OpenAI’s GPT-4 Powers Carbon Health’s Medical Records

US healthcare provider Carbon Health has implemented a transformative AI technology in its operations, utilizing OpenAI’s GPT-4 to generate medical records, thereby streamlining the medical consultation process.

The tool, nicknamed Carby, records and transcribes physician-patient interactions to create medical notes, enhancing the efficacy and efficiency of patient care.

Carby Process

• Consent and Transcription
  With patient consent, Carby utilizes Amazon‘s AWS Transcribe Medical cloud service to convert consultation conversations into text.
• Data Integration
  Carby then integrates this transcript with existing patient data, including recent test results and other pertinent medical history, creating a comprehensive summary of the consultation.
• Interface and Output
  Integrated with Carbon Health’s electronic health records (EHR) system, Carby generates a detailed medical chart, which includes patient information, vital measurements, and a summary of medical records and diagnoses.

Increased Efficiency

Carby has displayed an impressive ability to improve clinical efficiency. According to Carbon Health, Carby can produce consultation summaries in four minutes, in stark contrast to the 16 minutes taken by medical professionals working manually. This reduction in time spent on paperwork allows clinics to see more patients, improving healthcare access.

Despite its capabilities, the AI-driven Carby is not without flaws. Medical professionals must still review the AI-generated summaries, with Carbon Health stating that approximately 88 percent of the text can be used without edits.

Currently, Carby is aiding more than 130 clinics, with over 600 staff members using the tool. Preliminary reports from a clinic in San Francisco testing Carby showed a 30 percent increase in patient capacity.

Industry Response

Other companies, including startups, are also striving to develop similar software. For instance, Abridge has partnered with the University of Kansas Health System to trial its transcription system, while Ambience Healthcare, funded by OpenAI‘s Startup Fund, has launched AutoScribe, another GPT-4 powered product in use in California’s primary care clinics.