Patients are walking into exam rooms with a question already half-answered. Increasingly, the source of that answer is not a nurse line or a pamphlet but generative AI, and health system leaders say the shift is changing their relationships with physicians.
Maneesh Goyal, COO of Mayo Clinic Platform in Rochester, Minn., said the pattern is now common enough to plan around.
“A significant shift we’re seeing is that patients are arriving at appointments more informed and engaged,” Mr. Goyal said. “Increasingly, patients are using generative AI tools to stay informed and prepare questions before meeting their care team. As a result, the role of the clinician is evolving to be the primary source of healthcare information as well as a critical component and trusted expert helping patients interpret that information in the context of their unique medical history and circumstances.”
While in some cases the AI information can make patients more knowledgeable for a smarter discussion, oftentimes without the right context of the patient’s specific situation, the AI recommendations aren’t aligned with the physicians. That changes the patient’s mindset and expectations during their discussions with physicians and then physicians spend time defending their recommendations while explaining why the AI recommendations may not be the patient’s best option. As frustrating as that can be for physicians, patients continue to turn to AI and health systems are starting to shift strategies as a result.
“Healthcare organizations must embrace a future where patients use AI tools and are even more active partners in care,” Mr. Goyal said. “That requires integrating trusted AI capabilities into the care experience and ensuring clinicians have the tools for deeper collaboration and even more personalized care.”
The pattern lines up with broader research showing more than 40 million Americans now use AI tools daily for health-related questions, according to OpenAI, much of it before a patient ever reaches a care team.
At Cincinnati-based UC Health, Senior Vice President and COO Robert Wiehe described a similar dynamic playing out inside his own academic health system, with patients expecting the seamless experience they have in other industries to guide them through their healthcare journeys.
“Patients today aren’t just comparing us to other health systems, they’re comparing us to every other experience they have,” Mr. Wiehe said. “They expect healthcare to be as easy as ordering something from Amazon or managing their finances on their phone.”
UC Health is rethinking their approach to patient expectations and gave patients more control through MyChart and other digital tools to access their information and control their experience. The physicians at UC Health have also noticed patients armed with AI recommendations arriving at appointments with different expectations than they did in the past, which has caused a cultural shift.
“Patients are showing up more informed than ever — often having researched their condition or used AI before they ever see a physician. Rather than viewing that as something to push back against, we’re encouraging our clinicians to see it as an opportunity for a better conversation and stronger patient engagement,” he said. “We’re also seeing patients expect more care to be available closer to where they live. As Cincinnati’s academic health system, we have a responsibility to provide highly specialized, complex care while also making routine care convenient and accessible throughout the region. Balancing those two expectations is one of the most important challenges — and opportunities — facing academic medicine today.”
The response from both systems is notable less for the technology than for the posture: rather than treating an AI-informed patient as a problem to manage, both are training clinicians to treat the AI conversation as a starting point for a better one, part of a broader shift in how patients now use AI throughout the care journey.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
