At its June 2024 meeting, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) House of Delegates approved ASHP policy, the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacy Practice. The policy recognizes the potential for AI to improve patient care, acknowledges the risks and ethical challenges associated with the use of AI in healthcare settings and supports the adoption of policies and procedures related to the use of AI.
ASHP’s position is that the pharmacy workforce is uniquely positioned to serve as key contributors and domain experts in the advancement of AI in healthcare.
ASHP’s Gina Galanou Luchen, director of digital health and data and Scott Anderson, director of member relations for the section of pharmacy informatics and technology, sat down with MobiHealthNews to discuss the role of AI in health system pharmacy practice.
MobiHealthNews: How is AI being used in health system pharmacy?
Gina Luchen: We’re seeing AI used mostly in the administrative and operational areas in health-system pharmacies. Generating communication, assisting with the prior authorization process and analyzing data to find and implement efficiencies in operations are all ways pharmacies are saving time using AI.
In addition, predictive analytics for inventory management and medication demand forecasting are becoming more common, further optimizing operational workflows.
We are seeing slower adoption in the clinical areas, but augmenting practice with AI in clinical areas is the most anticipated opportunity for pharmacy practice. Currently, AI scribes for patient visits are becoming more common, but pharmacists are exploring ways to improve order verification, medication alerts and chart reviews using AI tools.
There is also great opportunity for AI use for drug information, by streamlining and aggregating literature for clinician and patient use.
MHN: Is AI benefiting hospital patients?
Scott Anderson: Patients are increasingly using AI to ask medication-related questions. In some hospitals, AI voice agents are being implemented to help patients quickly learn more about their medications in the inpatient setting, and pharmacists are working behind the scenes to ensure the information is accurate and assessing the use to identify opportunities for more detailed education. Using AI for administrative and operational tasks is also helping pharmacists reach more patients in the hospital by freeing up time for clinical activities.
AI agents assisting with scheduling appointments, helping route patient requests to appropriate providers and improving care logistics also provide an additional benefit for patients who can receive care faster and more efficiently.
MHN: What are the benefits of AI in terms of its impact on how health system pharmacists do their jobs?
Luchen: The use of AI has a strong positive impact on the time a pharmacist is able to spend on clinical activities and patient interactions. The potential of AI to automate low-level tasks, such as initiating prior authorizations and analyzing coding in the electronic health record, allows pharmacists to shift their focus to direct patient care.
With increased implementation of AI tools in clinical practice, there is a reduction in the time it takes to summarize data in the patient chart, collect documentation, locate clinical literature or information, assess a complex medication regimen and predict patient outcomes.
Additionally, the implementation and ongoing maintenance of AI tools provides pharmacists an opportunity to contribute their expertise on the medication use process, increase their digital engagement and develop new skills that ultimately elevate their role and practice.
MHN: Does AI have a future in health system pharmacy in both administrative and clinical areas?
Anderson: Absolutely. Advances in AI tools will help pharmacists elevate their practice and better engage with their patients with seamless integration and a deeper understanding of how the tools are functioning. It is important to address challenges, such as data privacy concerns, algorithm biases and the need for ongoing staff training to ensure effective implementation.
When properly implemented, pharmacists should see AI as an opportunity to improve the entire medication-use process to enhance safety and efficiency and gaining additional efficiencies will help pharmacists spend more time with their patients – particularly those with high acuity and complicated medication regimens.
AI will serve as a significant augmentation tool to elevate the ability of providers to care for patients in a personalized, efficient, safe and effective way. Combining the power of AI with the expertise of clinicians has a tremendous opportunity to improve patient outcomes. AI is here to stay and the responsible implementation of AI tools in health-system pharmacy practice will have a positive impact for years to come.