A.I—A.I.—Oh! Healthcare matching platform uses machine learning to 'understand' what patients need

It’s been said that numbers tell a story. For Alexandre Chagnon, the numbers compiled and analyzed from an online platform he launched in 2016 told him a story that deviated somewhat from what he had expected. The platform, called Ask Your Pharmacist, had been intended to provide a secure space where patients in Quebec could ask pharmacists health- and drug-related questions. “But we found out that about 30% of the requests were not all within the scope of the practice of a pharmacist,” said Chagnon, a pharmacist whose entrepreneurial spirit and deep interest in technology led to him founding a couple of health-tech ventures and taking on the fast-paced role of digital health program director at Laval University in Laval, Que. “So this started the work where we were trying to train an AI (artificial intelligence) system to predict when a pharmacist was suited to respond to a request, and when it was not.” Chagnon and his team spent four years working with natural language processing technology to teach his company’s AI system to analyze the words and sentences patients use to describe their health situation, and then identify which healthcare professional would be best equipped to address the question or request. Read: Skip Dr. Google—ask a real pharmacist With this goal accomplished, Chagnon his business partner—Quebec pharmacist and entrepreneur Bertrand Bolduc—set out to expand beyond the network of pharmacists signed up to Ask Your Pharmacist to include professionals in other health disciplines. They also changed the platform from Ask Your Pharmacist to Ask Your Pro. Earlier this month Chagnon and Bolduc rolled out Ask Your Pro in Quebec and Ontario, with plans to launch in British Columbia and the east coast in July and in the rest of the country in August. “The plan is to be Canada-wide by September,” said Chagnon. “We want to make sure every Canadian has access to Ask Your Pro.” Read: Helping patients proceed with caution: Phone apps for skin diseases Unlike other marketplace-style platforms that tend to just spit out lists of providers—usually based on incomplete or restrictive criteria—Ask Your Pro matches patients to healthcare professionals based on a deeper understanding of what the patient needs. Once a match is made, the appropriate provider communicates with the patient through a secure messaging platform. Depending on their preference, providers can answer the questions through the platform or send a link where the patient can book an appointment. This process reduces the chance that a patient gets bounced around trying to find the right provider. It also saves time for physicians, pharmacists and other providers. “A lot of the platforms out there that are marketplaces have a problem of relevance—patients don’t know who should they consult so they end up falling back on doctors and nurses,” said Chagnon. “But we don’t have enough doctors and nurses. This is at the root cause of the problems in healthcare.” Read: Artificial intelligence in the service of type 2 diabetes screening Since 2018, more than one million patients have used the platform, which lists over 600 healthcare professionals in Quebec—most of whom are pharmacists—and a growing number of providers in Ontario. The practice specialties on Ask Your Pro includes up to 20 types of providers—from audiologists and dentists to nurses and speech therapists. Chagnon said he was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of allied healthcare workers such as physiotherapists, psychotherapists and social workers come on board right away in Ontario. By comparison, the response from Ontario pharmacists has not been as strong as expected. “With minor ailments prescribing by pharmacists coming to Ontario, it’s important for patients to be able to connect with their pharmacists for issues that fall under this expanded scope of practice,” said Chagnon. “So we need more Ontario pharmacists to join Ask Your Pro.” Read: 'Posted and ready to go': Minor ailments prescribing for pharmacists set for approval in Ontario There’s no cost to providers or to patients to use Ask Your Pro, which generates revenue through advertising. Providers are under no obligation to accept every health request sent to them through the platform, said Chagnon. “It’s on demand,” he explained. “If the provider is looking to acquire new patients, they can be active on the platform. If they don’t need new patients, they can stay on the platform but not be active.” Read: How an ER simulation helps medical and engineering students see new points of view

A.I—A.I.—Oh! Healthcare matching platform uses machine learning to 'understand' what patients need

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