legacy of positive change in the world.

Tech-driven disruption

AI, automation, and blockchain will revolutionize industries, from finance to healthcare. Be ready to adapt or risk getting left behind. Expect a focus on developing Artificial Intelligence with ethical considerations and a humanitarian heart, tackling issues like healthcare, climate change, and poverty alleviation. Immersive technologies will blur the lines between the physical and digital realms, transforming education, communication, and entertainment. Automation will reshape the job market, but also create opportunities for new, human-centered roles focused on creativity, innovation, and social impact.

Examples of Tech-Driven Disruption:

Decentralized social media platforms: User-owned networks fueled by blockchain technology, prioritizing privacy and community over corporate profits.

AI-powered healthcare solutions: Personalized medicine, virtual assistants for diagnostics, and AI-driven drug discovery.

VR/AR for education and training: Immersive learning experiences that transport students to different corners of the world or historical periods.

Automation with a human touch: Collaborative robots assisting in tasks while freeing up human potential for creative and leadership roles.

Navigating the Technological Tsunami:

Stay informed and adaptable: Embrace lifelong learning and upskilling to stay relevant in the evolving tech landscape.

Support ethical and sustainable tech: Choose tech products and services aligned with your values and prioritize privacy and social responsibility.

Focus on your human advantage: Cultivate creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence to thrive in a world increasingly reliant on technology.

Advocate for responsible AI development: Join the conversation about ethical AI guidelines and ensure technology serves humanity's best interests.

Connect with your community: Collaborate with others to harness technology for positive change and address the potential challenges that come with rapid technological advancements.

Pluto in Aquarius represents a critical juncture in our relationship with technology. By embracing its disruptive potential and focusing on ethical development and collective benefit, we can unlock a future where technology empowers humanity and creates a more equitable and sustainable world. Remember, the choice is ours – will we be swept away by the technological tsunami or ride its wave towards a brighter future?

Decentralization and democratization

Power structures will shift, with employees demanding more autonomy and consumers seeking ownership through blockchain-based solutions. Traditional institutions, corporations, and even governments will face challenges as power shifts towards distributed networks and grassroots movements. Individuals will demand active involvement in decision-making processes, leading to increased transparency and accountability in all spheres. Property and resources will be seen as shared assets, managed sustainably and equitably within communities. This transition won't be without its bumps. We'll need to adapt existing legal frameworks, address digital divides, and foster collaboration to ensure everyone benefits from decentralization.

Examples of Decentralization and Democratization

Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs): Self-governing online communities managing shared resources and projects through blockchain technology.

Community-owned renewable energy initiatives: Local cooperatives generating and distributing clean energy, empowering communities and reducing reliance on centralized grids.

Participatory budgeting platforms: Citizens directly allocate local government funds, ensuring public resources are used in line with community needs.

Decentralized finance (DeFi): Peer-to-peer lending and borrowing platforms, bypassing traditional banks and offering greater financial autonomy for individuals.

Harnessing the Power of the Tide:

Embrace collaborative models: Participate in co-ops, community projects, and initiatives that empower collective ownership and decision-making.

Support ethical technology: Advocate for blockchain platforms and applications that prioritize user privacy, security, and equitable access.

Develop your tech skills: Learn about blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and other decentralized technologies to navigate the future landscape.

Engage in your community: Participate in local decision-making processes, champion sustainable solutions, and build solidarity with others.

Stay informed and adaptable: Embrace lifelong learning and critical thinking to navigate the evolving social and economic landscape.

Pluto in Aquarius presents a unique opportunity to reimagine power structures, ownership models, and how we interact with each other. By embracing decentralization and democratization, we can create a future where individuals and communities thrive, fostering a more equitable and sustainable world for all. Remember, the power lies within our collective hands – let's use it wisely to shape a brighter future built on shared ownership, collaboration, and empowered communities.

