How healthcare can mirror the airline industry and maximise time

The airline industry and healthcare are not two things you would usually put together but Jon Payne, technology strategist and innovator at InterSystems, argues they might be able to learn from each other.

The healthcare industry has notoriously lagged behind in its investment in and adoption of information technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no exception. However, the opportunities – and need – to leverage AI for innovation, process improvement, patient and physician satisfaction, and patient outcomes improvement have never been greater.

The Covid-19 pandemic has already created a significant backlog of patients requiring medical appointments. And with GP surgeries in the UK now being urged to resume face-to-face appointments as soon as possible, having the most efficient booking system has never been more critical to ensuring wait times don’t skyrocket – and GPs don’t burn out.

However, according to the NHS, more than 15 million appointments in general practice are wasted each year in England when patients don’t show up (or dial in). This puts the cost of “did not attends” (DNAs) at £216 million – enough to pay for more than 2,300 full-time GPs.