Oracle Health's patient portal AI takes aim at medical jargon

Oracle Health is looking to build the ChatGPT of patient portals, with the company unveiling a new patient portal AI tool aimed at promoting patient engagement and easing patient health literacy hangups.

The technology can be used to securely deliver clear, plain-language explanations of patient diagnoses, test results and applicable treatment options, the health tech company said at the Oracle Health and Life Sciences Summit. Patients will also be able to ask the AI clarifying questions, like what a certain abbreviation means or the result of a particular test.

The system is built using OpenAI's technology in what Oracle said is the company's next step "to deliver conversational AI across healthcare." Notably, Oracle stressed that no personal medical data will be stored by OpenAI.

"Delivering ChatGPT-like conversational experiences in the Oracle Health Patient Portal -- built on OpenAI frontier models and within Oracle's secure safeguards -- demonstrates how responsible AI can empower patients with more information about their health," Seema Verma, executive vice president and general manager of Oracle Health and Life Sciences, said in a press release announcing the tool.

More specifically, the patient portal AI tool sets out to translate medical jargon for patients, something previous research has found AI is ripe to do. This is critical, as the nation sees middling patient health literacy levels at best. Meanwhile, more patients than ever are accessing their patient portals and provider notes, potentially opening an opportunity for potential confusion.

Oracle Health said the new AI within its patient portal will be able to explain complex test results, which is particularly useful because many medical test results use unintuitive language for patients. For example, "negative" has a negative connotation, except in lab results. The system will also work to simplify medical jargon.

Moreover, Oracle Health said the AI is designed to improve patient engagement in care.

"While we are proud of what our new EHR can do for clinicians, our commitment to the patient experience is at the center of everything that we do," Verma said during the opening keynote of the Oracle Health event. "Oracle is working to completely reimagine patient engagement through our new portal, giving patients access to their complete medical record and putting the power of AI in their hands."

More specifically, the AI can help patients craft questions for their providers -- or even field a query itself -- while patients prepare for clinic visits. The tool is also designed to let patients draft secure direct messages via the patient portal and schedule follow-up care when necessary.

"With advanced conversational AI embedded across a patient's comprehensive medical record, people can be more proactive in managing their care by asking questions and gaining a deeper understanding of their health," Verma noted in the press release. "This level of engagement is crucial in helping to keep patients on track with their treatment plans, ultimately supporting better outcomes and a more personalized healthcare experience that builds greater patient satisfaction."

Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.