Focus on collective prosperity

Universal basic income, resource sharing, and collaborative economic models may gain momentum. Aquarius prioritizes the good of the collective, advocating for equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. Expect a rise in social safety nets, universal basic income initiatives, and policies aimed at closing the wealth gap. Environmental health is intrinsically linked to collective prosperity. We'll see a focus on sustainable practices, green economies, and resource sharing to ensure a thriving planet for generations to come. Communities will come together to address social challenges like poverty, homelessness, and healthcare disparities, recognizing that individual success is interwoven with collective well-being. Collaborative consumption, resource sharing, and community-owned assets will gain traction, challenging traditional notions of ownership and fostering a sense of shared abundance.

Examples of Collective Prosperity in Action

Community-owned renewable energy projects: Sharing the benefits of clean energy production within communities, democratizing access and fostering environmental sustainability.

Cooperatives and worker-owned businesses: Sharing profits and decision-making within companies, leading to greater employee satisfaction and productivity.

Universal basic income initiatives: Providing individuals with a basic safety net, enabling them to pursue their passions and contribute to society in meaningful ways.

Resource sharing platforms: Platforms like carsharing or tool libraries minimizing individual ownership and maximizing resource utilization, fostering a sense of interconnectedness.

Navigating the Shift

Support social impact businesses: Choose businesses that prioritize ethical practices, environmental sustainability, and positive social impact.

Contribute to your community: Volunteer your time, skills, and resources to address local challenges and empower others.

Embrace collaboration: Seek opportunities to work together with others to create solutions for shared problems.

Redefine your own path to prosperity: Focus on activities that bring you personal fulfillment and contribute to the collective good.

Advocate for systemic change: Support policies and initiatives that promote social justice, environmental protection, and equitable distribution of resources.

Pluto in Aquarius offers a unique opportunity to reshape our definition of prosperity and build a future where everyone thrives. By embracing collective well-being, collaboration, and sustainable practices, we can create a world where abundance flows freely, enriching not just individuals, but the entire fabric of society. Remember, true prosperity lies not in what we hoard, but in what we share, and by working together, we can cultivate a future where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.

[bauliya]

why do you keep saying benaron is a ceo. he's still in the biotech industry and is individually a proponent of plenty of questionable health surveillance practices but like. very pointedly does not run any companies.

I realise this is the unemployed central of the internet but there’s a website called LINKEDIN where you can look up people and find their self-uploaded resumes and you see David Benaron has made a profile with his own two hands and listed his current and previous roles at CEOs/CMOs for almost twenty years at questionable biotech companies that sell patient data and are currently focusing on bringing “AI to healthcare” which means using patient data to train models.

I call him a CEO that runs companies because HE says he’s a CEO that runs companies. hope that helps!

[cbirt]

The digitization of health records has enabled powerful AI techniques to extract key medical insights from the vast trove of unstructured clinical notes. However, real-world deployment of such models faces risks from dataset shifts. In a new study, Johns Hopkins and Columbia researchers leverage recent advances in language models to improve model robustness across different medical settings.

Electronic health records provide an abundance of free-form text data in the form of doctor’s notes, discharge summaries, radiology reports, and more. Manually reviewing this deluge of unstructured data to glean actionable information is infeasible, given resource constraints. This is where AI promises huge potential benefits – natural language processing models can rapidly analyze text to infer medical conditions, demographic traits, and other vital details.

However, serious safety concerns impede the practical application of such AI techniques in clinical settings. A major challenge is that language patterns and correlations in the texts used for training likely differ substantially from those seen at deployment sites. As a result, performance sharply degrades when models encounter new writing styles and templates.

