UNC Health to pilot Epic, Microsoft’s generative AI tool

As part of a program with Epic, UNC Health is to become an early adopter of Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools. In April, Epic and Microsoft announced a partnership to collaborate on the development and integration of Large Language Models into Epic's software.

The initial implementation will involve five to ten physicians at UNC Health. They will join other early adopters from UC San Diego Health, the University of Wisconsin Health, and Stanford Health Care, with additional healthcare systems participating in the subsequent rollout phase.

The application of the technology will focus on "more administrative" types of messages, similar to how smartphones suggest responses to text messages. Physicians can choose to accept the suggested responses or write their own. 

It is important to note that AI will not replace the judgment of clinicians, as there will always be a person reviewing and sending the messages. The AI system simply assists in saving time and keystrokes.

The program will utilise generative AI to automatically draft responses for commonly encountered patient messages that are typically time-consuming. The integrated AI tools in Epic@UNC, the healthcare system's electronic health record system, will generate a response to a patient's message in My UNC Chart. 

However, it is the responsibility of the physician to review and potentially modify the message before sending it.