AI in the Doctor's Office

[Valerie]

I haven’t taken the time to understand AI.
Yesterday at my husbands doctor appointment the doctor said he would be using AI as he always uses his laptop these days. I didn’t really understand nor ask why he needed AI for this check up.

[Bootstrap]

I haven’t taken the time to understand AI.
Yesterday at my husbands doctor appointment the doctor said he would be using AI as he always uses his laptop these days. I didn’t really understand nor ask why he needed AI for this check up.

Doctors are often flooded by paperwork, and some are beginning to use AI to listen to the conversation with the patient and transcribe it so that the doctor doesn't have to create notes. They can also use it to summarize past visit notes, comparing it to the patient's complaints, suggest possible diagnoses based on symptoms and tests and medical records, check for possible interactions among prescribed medicines, etc.

You can ask your doctor how they use AI, and you can ask them not to use it if you don't want them to.

[JohnH]

I haven’t taken the time to understand AI.
Yesterday at my husbands doctor appointment the doctor said he would be using AI as he always uses his laptop these days. I didn’t really understand nor ask why he needed AI for this check up.

Doctors are often flooded by paperwork, and some are beginning to use AI to listen to the conversation with the patient and transcribe it so that the doctor doesn't have to create notes. They can also use it to summarize past visit notes, comparing it to the patient's complaints, suggest possible diagnoses based on symptoms and tests and medical records, check for possible interactions among prescribed medicines, etc.

You can ask your doctor how they use AI, and you can ask them not to use it if you don't want them to.

More accurately, the people who employ doctors have decided to use AI as an excuse to lay off medical transcriptionists and other back-office staff and just increase the workload on doctors. We will, of course, not see a commensurate increase in pay for doctors for this - but more money will flow to venture capital-backed AI, along with greedy owners keeping more of the cash for themselves (and giving themselves executive pay raises). (A nearby hospital system pays its CEO $1.3 million; typical doctor pay is barely a tenth of that). The medical transcriptionists get a paltry $18 or so an hour, yet they're the ones targeted by AI for layoffs.

Why can't we have an AI replace CEOs?

AI is notoriously unreliable, but it will be easy to blame the AI for the inevitable medical errors that result from transcription errors due to the use of AI. "Sorry we amputated the wrong limb, but the AI mixed up 'left' and 'right'."

[Bootstrap]

AI is notoriously unreliable, but it will be easy to blame the AI for the inevitable medical errors that result from transcription errors due to the use of AI. "Sorry we amputated the wrong limb, but the AI mixed up 'left' and 'right'."

They are legally liable for what they do, whether or not they use AI. I think that gives them a strong incentive to use AI responsibly. And I think they are keenly aware that getting this wrong would result in expensive lawsuits.

How often does your doctor read your entire medical record, including all lab results, all reported symptoms in all past visits, tracing patterns? They don't have time for that. AI does. And AI can detect some things in CT-scans, MRIs, and X-rays that human doctors can't.

But AI can't replace your doctor. And legally, your doctor is liable, not AI.

[JohnH]

They are legally liable for what they do, whether or not they use AI. I think that gives them a strong incentive to use AI responsibly. And I think they are keenly aware that getting this wrong would result in expensive lawsuits.

How often does your doctor read your entire medical record, including all lab results, all reported symptoms in all past visits, tracing patterns? They don't have time for that. AI does. And AI can detect some things in CT-scans, MRIs, and X-rays that human doctors can't.

Well, in that case, why not just replace doctors with AI altogether (which is, rather obviously, where this is all heading)?

You can get to continue to pay the same high prices for medical care you do today, but instead of seeing a trained doctor, you'll just see an AI chatbot. And since it will be entirely AI, you'll have to sign a waiver of liability since we all know AIs are unreliable, right?

You wouldn't want to be a luddite who refuses to move into a positive technological future, would you?

[Bootstrap]

They are legally liable for what they do, whether or not they use AI. I think that gives them a strong incentive to use AI responsibly. And I think they are keenly aware that getting this wrong would result in expensive lawsuits.

How often does your doctor read your entire medical record, including all lab results, all reported symptoms in all past visits, tracing patterns? They don't have time for that. AI does. And AI can detect some things in CT-scans, MRIs, and X-rays that human doctors can't.

Well, in that case, why not just replace doctors with AI altogether (which is, rather obviously, where this is all heading)?

That's not obvious to me, at least. I don't think AI can replace doctors. But I think they can help doctors do the things listed above efficiently.

[JohnH]

That's not obvious to me, at least. I don't think AI can replace doctors. But I think they can help doctors do the things listed above efficiently.

So, can you point to me when adding more technology has reduced workload on doctors (and other medical staff) instead of just resulting in higher demands/expectations on them?

[QuietlyListening]

So, can you point to me when adding more technology has reduced workload on doctors (and other medical staff) instead of just resulting in higher demands/expectations on them?

A friend is an office manager at a pediatric office and another friend is a doctor. They use AI to help them with their notes- instead of having to either handwrite, type or speak their notes after a visit the AI records the visit, writes the note and the doctor just has to review it. It has saved them a lot of time. The doctors all say that writing or even speaking notes after a visit just adds to their already long day so this does indeed save them time.
It is all voluntary - at least for the docs in the pediatric office and my friend.
My daughter in law- a speech therapist- uses it for her notes on her students to save time too. There are reputable AI services that help them write the notes and in deed does save time.

[JohnH]

So, can you point to me when adding more technology has reduced workload on doctors (and other medical staff) instead of just resulting in higher demands/expectations on them?

A friend is an office manager at a pediatric office and another friend is a doctor. They use AI to help them with their notes- instead of having to either handwrite, type or speak their notes after a visit the AI records the visit, writes the note and the doctor just has to review it. It has saved them a lot of time. The doctors all say that writing or even speaking notes after a visit just adds to their already long day so this does indeed save them time.
It is all voluntary - at least for the docs in the pediatric office and my friend.
My daughter in law- a speech therapist- uses it for her notes on her students to save time too. There are reputable AI services that help them write the notes and in deed does save time.

Do you have any commentary on the well-known problems with AIs being inaccurate or even hallucinating, which is a common problem with using AIs for transcription, and the issues that would result from hallucinated words ending up in someone's medical records?

[QuietlyListening]

They have had no issues to my knowledge. But they do review what AI does.