NTT Data: Only 49% of Healthcare Leaders State GenAI Strategy Is Working

What You Should Know: 

– New research from NTT DATA, a global leader in business and technology services, reveals a significant challenge for healthcare organizations: a struggle to align their Generative AI (GenAI) ambitions with practical implementation strategies. While over 80% of healthcare leaders surveyed state they have a well-defined GenAI strategy, only 40% agree that this strategy strongly aligns with their overall business strategy. Furthermore, just 54% classify their GenAI capability as high-performing.

– These findings are among the highlights of NTT DATA’s new executive insight report, GenAI: The Care Plan for Powering Positive Health Outcomes, based on responses from 425 decision-makers and influencers across 33 countries.

Today of GenAI Adoption/Strategy in Healthcare

GenAI is already transforming healthcare, promising enhanced quality of patient and provider experiences, as well as better financial outcomes.

• Accelerated R&D: 94% of respondents say GenAI accelerates R&D, leading to faster access to new treatments, improved diagnostics, predictive analytics, and task automation.
• Operational Benefits: Human-centric GenAI solutions are enabling clinicians and administrative staff to work more efficiently. Examples include predicting chronic diseases for early intervention and reducing handling time for prior authorization inquiries. NTT DATA and Duke Health are specifically using GenAI to create advanced interactive models for home care, aiming to improve outcomes while reducing clinician, hospital, and patient workloads and stress.
• Compliance and Process Adherence: Improved compliance and process adherence are among the top outcomes from current GenAI investments.

3 Key Barriers to Realizing GenAI’s Full Potential

Despite the high ambitions, significant hurdles are hindering the full realization of GenAI’s potential and return on investment (ROI):

1. Data Security, Privacy, and Ethics: A massive 91% of healthcare executives fear privacy violations and potential misuse of Protected Health Information (PHI). Only 42% strongly agree that their existing cybersecurity controls effectively protect current GenAI applications.
2. Skills Gap and Workforce Impact: 75% acknowledge a lack of necessary skills to work with GenAI effectively. Organizations are addressing GenAI’s impact on employee roles and responsibilities, with 93% doing so.
3. Outdated Technology Infrastructure and Data Readiness: 91% state that legacy infrastructure greatly affects their ability to use GenAI. Only 44% strongly agree they have sufficiently invested in data storage and processing capabilities for GenAI workloads, and only 48% have assessed the GenAI readiness of their data and platforms.

5 Strategies for Successful and Responsible GenAI Implementation

To overcome these challenges and unlock GenAI’s full potential, NTT DATA’s report outlines key five strategic imperatives:

1. Align Technology with Business Strategy: Organizations must align GenAI with their overarching business strategies to ensure investments drive measurable outcomes.
2. Develop Comprehensive Workforce Training: Addressing the skills gap through robust training programs is vital for effective GenAI utilization.
3. Implement Multilayered Governance: Establishing governance strategies that prioritize people and keep humans in the loop is crucial for safe and ethical AI adoption.
4. Prioritize Data Quality and Security: Success hinges on high data quality and strong cybersecurity controls, especially given the sensitivity of healthcare data. 87% of respondents agree the existing benefits and long-term potential of GenAI outweigh security and legal risks, and 59% plan significant GenAI investments over the next two years.
5. Embrace Cloud-Based Solutions: 95% believe cloud-based solutions are the most practical and cost-effective option for their GenAI technology needs.

Sundar Srinivasan, Head of Healthcare, NTT DATA North America, emphasized, “To achieve GenAI’s full potential in healthcare, organizations must align the technology to their business strategies, develop comprehensive workforce training, and implement multilayered governance strategies that prioritize people and keep humans in the loop. It’s vital to transparently show how the technology benefits patients by complementing human workers.” He added, “Success hinges on high data quality and establishing collaborative decision-making teams.”