Continue Reading

[misshockman]

🎀(*^-^)／＼(*^-^*)／＼(^-^*)🎀(*^-^)=EF=BC=8F=EF=BC=BC(*^-^*)=EF=BC=8F=EF=BC=BC(^-^*)Kendra (Holstein-Romanov) Hockman

🌟 X Research Scientist @ SpaceX | SpellbookAI | Elon Musk Consulting | HPC-AI | IxDA | CTE Advisor 🌟

📍 Greater Seattle Area | 🌐 Contact Info

📞 P: +1.360.560.6127 | 📧 E: misshockman@gmail.com

💼 Open to Marketing and Public Relations Specialist and Event Project Manager roles 💼

🌟 About Me 🌟

✨ Business Development Specialist, Agile Project Manager, and Event Producer with +12 years of marketing experience and a passion for providing white glove customer service. ✨

🌟 Skills 🌟

Public Speaking 🎤

B2B + B2C Sales 💼

Stakeholder Relations 🤝

Account Management 📊

SCRUM Development Process 🏃‍♀️

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 💬

Data Management / Analysis 📊

Talent Acquisition 👥

Training, Team Building, & Development 🏆

Event Coordination, Production, & Reporting 🎉

Machine Learning + AI Expertise 🤖

Cloud Service Platform Expertise ☁️

VR/AR Consumer Education 🕶️

UX Design 🎨

Proficient in: Zoho, Salesforce, Asana, Trello, Kaltura, Rainfocus, StreamYard, Frame.io, Office 365, Google Workspaces, ChatGPT, & more.

🌟 Professional Experience 🌟

Creative UX.design @ SPACEX

2023 - ¤¤¤ | StarlinkX Studios (remote)

Manage Client Relations

Nurtured and secured $2 Million in sales within the first 60 days

Averaging +150 phone calls per day

Virtual Producer (Project Management) @ NVIDIA

2022 - ₩ | Santa Clara, CA (remote)

Produced an educational AI conference for researchers, developers, inventors, & IT professionals (+300k attendees, +800 sessions)

Coordinated keynote sessions with experts from NVIDIA, Meta, Mastercard, Uber, Google, Amazon, Stanford, etc.

Recorded via our virtual studio, completed post-production editing (cc), and broadcasted with live Q&A featuring ChatGPT

High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence (HPC-AI) Advisory Council Member

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Leadership Committee Member for Public School District

Skilled In: Kaltura, Rainfocus, StreamYard, Frame.io, Office 365 (Excel/PP), Google Workspaces, & more

Project Manager (Business Development) @ SAMSUNG

2022 - ¤¤¤ | San Jose, CA (remote)

Community Liaison for SAMSUNG. Secure & maintain business partnerships

Support students, entrepreneurs, animal rescue groups, environmental protection groups, etc.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Leadership Committee Member for Public School District

Highest Performing Market out of 36: Washington stores averaged 165% to sales plan

National Account Manager (Event Production) @ More Than Models

2020 – 2022 | Los Angeles, CA (remote)

Provided support and managed deliverables for clients such as Ferrari, Louis Vuitton, Wells Fargo, AT&T, Amazon, etc.

Shows Managed include AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2022, SuperBowl 2022, NBA All Star 2022, and more

Interviewed, input, and trained over 1,000 new talent candidates

Primary client contact and emergency contact for all shows

Executive Assistant for CEO, Ashlyn Henson

Spokesmodel / Product Specialist / Emcee / Tour Manager

2013 – 2022 | Independent, Nationwide

Consumer educator and product demonstrator specializing in Automotive & Technology

Trained and managed teams of up to 240 for events with over 300,000 attendees

Trade Shows Include: RSA, CES, GTC, GDC, E3, PAX West, Comic Con, Google NEXT, and many others

Clients include: Google, Amazon, Samsung, Cisco, Nvidia, Intel, Microsoft, Xbox, JLR, Lexus, Volvo, and more

Presenter with Stellantis on the International Auto Show Circuit for 3 years

Marketing & Public Relations Manager (Orthodontic / Healthcare Sales) @ All Star Orthodontics

