Generative AI is changing the face of healthcare, from large research laboratories to the exam rooms of single-provider clinics.

Today’s deep-learning artificial intelligence excels at recognizing and analyzing patterns. Few medical specialties can match dermatology’s wealth of data-rich images, putting dermatology at the forefront of the technological boom.

On the clinical side of practice, AI tools help doctors diagnose difficult cases and develop treatment plans.

On the administrative side, AI-enabled EHR and practice management software streamlines clinic operations, allowing clinicians and staff to serve patients better, faster, and more efficiently than ever before.

The Latest AI Research in Dermatology

Some of the most promising clinical applications of AI in dermatology involve conditions dermatologists see every day: skin cancer, hair loss, and rashes.

Using AI to Identify Skin Cancer

In a cancer diagnosis, early detection is key to survival. However, skin cancer in its earliest stages can be difficult to detect with the naked eye.

AI-powered medical image analysis is developing into a powerful ally for skin cancer diagnosis. AI tools train on millions of images labeled with such data as condition, treatment, and outcome. The machine learns to recognize subtle abnormalities a human may miss.

In the near future, AI assistants might be a standard tool for a dermatologist performing a routine skin cancer screening. A recent meta-analysis reviewed a number of studies exploring whether physicians could detect cancer just as well on their own as with AI. The study found the tools had a statistically significant impact in both early detection and in diagnostic specificity.

Using AI to Diagnose and Treat Hair Loss

A number of disorders can lead to hair loss. To develop an effective treatment plan, a dermatologist needs to understand the diagnosis, its severity, and how receptive the patient is likely to be to certain treatments.

Research into using AI to diagnose and treat hair disorders is relatively new, but early results are promising.

Italian researchers in 2023 developed an algorithm to analyze trichoscopic patterns used to classify and calculate the severity of androgenic alopecia. And a small 2021 study successfully used AI to predict which patients would respond to treatment for alopecia areata.

Using AI to Identify Skin Rashes

Rashes are a common complaint at dermatology offices. They could be a minor reaction to an environmental irritant, or they could be a symptom of a severe illness.

AI models are being developed to help clinicians diagnose a rash fast – even without seeing the patient in person. Researchers at Johns Hopkins are making progress on an algorithm that can recognize erythema migrans associated with Lyme disease based on nothing more than a cell phone photograph.

While such advancements are exciting, everyday applications may be some time off. A 2023 analysis found that while machine learning has made significant progress in recognizing and diagnosing skin rashes, it’s still less accurate than an experienced doctor.

What AI Advancements Mean for Small Dermatology Practices

AI diagnostic tools are making waves in the research community, but to the average dermatologist in private practice, they may not seem relevant today.

In fact, small dermatology practices all over the country are using AI right now. They’re using it to help manage the administrative side of the practice, from appointment setting to record keeping to billing.

With the right AI-powered tools, practices can become more efficient, more profitable — even more personable.

AI Tools Enhance Patient Engagement

Small practices often struggle with patient engagement. While patients love the personal service they receive, they’re not so happy about the small staff only being reachable during clinic hours.

AI provides patients with 24/7 access to support. Intelligent chatbots answer their questions in a warm, personal tone. Patient portals allow them to share messages asynchronously with their care team. Automated schedulers let them schedule, cancel, and reschedule appointments without a phone call.

These patient engagement tools offer patients the personalized care they desire — without actually having to talk to a person, tying up staff time and phone lines during clinic hours.

Automated Tools Streamline Workflows

Intelligent, specialty-specific EHRs automate routine tasks, turning charting from after-hours drudgery into a two-minute activity completed before the patient even leaves the room.

These smart recordkeepers go beyond saving clinicians time. They ensure coders and billers have all the information they need to submit a claim for the patient visit, shortening the revenue cycle.

And they provide detailed, accurate health histories accessible to every member of a patient’s health care team throughout their life.

AI Sustainably Scales Patient Volume

One upshot of faster charting and patient processing is that it frees up clinician time to see more patients. When dermatology practitioners aren’t spending hours every day doing paperwork, that time can be spent face to face with patients.

When Dermatology Associates of Atlanta implemented a specialty-specific EHR, it was able to reduce how long it took for patient check-in and onboarding by 90%, helping the practice improve its flow of patients into the clinic.

Clinicians using AI-enabled EHRs often report they get more face time per visit. While the machine automatically fills in forms, the provider can concentrate on delivering quality, personal care.

