This study examines the current state of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology applications and their impact on the healthcare industry. In addition to a thorough review of the literature, this study analyzed several real-world examples of AI applications in healthcare. The results indicate that major hospitals are, at present, using AI-enabled systems to augment medical staff in patient diagnosis and treatment activities for a wide range of diseases. In addition, AI systems are making an impact on improving the efficiency of nursing and managerial activities of hospitals. While AI is being embraced positively by healthcare providers, its applications provide both the utopian perspective (new opportunities) and the dystopian view (challenges to overcome). We discuss the details of those opportunities and challenges to provide a balanced view of the value of AI applications in healthcare. It is clear that rapid advances of AI and related technologies will help care providers create new value for their patients and improve the efficiency of their operational processes. Nevertheless, effective applications of AI will require effective planning and strategies to transform the entire care service and operations to reap the benefits of what technologies offer.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine supply chain (SC) innovation for improving organisational performance in the healthcare industry.Design/methodology/approach: A research model is proposed which describes the impact of SC innovation, supplier cooperation, SC efficiency, and quality management (QM) practices on organisational performance. The proposed research model and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling based on data collected from 243 hospitals.Findings: The results of the study support that organisational performance is positively associated with constructs of each SC innovation factor. Innovative design of SC has a significant impact on selection of and cooperation with excellent suppliers, improved SC efficiency, and encouragement of QM practices.Research limitations/implications: The data used in this study were collected from relatively large hospitals with more than 100 beds in South Korea. The generalization of the study results may be limited by the size of sample hospitals.Originality/value: This study provides useful planning information in the healthcare industry. The results suggest successful implementation of SC management is attained through continuous SC innovation with supplier cooperation, which in turn improves organisational performance.

The purpose of this study is to empirically test the effects of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on employee attitude, service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in health-care organisations. The proposed research model was tested using structural equation modelling for hypotheses, based on data collected from 196 pairs of employee–customer respondents in four selected hospitals with more than 500 beds. The results indicate that hospitals can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through efficient operations, employee engagement, and service quality. One of the key findings of our study is that HPWS in health-care organisations influence employee reaction and service quality.