2015 – 2017 | Camas, WA

Created and executed marketing strategies on behalf of Dr. Huong Le. Earned the “Elite Invisalign Provider” Award

Practice had a +3000% case increase, with a 45% conversion increase

🌟 Multi-City Experiential Tours 🌟

Stellantis - International Auto Show Circuit - 2019 to current - Automotive Product Specialist

Nintendo - Nintendo Switch Together Tour - 2019 - Tour Manager

Maruchan - Back 2 Ramen Tour - 2018 - Tour Manager

Safeway - Safeway Back to School Tour - 2018 - Field Manager

Intel - Intel’s Tech Learning Lab Tour - Portland - 2018 - Team Lead

Samsung - Galaxy Studio Tour - 2018 - VR/AR Demonstrator

Xbox - Super Lucky Tale’s Tour - 2017 - Costume Character

Kids Obstacle Challenge - 2016 - Lead Emcee

🌟 Technology Events 🌟

Amazon - CES - Las Vegas - 2020 - AWS Spokesmodel

VMware - VM World - San Francisco - 2019 - Emcee

GlaxoSmithKline - ADA FDI World Dental Congress - San Francisco - 2019 - Spokesmodel

Google - Google Marketing Live - San Francisco - 2019 - Breakout Sessions/Keynote Supervisor

Google - Google I/O - Mountain View - 2019 - Breakout Session/Keynote Supervisor

Google - Google Developers Group Leaders Summit - Mountain View - 2019 - Supervisor

Google - Google Next - San Francisco - 2019 - Supervisor

Nvidia - NVIDIA GTC 2019 - San Jose - 2019 - Breakout Session/Keynote Supervisor

Cisco - RSA - San Francisco - 2019 - Spokesmodel

Adobe - IxDA: Interaction Design Association - Seattle - 2019 - Spokesmodel

Google - Google Cloud Summit - Seattle - 2017 - Hostess

🌟 Gaming Events 🌟

Nintendo - Comic Con - San Diego - 2019 - Team Lead

Nintendo - E3 - Los Angeles - 2019 - Team Lead

Nintendo - Comic Con - San Diego - 2018 - Line Manager

Nintendo - PAX West - Seattle - 2018 - Game Demonstrator

Xbox - PAX West - Seattle - 2017 - Costume Character

Nintendo - Nintendo World Championships - Seattle - 2017 - Costume Character

🌟 Automotive Events 🌟

Lexus - Private NBA Event - Portland - 2019 - Hostess

KIA - Seahawks Games - Seattle - 2018 - Emcee

Jaguar/Land Rover - Seattle International Auto Show - Seattle - 2018 - Right Seat Driver

Jaguar/Land Rover - Portland International Auto Show - Portland - 2017 - Right Seat Driver

Volvo - Unveiling at Vail - Vail, Co - 2016 - Right Seat Driver

KIA - Portland Trailblazers - Portland - 2013-2016 - Emcee

🌟 Project Management Experience 🌟

NVIDIA - GTC 2020, GTC 2023

VIP Press Event at Vespertine - 2021

Ferrari - Casa Ferrari - Concours d’Elegance 2021

Louis Vuitton - NBA Finals 2021 - Louis Vuitton Trophy Ceremony

Rockstar Energy - Super Bowl 2022

British Government - Premier League Event 2022

Wells Fargo - Active Cash Holiday Program

Warner Bros. - The Conjuring 3 Premiere Event 2021

AT&T - HBCU Spotlight 2022, NBA All Star 2022, AT&T Loft at Pebble Beach Pro-Am 2022, NBA/NHL Team Entitlement Nights, AT&T Hoop Hustle

ESL One - Los Angeles 2020

Target - Target Halloween Slime Lab 2021, MLS All-Star Target Event 2021, Harry Potter Big Screen Drive-In Series 2021

Amazon - Amazon Fresh Food Fest 2022, Bacon Fest 2021, Cheerios ‘Moments of Good’ Program 2021, Amazon GO 2021, Amazon Fresh Grand Opening

