Dr. Dominik Nowak, President at Ontario Medical Association, speaks with Ben Blanquera, VP, Technology and Sustainability at FAIR/Rackspace Technology, in a video interview about the challenges in healthcare, the administrative burden on doctors, leveraging AI to tackle the persistent challenges, and how the association is advocating the use of the latest technologies while ensuring the best outcome for patients and doctors alike.

Nowak trained at McMaster University, where he specialized in family medicine and served as chief resident. He went on to the University of Toronto to finish a Master of Health Administration at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation as well as the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management. He is a faculty member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He is a recipient of the College of Family Physicians of Canada Award of Excellence for his leadership in Canadian healthcare.

Initiating the conversation, Nowak highlights the significant challenges that Ontario’s healthcare system faces. He references recent global news where a new family doctor signed up in the rural communities and had over 1,000 people lining up amidst a snowstorm at 2 am just to get registered.

The Ontario Medical Association advocates for almost 50,000 doctors towards a better healthcare system, says Nowak, and is encouraged to explore how AI can tackle these challenges.

One of the biggest challenges is the administrative burden, which is robbing doctors from doing what they love, he says. “Doctors love providing care. They train for it. It’s the paperwork, the bureaucracy, and the red tape that’s pulling us away from patients.”

Additionally, the 19 hours per week of unnecessary paperwork also leaves little to no free time for doctors and their families, says Nowak. Sharing an instance of getting an urgent referral for one of his patients, it took him multiple referrals to several hospitals to get an appointment nine months later.

With the way that the healthcare system is set up in Canada, doctors need to advocate for their patients, for instance, follow up on referrals, documentation, or form-filling. Given the current situation, Nowak urges the government to step up and take the load off the doctors, as it is hard to delegate.

Delving further, Nowak states that the patients are at the suffering end as well, because of the administrative burden. An aging population that is living longer with increasing medical conditions, social needs, and complexities, needs more documentation for advocacy.

Cumulatively, all the factors have led to the increase in administrative burden, says Nowak. While the profession and governments are taking some measures to cut down on that, it is not affecting the 19-hour mark.

Consequently, this has an impact on the doctor’s cognitive load during the patient visit. While a patient wants a doctor’s undivided attention, the doctor’s cognitive load is drawn to computers to stay proactive around those 19 hours of red-taping per week.

Therefore, with these innovations coming up, a huge benefit is on the cognitive load, enabling doctors to focus on patient care during visits.

When asked about a specific AI application that resolves the issues, Nowak refers to AI Scribe, which is helping to address this issue. Removing these 19 hours of administrative work from doctors’ responsibilities will improve patient care, and it is joint work.

Elaborating on the tool, Nowak says that typically a doctor’s focus is divided between paper notes and a computer to document the visit in real time. This documentation is essential for keeping records of discussions, decisions, and overall patient history. AI Scribe, however, enables a privacy-conscious system where a computer listens to the conversation and generates a comprehensive note.

The note includes all the necessary medical and legal documentation for future reference, along with details of the decisions made and discussions during the visit, says Nowak. Additionally, it helps highlight key takeaways and follow-up information that could be useful for the patient’s ongoing health.

He then states that the AI-driven tool is ready for healthcare and is already being used by many doctors across the province. Compared to a few months ago, when there were a handful of doctors using it, now, two out of ten doctors in Ontario are incorporating AI Scribe in practice to enhance patient care.

It boils down to the key benefits that include better care for more people, a fulfilling experience for doctors, and less time spent on documentation and administrative tasks, says Nowak.

He adds, “Doctors are saying that they can be better doctors; they could be more responsive to their patients, and it’s more joyful for them because they get to focus on what they signed up for, which is patient care rather than the bureaucracy.”

Speaking of addressing the AI risks, Nowak states that doctors are careful when it comes to medical records, ensuring that everything recorded is accurate. He notes that the records directly impact patient care, influencing future treatment processes and planning.

For instance, if another doctor reviews a patient’s previous notes, their approach to the visit may be shaped by the information, ideas, and treatment plans recorded earlier. That is why it remains essential for doctors to review AI-generated notes, affirms Nowak.

However, AI is significantly taking the cognitive load off doctors’ plates, letting them focus on care. Furthermore, relationships make a difference in healthcare, and by taking off the cognitive load from documentation, it lets the doctors focus on building relationships and providing medical care.

Thereafter, Nowak shares that the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and its subsidiary, OntarioMD, are seeing a variety of options emerging for doctors and are focused on ensuring that the solutions are rooted in high-quality patient care.

The association further ensures that the available technologies and tools for doctors and clinics come with strong support systems and reliable customer service. The goal is that physicians feel confident in the adopted solutions, enabling them to provide the best care.

In conclusion, Nowak states that the association also helps doctors assess the pros and cons when they are considering implementing certain technologies. This includes guidance on privacy considerations and legal requirements, especially for early adopters, and highlighting key factors that can be leveraged to maximize the benefits of technologies for patients.

CDO Magazine appreciates Dr. Dominik Nowak for sharing his insights with our global community.