The correct answer to your survey is "All of the above". All parties will turn to AI for quick, easy, and maybe free answers...why wouldn't they? AI is essentially forming a layer of care before primary care. Maybe we should call it preliminary care, with the unusual feature that no payors or providers are involved. Everyone will react based on their incentives, which are captured in all survey responses.
Bill Spooner - yesterday
I expect that some parties are already lobbying for billing codes to enable payment for AI visits.
Likely it leads to more questions to providers who will then have to route those patients to a virtual or in-person visit so that they do not lose the revenue from visits.
Or it leads to patients delaying or avoiding visits, which I fear, could lead to some unfortunate outcomes.
If we consider the recent ChatGPT Health triage recommendations results this is a dangerous space for the business.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04297-7
RysanWelsh - yesterday
Reducing patient visits will certainly not be viewed favorably by the vertically integrated networks that are so common now in healthcare settings around the country. They need to make up the lost provider revenue, since many practice groups use RVUs as the tracking mechanism for performance, salaries and profits. I expect that Family Practices could start offering low risk cash procedures that would often be specialty based. Perhaps they may offer telehealth visits after hours to capture the Urgent Care market, or go into family or patient counseling in the mental health space for behavioral management, for example.
Fred - yesterday
I would anticipate an increase in patient messages to providers asking for whatever treatment or recommendation the AI suggested. So providers will have to spend time dealing with that… And that may drive virtual or in person visits.
The correct answer to your survey is "All of the above". All parties will turn to AI for quick, easy, and maybe free answers...why wouldn't they? AI is essentially forming a layer of care before primary care. Maybe we should call it preliminary care, with the unusual feature that no payors or providers are involved. Everyone will react based on their incentives, which are captured in all survey responses.
I expect that some parties are already lobbying for billing codes to enable payment for AI visits.
Likely it leads to more questions to providers who will then have to route those patients to a virtual or in-person visit so that they do not lose the revenue from visits.
Or it leads to patients delaying or avoiding visits, which I fear, could lead to some unfortunate outcomes.
If we consider the recent ChatGPT Health triage recommendations results this is a dangerous space for the business.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04297-7
Reducing patient visits will certainly not be viewed favorably by the vertically integrated networks that are so common now in healthcare settings around the country. They need to make up the lost provider revenue, since many practice groups use RVUs as the tracking mechanism for performance, salaries and profits. I expect that Family Practices could start offering low risk cash procedures that would often be specialty based. Perhaps they may offer telehealth visits after hours to capture the Urgent Care market, or go into family or patient counseling in the mental health space for behavioral management, for example.
I would anticipate an increase in patient messages to providers asking for whatever treatment or recommendation the AI suggested. So providers will have to spend time dealing with that… And that may drive virtual or in person visits.