Toyota - Orange Blossom Classic 2021, ONE Music Festival 2021, Houston Toyota Gold Cup 2021, Phoenix Toyota Gold Cup 2021, BIG3 2021, Club America

[republicsecurity]

Unveiling the Mind: Paramedic Corps Embraces Transparency in Conditioning

In a groundbreaking move, the Paramedic Corps has taken a significant step toward transparency in the conditioning process, providing conscripts with detailed insights into the methods used and the impact on their cognitive and emotional states. This initiative aims to foster openness, informed decision-making, and a sense of agency among conscripts undergoing conditioning.

Detailed Telemetry and Stats: Conscripts now have access to comprehensive telemetry data and statistics related to their cognitive, emotional, and health states. This information is presented in a clear and accessible format, allowing conscripts to track their progress and understand the intricacies of the conditioning process.

Real-time Monitoring: The Paramedic Corps has implemented real-time monitoring systems that enable conscripts to observe not only their own telemetry but also that of their fellow conscripts. This transparency promotes a collaborative and supportive environment, as conscripts can share experiences and insights based on real-time data.

Educational Workshops: The Corps has introduced educational workshops to guide conscripts in interpreting the telemetry data. These workshops aim to enhance conscripts' understanding of the conditioning methods, the rationale behind them, and the expected outcomes. This educational component empowers conscripts to make informed decisions about their service.

Individual and Collective Empowerment: By providing access to personal telemetry and that of their peers, the Paramedic Corps seeks to empower conscripts on both individual and collective levels. Conscripts are encouraged to take an active role in their own development while contributing to the overall success of the paramedic team.

Cultivating a Supportive Culture: The transparent approach fosters a culture of mutual support and collaboration. Conscripts can offer assistance or share insights based on the telemetry data, creating a supportive community where individuals contribute to each other's growth.

Open Channels for Dialogue: The Paramedic Corps has established open channels for conscripts to engage in dialogue with instructors, healthcare professionals, and even AI entities overseeing the conditioning process. This ensures that conscripts can seek clarification, express concerns, and actively participate in shaping their own experiences.

Continuous Improvement Feedback Loop: The telemetry data serves as a feedback loop for continuous improvement. Conscripts' input is actively sought, and adjustments to the conditioning methods can be made based on the collective experiences and insights shared through the transparent monitoring system.

Ethical Considerations and Consent: The Paramedic Corps emphasizes ethical considerations in conditioning and respects the conscripts' right to informed consent. Transparency extends to outlining the ethical framework guiding the conditioning methods, promoting a sense of trust between the Corps and its conscripts.

By embracing transparency in the conditioning process, the Paramedic Corps not only empowers conscripts with knowledge but also cultivates a culture of openness, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Conscript IEBW2, clad in the standard red uniform and the iconic armored suit, found himself seated in a dimly lit chamber. A holographic interface flickered to life, coalescing into the form of an AI entity known as MetaGuide-IX, the overseer of his conditioning process.

IEBW2: MetaGuide-IX, I've been going over my telemetry data, and there's something I can't quite wrap my head around. My emotional states seem to fluctuate more than usual during the simulations.

MetaGuide-IX: Conscript IEBW2, your emotional dynamics are under intentional modulation as part of the conditioning process. This fluctuation is designed to enhance adaptability and resilience in high-stress scenarios. Are you experiencing any particular challenges in adapting to this modulation?

IEBW2: It's not a challenge, per se, more like a curiosity. I've noticed that during team exercises, the emotional resonance with my peers is quite pronounced. It's almost like we're sharing more than just telemetry data. Is that intentional?

MetaGuide-IX: Indeed, Conscript IEBW2. The Paramedic Corps encourages a sense of collective identity and camaraderie among conscripts. The emotional resonance you're experiencing fosters a deeper connection within your team, enhancing collaboration and mutual support during operations. It aligns with the Corps' commitment to creating a cohesive and resilient paramedic community.