The Benefits of Using AI in a Dermatology Practice

Artificial intelligence is not a tool that will revolutionize dermatology practices someday. The revolution is happening right now.

AI Provides Clinician Support

A clinician in a small practice with a difficult case may second-guess themself. It can be especially difficult for solo practitioners who don’t have a colleague handy to offer a second perspective.

AI provides that support. Intelligent tools can review the data and offer an outside perspective for the provider to consider. This ability to confirm their analysis – or spot flaws in their conclusions – enables providers to make faster decisions, more accurate diagnoses, and more effective treatment plans.

AI Streamlines Clinic Workflows

AI tools streamline the flow of information from clinical to administrative staff. Coders and billers don’t have to wait for doctors to finish charting before they begin filling out claims. When it’s time to do the paperwork, the tool makes sure all the information is readily available.

Eliminating bottlenecks and miscommunication leads to higher claims pass rates and shorter revenue cycles. It also lowers frustration and raises satisfaction for staff.

AI Offers Patients More Personal Attention

As we step into an AI era, a commonly held fear is that AI will remove the humanity from healthcare. Not only is that fear turning out to be unfounded: the opposite is true.

Freed from routine paperwork, clinicians can spend appointments focused on the patient, not clicking through a screen. AI tools like EHRs are actually allowing providers to bring more personal contact to patient visits.

Patients continue to feel the glow of attention outside the exam room. Chatbots and online tools reduce phone calls, allowing office staff to concentrate on the patients in front of them.

The Limitations of AI in Dermatology

Artificial intelligence is opening exciting new avenues in dermatology, but the technology has its limits. When exploring AI tools, be mindful of accuracy, privacy, and critical thinking limitations.

Accuracy Limits of AI Tools

When it comes to technology, users often get what they pay for. Sophisticated tools developed specifically for healthcare are highly accurate. Generic tools available in cheap or free versions are often not.

Before implementing artificial intelligence in your practice, ask the vendor about the algorithm’s training data. Trustworthy AI tools must be trained on massive datasets of accurate information about diverse populations.

When algorithms are developed quickly or trained on inadequate data, they result in tools that can perpetuate bias and hallucinate information.

Privacy Limits of AI Tools

The tools you use in your dermatology practice have access to an astonishing amount of sensitive data — from your patients’ private health information to their financial accounts.

Technology often progresses more rapidly than legislation. Regulations haven’t yet caught up with the capabilities of these tools. The burden of protecting patient privacy falls to scrupulous vendors and conscientious practices.

Any tools you integrate into your practice must have rigorous privacy protections built in by default. It’s imperative to protect that data from unauthorized access by both humans and machines.

Critical Thinking Limits of AI Tools

AI is a valuable clinical assistant, offering opinions and perspectives a clinician may have missed. But not even the smartest AI can replace the judgment of a trained healthcare provider.

No matter how well developed an algorithm may be, it is incapable of considering all the personal, medical, and socioeconomic nuances that could impact a patient.

It’s vital that clinicians never take an AI recommendation at face value and proceed without first giving the insight critical consideration.

AI Helps Dermatology Clinics Balance Practice Success With Patient Care

Introducing AI to your dermatology clinic can be a catalyst for both greater profitability and enhanced patient care.

Nextech is actively developing AI tools to help practices run more efficiently. That added efficiency creates more space in clinicians’ time and focus, enabling them to deliver an outstanding patient experience.

Schedule a demo to explore the ways Nextech’s intelligent, specialty-specific practice tools can help your practice step into a high-tech future.

FAQ

Will AI take over dermatology?

No. AI is providing valuable assistance to dermatologists, but it can’t do their job. AI tools help identify hard-to-see abnormalities, diagnose rare conditions, and develop treatment options. However, AI lacks the critical thinking and judgment that only humans possess.

How is AI being regulated in the medical industry?

In the U.S., AI is mostly regulated at the state level. Some states have already passed laws and restrictions on its use, while other state legislatures consider similar bills.

At the federal level, AI is mentioned in some laws concerning public health and Medicare. AI-powered medical products and devices are subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Are some AI tools better than others?

Yes. Not every machine learning algorithm can deliver accurate, high-quality results.

Your first consideration before using an AI tool should be what it was designed to do. In a healthcare practice, a healthcare-specific AI will be much more useful and accurate than a generic AI that scrapes all of the Internet for information.