Bot docs are here

The way to make money in medicine is to do procedures (colonoscopies, surgery). Primary care physicians, as a rule, don’t to procedures. They diagnose and, when necessary, refer to a specialist for procedures. So primary care physicians don’t make the big bucks. Med school graduates carrying loans from college and medical school are attracted to the high-paying specialties. Unsurprisingly, there’s a nationwide shortage of primary care physicians. 

AI to the rescue!

“Mass General Brigham has turned to artificial intelligence to address a critical shortage of primary care doctors, launching an AI app that questions patients, reviews medical records, and produces a list of potential diagnoses.

 

“Called “Care Connect,” the platform was launched on Sept. 9 for the 15,000 MGB patients without a primary care doctor. A chatbot that is available 24/7 interviews the patient, then sets up a telehealth appointment with a physician in as little as half an hour. MGB is among the first health care systems nationally to roll out the app.”

But how good is the chatbot at diagnosis?

“In an April study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that an AI system created by the same tech company that made MGB’s matched doctors’ diagnoses and treatments two out of three times. When there was a disagreement, the chatbot proved right twice as often as the physician. And the AI model is only expected to improve as it interacts with more patients and reviews more medical records.”

Color me unsurprised. I can already take my temperature and blood pressure without the intermediation of a physician. Anyone can do their own pregnancy testing. Years ago, I got my genome sequenced and all my variants annotated for $300. Anytime a new risk variant shows up, I can determine whether I carry that variant without my doctor.

Services that physicians once provided are now being done by physician assistants and nurse practitioners. AI is now better that human radiologists in analyzing images (X-rays, CT scans, MRIs). Reduced costs will drive out tradition every time. While having a personal relationship with your doc is a swell thing, I valorize accuracy and thoroughness over personality when it comes to my health.

 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/12/business/mass-general-brigham-ai-patients/

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