When it comes to AI in healthcare, it’s common for people to feel uncertain. Patients wonder: Will AI change the way care feels? Will it affect the trust and connection I expect from providers?
Skepticism around artificial intelligence is understandable due to the deeply personal nature of healthcare. Surveys reveal that 60% of Americans feel uncomfortable with AI in diagnosis and treatment. This isn’t limited to patients — research found that nearly 40% of physicians share concerns about its impact on patient relationships and privacy. Recent protests from nurses at Kaiser Permanente opposing AI integration underscore the unease surrounding this technology.
Much of this discomfort stems from misconceptions about AI’s role in healthcare. Contrary to fears of clinician replacement, AI’s near-term potential lies in complementing human expertise, particularly by handling behind-the-scenes tasks that improve efficiency and precision.
Here’s where we might see the most impact:
One of the most effective applications of AI is managing “invisible tasks,” such as data collection and analysis. For example, Oracle recently announced an AI-powered electronic health record system to improve data navigation. Similarly, Microsoft announced it is partnering with leading health systems to develop AI solutions that streamline documentation for nurses. These advancements free clinicians from administrative burdens, enabling them to focus on providing care.
But the real challenge in healthcare isn’t just collecting this data for documentation. It’s knowing what data matters.
AI technology can identify and analyze that data in real time, reducing the cognitive burden on providers and improving decision-making. Clinical experts are particularly enthusiastic about its application in precision healthcare, such as cell and gene therapy, where AI can identify and highlight abnormalities. This data allows teams to review past events with greater accuracy and granularity, uncovering opportunities for improvement and establishing best practices for the future.
AI is also making strides in improving efficiency and productivity, particularly in areas like administrative workflows and team coordination. By analyzing meaningful data, AI can optimize processes such as scheduling and cross-team collaboration. For example, AI-powered scheduling tools are already alleviating patient-facing administrative burdens.
Beyond that, these tools can refine staff scheduling, manage capacity more effectively, and help health systems address factors that contribute to burnout, such as unanticipated overtime. By streamlining these critical tasks, AI increases operational efficiency and improves healthcare providers’ wellbeing.
In my experience planning OR case loads and optimizing OR schedules with hospitals, I’ve seen how complex and important this is, especially as teams encounter variability throughout the day. AI has become a key to overcoming challenges like multi-tasking, schedule shifts, and cross-functional coordination to help clinicians and perioperative staff be more flexible, synchronized, and productive.
The future of AI in healthcare is not about replacing healthcare workers but empowering them. By automating time-consuming tasks and providing real-time communication, AI enables providers to focus on what they do best: delivering exceptional care.
Photo: MR.Cole_Photographer, Getty Images
David Schummers is co-founder and chief executive officer of Apella, a health technology company that makes operating rooms work better. He is passionate about finding innovative solutions to challenges in our health care system. With over 20 years of health technology experience, David has led teams that create new standards of care for multiple disease states including spinal pathologies, gastrointestinal disorders, and cancers. In 2014, David became the first commercial executive of Auris Health, a robotic medical company, and helped transition it from an early start-up to the largest start-up transaction in medical technology history, a $5.7B sale to Johnson and Johnson in 2019.
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