Report of a Research Study Conducted by Maimonides Maternal Fetal Medicine Department – Itamar Futterman, Erum Azhar, and Shoshana Haberman https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(22)01987-1/fulltext
In recent years, the obstetrics field has been under significant scrutiny due to a disturbing rise in maternal morbidity and mortality rates across the United States. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) highlighted a nearly 60% increase in maternal mortality rates from 2019 to 2021, alongside an upsurge in severe maternal morbidity. This alarming trend has catalyzed the push towards adopting more robust, evidence-based practices aimed at enhancing maternal health care quality and safety.1
Amid this national healthcare crisis, the Obstetrics Department at Maimonides Health has emerged as a beacon of innovation and hope. Serving a large, diverse, and high-risk patient population, this tertiary care and regional perinatal center faced the common challenges plaguing many busy obstetrical services nationwide: care gaps, delays, and challenges with patient access and accessibility to the right care. The inherent busy nature of these clinical environments often leaves providers stretched too thin, impacting their ability to continuously monitor patients and identify risks in real time.
A Turning Point with AI: The Implementation of Medical Brain
Recognizing the urgent need for change, Maimonides Health took a bold step forward by implementing an AI-based system, HealthPrecision’s Medical Brain, within its Obstetrical Service. This clinical decision support (CDS) platform combines automation and actionable clinical decision support with real-time actionable insights, significantly enhancing providers’ ability to improve outcomes through rapid risk identification and real-time intervention. The Medical Brain aggregates and analyzes patient information from the EMR and other data sources, identifies risks of health deterioration, care gaps, delays and errors, then guides providers in real-time to take corrective action, closing the loop to ensure completion. When needed, the Medical Brain escalates to ensure patients are fully protected.
Impactful Results
The results speak volumes. Following the implementation of the Medical Brain platform, Maimonides Health witnessed a dramatic reduction in the incidence of red never events (RNEs), which are serious and preventable incidents indicating a clear breakdown in the standard of care. The average total RNEs per 1000 live births plummeted from 117.5 to 10.9, marking an astonishing 90.7% reduction. This decline not only showcases the platform’s effectiveness in enhancing patient safety but also illustrates the potential of AI in revolutionizing obstetrical healthcare delivery.
Beyond Numbers: A Change in Care Delivery
The integration of the Medical Brain system into Maimonides’ obstetrical care workflows signifies a transformative leap in healthcare delivery. This sophisticated system offers real-time clinical insights directly to providers’ smartphones, ensuring urgent care needs are met swiftly and in alignment with the latest evidence-based protocols. By reducing the burden of alerts, follow-up tasks, and electronic health record (EHR) documentation by over 90%, it not only enhances patient care but also significantly lightens the workload on healthcare professionals. The Medical Brain stands out for its ability to integrate comprehensive patient data from diverse sources, including EMR, lab results, and radiology, offering a detailed clinical picture that facilitates gap identification in care and documentation. Its proficiency in parsing both structured EMR data and unstructured clinician notes through advanced machine learning and clinical decision support systems is noteworthy. This allows for the early detection of deviations in patient health, offering actionable insights and reducing the incidence of alert fatigue by notifying providers only when necessary, guided by standards from respected entities like ACOG. Furthermore, it bridges the care continuum, benefiting patients in inpatient, ambulatory, and home settings alike, thus encapsulating a holistic approach to patient care and safety.
A Nationwide Model
The success story of Maimonides Health’s Obstetrical Service serves as a powerful model for healthcare institutions nationwide. It underscores the critical role of AI and CDS platforms in addressing the pressing challenges of maternal morbidity and mortality. By harnessing the power of AI technology, healthcare providers can improve clinical decision-making, streamline care delivery workflows, and, most importantly, save lives.
As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, the story of Maimonides Health and the Medical Brain platform offers a glimpse into the future of obstetrical care. It is a testament to the transformative potential of AI in healthcare, paving the way for a safer, more efficient, and patient-centered approach to whole person, high precision maternal care.
