AIRx

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NHS problem

The challenges of understaffing and overworking in general practice is impacting patient care and there is insufficient funding to alleviate the problem. A large proportion of a doctor’s day is spent on paperwork that has no direct benefit to the patient and brings in no additional revenue for the practice. 40% of doctors report that excessive paperwork “poses a serious risk to patient safety”. There are over 79 million medication errors in primary care every year in the UK.

The solution

AIRx is a process automation and data analytics platform for patient records in a primary care setting. Using AI technology, AIRx semantically understands, analyses, and automates actions on the patient record, directly integrated with SystmOne and EMIS Web.

These capabilities power four key areas of functionality:

  • Process automation (including task triage, prescription authorisation, medication reviews, document management, and more);
  • QOF (Quality and Outcomes Framework) optimisation;
  • Clinical trials recruitment;
  • Joint working projects facilitation.

AIRx transforms primary care by saving up to 50% of staff time, boosting remote working capabilities, and leveraging data to generate additional revenue.

Impact

An Oxford University study published in 2020 found that “almost half of all administrative tasks in general practice could be automated”. AIRx estimates that using automation in primary care can save the equivalent of 9,000 full time doctors in the UK, or over £700 million each year.

The AIRx platform was used to automate prescription management in a three-month pilot at four GP practices in England. Over 9,000 prescriptions were processed at negligible cost, saving nearly 800 hours of healthcare professional time that could be allocated elsewhere.

Beyond internal optimisation, AIRx also gives practices access to additional income streams by facilitating collaboration opportunities with private industry. AIRx’s patient data analytics capabilities provide a streamlined way to benefit from the commercial budgets of clinical trials recruitment and pharmaceutical joint working projects.

Their focus is first and foremost, on improving the efficiency and capacity of doctors, their staff, and general practice. However, in doing so, AIRx empowers the primary healthcare sector, enabling it to provide the world-class patient care it is capable of.