We have all shopped on Amazon and are familiar with how it suggests additional items for  purchase. By applying an algorithm to your shopping history and personal profile, Amazon has secured its status as  a retail juggernaut. "Big tech" is following in Amazon's footsteps and investing billions of dollars in the health care industry, introducing artificial intelligence (AI) into medicine with projected spending predicted to grow tenfold in five years. With some electronic medical record (EMR) systems already mimicking Amazon's "recommended" functionality for health care treatment options, we are at a turning point in the EMR's evolution. Are you ready to consider the implications of AI in your medical malpractice cases?

Categorical Use of AI in Health Care

There are four general areas where AI is being used in health care: patient monitoring, administrative functioning, computer aided-diagnosis (CAD) and clinical decision support (CDS). The best example of AI-assisted patient monitoring is the use of smart devices and watches that can monitor a patient's condition and predict sudden emergencies, like falls and cardiac events. Administratively, AI is being used for computer-based dictation and automated patient reminders, scheduling and test results. CAD is being used primarily in pathology and imaging as computers are being taught to recognize suspicious findings. CDS is the most advanced use of AI in health care. It attempts to achieve human-level decision making to make suggestions through the application of complex algorithms to patient data. As a result, the EMR can make treatment recommendations, akin to your Amazon retail experience, thereby becoming a new participant in a relationship that was previously limited to the patient and physician.