I began my career as a primary care physician at Kaiser Permanente. Even at one of the most innovative health systems in the country, I saw the challenges with expanding access to care. I was a leader in bringing new technology into care delivery workflows to try to improve things, from implementing EHRs at Kaiser to later creating proprietary clinical algorithms for virtual care at Lemonaid Health.
The development of AI scribes is a great example of how new technology can provide a more connected experience between patients and clinicians. They allow clinicians time and space to stay focused on delivering care. This is a significant benefit, and it’s why there’s been such momentum for them both in terms of funding and partnership deals.
But while AI scribes currently improve a clinician's focus and presence in front of a patient, it is still a one-on-one interaction that requires both people to be in the same space at the same time.
The next evolution of using technology to improve care is AI that not only listens to the patient encounter to document it, but also starts even further upstream by greeting the patient, asking, “How can I help you today?”
This would take us beyond improving the sacred clinician-patient experience and actually address the looming primary care workforce shortage by using AI to scale clinical expertise. Patients could have their symptoms, concerns, and medical history taken by an empathetic and thoughtful AI resident, who then presents to an attending physician for further evaluation and treatment. Whether via text, audio, or even via a video avatar, the encounters would feature an ideal bedside manner and no longer be constrained by physical location or time of day.
AI can help clinicians work more efficiently so we can spend more of our time and energy on the part of our job we love, providing empathetic care, which is also the part that really benefits patients in their most vulnerable moments. This won’t just make clinicians better at what they do, it also would make care more accessible and affordable for more patients.
How have you seen technology changing care delivery in your experience? Where do you hope it will improve in the future?