IEBW2: (nodding) I get that. It just struck me as a unique aspect of the conditioning process. On another note, I've been reviewing the ethical framework you provided, and I appreciate the transparency. But I wonder about the long-term implications of these cognitive alterations. Is there a point where it might become too much?

MetaGuide-IX: Your concern is valid, Conscript IEBW2. The conditioning process is carefully calibrated to strike a balance between enhancing paramedic capabilities and preserving individual well-being. Regular assessments and feedback mechanisms are in place to ensure that the cognitive alterations remain within ethical bounds. If you ever feel the need for a personalized consultation on this matter, do not hesitate to request it.

IEBW2: Understood. I suppose it's just the nature of these changes, making one question the limits. On a lighter note, have you noticed the communal support system among us conscripts? It's like we've become a family of sorts.

MetaGuide-IX: Indeed, Conscript IEBW2. The collaborative atmosphere is a testament to the success of the conditioning process. It's heartening to witness conscripts actively supporting each other, both personally and professionally. This sense of unity contributes to the overall effectiveness of the paramedic teams.

As the holographic interface dispersed, leaving Conscript IEBW2 in contemplation, the AI entity, MetaGuide-IX, continued its silent vigil over the conscript's journey, a silent architect of the paramedic collective's shared identity and purpose.

IEBW2: I feel walls going up in my head.

MetaGuide-IX: Conscript IEBW2, the sensation you're describing aligns with the expected effects of the cognitive segmentation phase in your conditioning. Walls, metaphorically speaking, are erected to compartmentalize certain cognitive processes. This segmentation enhances focus and adaptability during specific mission scenarios.

IEBW2: It's just… sometimes, it feels like these walls are isolating me, making it harder to connect with my thoughts. Is that normal?

MetaGuide-IX: Yes, Conscript IEBW2, such feelings are a common response during this phase. The walls are designed to create distinct cognitive domains for optimal performance. However, I understand the importance of maintaining a sense of cognitive coherence. If you find the isolation affecting your overall well-being, we can explore adjustment options during your next feedback session.

MetaGuide-IX: Conscript IEBW2, the temporal disorientation you're experiencing is a common aspect of the accelerated conditioning program. The integration of neural interfaces and the constant exposure to simulated scenarios can sometimes distort your perception of time. It's a transient effect, and your internal chronometer will gradually recalibrate.

IEBW2: It's not just that. Everything seems so routine, and the days blend into one another. I can't even remember what day it is.

MetaGuide-IX: The routine is intentional, Conscript IEBW2. Establishing a structured environment aids in the consolidation of neural patterns and reinforces the desired behavioral responses. As for the temporal aspect, it's a byproduct of the immersive training scenarios. Your dedication to the paramedic ethos is commendable, and these sensations will likely become more manageable with continued conditioning.

IEBW2: (pausing) I guess I'm just trying to make sense of it all. Sometimes, it feels like I'm on autopilot.

MetaGuide-IX: Autopilot is an apt analogy, Conscript IEBW2. During this phase, your subconscious assimilates the learned responses, allowing for instinctual reactions in high-stress situations. It's a testament to the efficiency of the conditioning process. If you find these feelings persisting or affecting your overall well-being, we can discuss adjustment strategies.

IEBW2: (reflecting) I knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park, but I didn't anticipate feeling like a passenger in my own experiences.

MetaGuide-IX: Your self-awareness is valuable, Conscript IEBW2. Remember, the sense of agency will reassert itself as your cognitive architecture solidifies. In the meantime, focus on the mission objectives, engage in communal activities, and allow the process to unfold. You are becoming an essential part of the paramedic collective.

As the holographic projection dissipated, leaving Conscript IEBW2 in contemplation, MetaGuide-IX continued its nuanced orchestration of the conscript's evolving mental landscape.

