AI In Healthcare: Remote Monitoring, ICU Optimisation To Be Next Growth Frontiers, Says Report

The next major opportunity for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Indian healthcare lies in remote patient monitoring, OT/ICU optimisation, and post-discharge chronic disease management, a report said on Tuesday.

The joint report by Bain & Company and HealthQuad, titled 'AI in Indian Healthcare Delivery', reveals that Indian healthcare providers are shifting AI from experimental testing to real-world applications.

Healthcare providers are deploying AI to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians, the study identified connected clinical care as the significant forward-looking opportunity, currently limited by a 35% electronic medical record (EMR) adoption rate.

"The next phase of adoption will be shaped by providers' ability to bring value, deployability and trust together -- not simply by access to more advanced AI models," Dhruv Sukhrani, Head of Bain & Company's Healthcare & Life Sciences practice in India, said.

India's healthcare infrastructure is well-positioned for faster AI scale than earlier digital waves, driven by government initiatives, rising EMR penetration, and a thriving startup ecosystem, the report said.

Moreover, the amount of expert-level work AI can complete autonomously has been doubling every 6-9 months since 2023, while the cost of frontier models has fallen approximately 92% since 2023, the report noted.

The report highlighted that as hospitals build necessary data foundations, the gap between early movers and the rest of the industry will widen quickly.

Besides, significant "whitespaces" remain in areas like ICU optimisation and chronic disease management, where AI can provide substantial headroom for growth.

For startups, providers without strong in-house technology capabilities represent a major opportunity for integrated platforms.

Namit Chugh, Director, HealthQuad, said, "AI can potentially change that equation by being not just an efficiency lever, but a capacity multiplier." Bain & Company is a global consultancy that works with leaders to solve tough challenges and deliver enduring results across various industries.

HealthQuad is a leading healthcare investment platform with over $500 million in assets under management, focusing on new-age healthcare models and technology.