Jackson, Tennessee-based West Tennessee Healthcare is currently testing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, Dragonfly Navigate, developed by Xsolis, aimed at facilitating case managers’ efforts to trim hospital stays. The initiative is being run at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. Dragonfly Navigate scrutinizes real-time patient information in order to ascertain readiness for discharge and suitable post-hospital destination, which might include returning home, placement in skilled nursing, or movement to long-term care.
With services extended across a network of 19 counties, West Tennessee Healthcare provides healthcare for roughly half a million local inhabitants. The organization has incorporated other solutions from Xsolis since 2022. Additionally, construction on a new Bolivar Hospital, another strategic project of West Tennessee Healthcare, commenced in July, as reported by The Tennessee Lookout in an article published on August 18.
Debbie Ashworth, West Tennessee Healthcare’s Executive Director of Care Management, emphasized the AI tool’s role in bolstering clinical proficiency and paving the way for a more preemptive approach toward discharge planning. Joan Butters, Xsolis’ CEO, pointed out the economic burden incurred by hospitals due to discharge delays, amounting to approximately $3,000 per patient per day. She projected a potential cost in millions, and a decrease in admittance capacity, if 20% of the 10,000 patients stay a day longer than necessary.
According to Xsolis, its AI models undergo a process of retraining on a quarterly basis, which is complemented by yearly data and security inspections. The corporation’s goal is to diminish the administrative ping pong with payers, while taking steps to reduce patient risks such as infections and readmissions attributed to superfluous hospital stays.