Currently constructing a drive-thru retail pharmacy on the Macomb campus, McDonough District Hospital Interim CEO Bill Murdock is excited for 2024 in growing their presence in Monmouth, connecting and reestablishing with the local communities, and continue recruiting physicians, as labor shortages are a challenge in the healthcare industry, which Murdock explains MDH is exploring with utilizing artificial intelligence behind the scenes:
“There is always a need for labor, but they are just not out there, so we have to find other ways to meet the healthcare needs of the community. I believe artificial intelligence is one avenue to do that. A couple of great examples that we have witnessed, there is software out there now where they can listen to the patient and doctor conversation and it automatically translates into medical records and then it can also, on the backend, on the billing cycle, it can do a lot of automation there, rather than doing phone calls; it can generate statements automatically. There is a lot of behind the scenes things that artificial intelligence can help us out with. Obviously, it won’t take care of the hands on, personal feel, but there is a lot of backend stuff that we can implement to improve efficiencies and processes.”
McDonough District Hospital has served patients in Western Illinois since 1958.