New Orleans-based Ochsner Health started using AI to tackle one of healthcare’s most frustrating bottlenecks, medication prior authorizations, two years ago. Now, the health system has concluded that this approach works — so well that it’s being scaled across the organization.
At the end of 2023, Ochsner teamed up with clinical AI startup Latent Health to improve how patients access medications. Since then, the health system said its approval time for medication prior authorization has dropped down to 4–5 minutes, which is 75% faster than industry norms.
The health system deployed Latent’s AI-driven platform in its specialty pharmacy to streamline prior authorizations, appeals and eligibility audits. The startup’s AI engine analyzes past prior authorization requests to predict the documentation required for new ones and automatically surfaces relevant clinical information from the patient’s record. This makes the review process easier for pharmacists because all of the data is in one place, eliminating the need for manual chart-hunting, explained Ochsner CIO Amy Trainor.
The pharmacy department is a space that is “prime for automation,” she noted, saying that Ochsner’s specialty pharmacy was overwhelmed with prior authorization-related tasks.
The manual nature of this type of work — digging through charts and compiling information — is not only time-consuming for burdened pharmacists, but it also takes them away from more meaningful encounters with patients, Trainor pointed out. Giving clinicians more time to focus on patients is a central tenet of Ochsner’s AI strategy, as is the case with many health systems, she said.
Last year alone, more than 20,000 patients received faster medication access as a result of Latent’s platform, Tranior added.
The technology was met with high clinician engagement — which she noted is somewhat rare in the realm of hospital tech deployments, where clinicians don’t always accept new digital tools.
“The pharmacists wanted it to be scaled themselves because it made their lives better. Not only was it helping the patients, but it made their day to day — the hunting and pecking — better,” Trainor remarked.
She noted that some of this success is due to how specialized Latent’s technology is, praising Latent for focusing specifically on pharmacy rather than trying to be a one-size-fits-all AI vendor.
In her view, Latent’s deep domain knowledge allowed faster innovation and better problem-solving. She also highlighted that the startup takes a collaborative approach with its partners — rather than simply dropping its technology into the customer’s lap, Latent embedded itself in Ochsner’s operations and IT teams to co-develop the solution and tweak it when needed.
This type of approach is essential as Ochsner embarks on the journey of scaling Latent’s tech across the health system’s specialty, infusion and retail pharmacies, Trainor said.
“I do believe the focus on pharmacy really gives us such a big opportunity to continue to grow and scale into other spaces, like other types of treatments or infusions — all of those other pieces and parts that are the complexity of pharmacy. This is one of the most complex areas in the hospital — and at least for outpatients, probably one with the biggest impact. If you’re not taking your medications, or you don’t have your approval for your medications, it’s really going to directly impact your care, and you might end up in our emergency room,” she stated.
To her, this project demonstrates how AI can quietly but powerfully reshape both the clinician and patient experience.
Photo: Thai Noipho, Getty Images