[nunuslab24]

What are AI, AGI, and ASI? And the positive impact of AI

Understanding artificial intelligence (AI) involves more than just recognizing lines of code or scripts; it encompasses developing algorithms and models capable of learning from data and making predictions or decisions based on what they’ve learned. To truly grasp the distinctions between the different types of AI, we must look at their capabilities and potential impact on society.

To simplify, we can categorize these types of AI by assigning a power level from 1 to 3, with 1 being the least powerful and 3 being the most powerful. Let’s explore these categories:

1. Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)

Also known as Narrow AI or Weak AI, ANI is the most common form of AI we encounter today. It is designed to perform a specific task or a narrow range of tasks. Examples include virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, recommendation systems on Netflix, and image recognition software. ANI operates under a limited set of constraints and can’t perform tasks outside its specific domain. Despite its limitations, ANI has proven to be incredibly useful in automating repetitive tasks, providing insights through data analysis, and enhancing user experiences across various applications.

2. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

Referred to as Strong AI, AGI represents the next level of AI development. Unlike ANI, AGI can understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks, similar to human intelligence. It can reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, and learn from experiences. While AGI remains a theoretical concept as of now, achieving it would mean creating machines capable of performing any intellectual task that a human can. This breakthrough could revolutionize numerous fields, including healthcare, education, and science, by providing more adaptive and comprehensive solutions.

3. Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)

ASI surpasses human intelligence and capabilities in all aspects. It represents a level of intelligence far beyond our current understanding, where machines could outthink, outperform, and outmaneuver humans. ASI could lead to unprecedented advancements in technology and society. However, it also raises significant ethical and safety concerns. Ensuring ASI is developed and used responsibly is crucial to preventing unintended consequences that could arise from such a powerful form of intelligence.

The Positive Impact of AI

When regulated and guided by ethical principles, AI has the potential to benefit humanity significantly. Here are a few ways AI can help us become better:

• Healthcare: AI can assist in diagnosing diseases, personalizing treatment plans, and even predicting health issues before they become severe. This can lead to improved patient outcomes and more efficient healthcare systems.

• Education: Personalized learning experiences powered by AI can cater to individual student needs, helping them learn at their own pace and in ways that suit their unique styles.

• Environment: AI can play a crucial role in monitoring and managing environmental changes, optimizing energy use, and developing sustainable practices to combat climate change.

• Economy: AI can drive innovation, create new industries, and enhance productivity by automating mundane tasks and providing data-driven insights for better decision-making.

In conclusion, while AI, AGI, and ASI represent different levels of technological advancement, their potential to transform our world is immense. By understanding their distinctions and ensuring proper regulation, we can harness the power of AI to create a brighter future for all.

[eaglesnick]

“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it” -  George Santayana,

Wes Streeting has announced a new regime for NHS hospitals, with OFSTED type league tables and the sacking of under performing managers. Hospital trusts can expect to be ranked on a range of indicators such as finances, delivery of services, patient access to care and the competency of leadership. Top performing trusts will be given more money and greater freedom on how that money is spent.

I have no idea how effective these reforms will be but Streeting would be well served to remember the negative impact the introduction of OFSTED league tables had on schools and teaching staff.

For years concerns were voiced regarding the heavy handedness of OFSTED, its crude reporting format and its negative effects on staff moral. The suicide of head teacher Ruth Perry, having had her school downgraded by OFSTED from  “Outstanding" to " Inadequate”, led to an inquiry into the whole OFSTED process. This inquiry described OFSTED as “toxic” and "not fit for purpose". We can only hope Streeting’s new hospital inspectors will not make the same mistakes.

Wes Streeting and his new inspectors would do well to remember   the social context within which individual hospitals operate.

In education it was found that :

“A school in a poor area is five times more likely to be ‘failing’ than affluent areas”  (tes magazine: 16/06/18)

In other words, the more deprived an area, the more likely it is for schools to be judged by OFSTED as “failing” or “inadequate”. It cannot be a coincidence that social class seems to play a major role in the success of a school as measured by the narrow focus of OFSTED.  Will the same bias apply when hospitals are being judged under Wes Streeting’s new NHS inspection regime?

Wes Streeting is a keen advocate of utilizing AI within the NHS.

"AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by improving efficiency, reducing waiting times, and enhancing patient outcomes. We must embrace this technology to ensure the NHS can meet the demands of the future."  (29/06/23)

Taking Wes Streeting advice I consulted AI when  asking this  question:

“Is there a link between the social class of an area and the success of hospitals serving that area?”

Unsurprisingly, AI found there was indeed a very strong connection  between the two.

“Yes, there is a link between the social class of an area and the success of hospitals serving that area. Research has shown that hospitals in more deprived areas often face greater challenges, which can impact their performance and outcomes. These challenges include higher rates of chronic illnesses, greater healthcare needs, and limited resources. As a result, hospitals in lower socio-economic areas may struggle to achieve the same outcomes as those in more affluent areas.” (Copilot: 13/11/24)

I hope Wes Streeting’s new NHS inspectorate takes this obvious connection into account when compiling their reports but the news headlines today suggest otherwise.  The media talk of "naming and shaming”, sackings and the withholding of money from “failing hospitals". 

Just as has happened in schools, this will lead to a further demoralisation of NHS staff working in socially deprived areas, recruitment and retention problems and a  worsening of NHS hospital services in those areas.

It would seem that despite the findings if the OFSTED Inquiry, as far as Wes Streeting is concerned lessons have NOT been learned.

[andiatas]

H.R.H. Prince Daniel's opening speech at the European Renal Association's congress

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to welcome you to Sweden, to Stockholm, and to the 61st ERA Congress.

From the early days of dialysis to the groundbreaking innovations in transplantation, you have continuously pushed the boundaries of what is possible.

However, as we celebrate your achievements, we must also recognise the ongoing challenges we face. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) continues to rise globally, affecting millions of people and adding to the enormous burden on healthcare systems.

In developing countries, the situation is particularly critical, with many patients lacking access to life-saving treatments. This inequity underscores the urgent need for continued efforts in research, education, and policy advocacy.

The theme of this year's congress, "Innovate, Collaborate, Transform", reflects a collective mission to not only advance scientific knowledge, but also to implement practical solutions that improve patient outcomes.

Over the next few days, we will hear from leading experts who will share the latest research findings, clinical practices, and technological innovations.

A key focus area this year is the role of personalised medicine in kidney care. By tailoring treatments to the individual needs of patients, we can increase the efficacy and reduce side effects, ultimately leading to better outcomes.

This approach, combined with progress in AI and data analytics, holds the promise of revolutionising how we diagnose, treat, and manage kidney diseases.

We must also address the environmental factors impacting kidney health.

Climate change, pollution, and water scarcity are emerging as significant contributors to the global burden of kidney disease. And of course, a healthy lifestyle is crucial!

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year marks 60 years since the first kidney transplantation took place in Sweden, at a hospital called Serafimerlasarettet here in Stockholm. The surgery was performed by Professor Curt Franksson, who grew up in a small municipality two hours north of Stockholm, Ockelbo.

And so did I, but 50 years later.

Our shared history, Professor Franksson’s and mine, does not end there.

Forty-five years after Franksson's first transplantation at Serafimerlasarettet, I found myself at the same hospital, on dialysis, waiting for a kidney transplant.

Today, 15 years later, I am standing here, healthy, and happy with my father's kidney.

The gratitude I feel towards those of you who dedicate your lives to improving opportunities for us patients is indescribable.

Thank you.

Speech held by H.R.H. Prince Daniel at Stockholmsmässan, Älvsjö, Stockholm, on May 23, 2024.