The healthcare system might stand to undergo a few adjustments before we turn things over to the machines.
There’s a moment early in the 1993 blockbuster film Jurassic Park when the movie’s designated skeptic, Dr. Ian Malcolm (brilliantly portrayed by a seemingly heavily caffeinated Jeff Goldblum), engaged in a spirited debate with the titular theme park’s creator over the ethical considerations of resurrecting dinosaurs for profit, makes something of a profound point regarding the motivation behind the endeavor.
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could,” Malcolm says, “they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
The scene came to mind when digesting a recent RACmonitor article, “AI in Healthcare is a Looming Inevitability.”
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to greatly reduce the cost of healthcare,” the article begins, before delving into the all-too-real-sounding scenario in which AI gradually (and then rapidly) replaces many (if not all) of the 950,000 patient care physicians in the U.S. – a notion seemingly championed not as dystopian or terrifying, but merely fiscally responsible.
“AI has won chess and Go tournaments, and now can pass an MBA exam. It can make complicated decisions. It recently created a complete Al Joe Rogan show, including the voice, indistinguishable from the real personality’s voice. It is better at summarizing information than humans. It writes and responds better than 99.9 percent of humans. In the workforce, AI is replacing humans at a relentless rate,” the article reads. “AI is not unionized; it does not sleep; it works 24 hours per day; it has a capacity to process millions of operations per second. A single giant data center could service the entire United States, and more.”
Well, at least they won’t unionize, right? (But wait – do we even know that for sure?)
Before diving headlong into this, let’s first take a step back and a deep breath and a 30,000-foot view. That could involve a quick glance at where we are, not where we’re going. And where we are is, well, ugly.
To call the American healthcare system’s performance abysmal would even be an understatement. Per federal statistics, we doled out a staggering $4.3 trillion on healthcare in 2021, or nearly $13,000 per person.
What did all that dough get us? Well, The Commonwealth Fund took a look at 11 otherwise comparable nations a couple of years ago. We ranked dead last (by considerable margins) in four out of five key healthcare metrics: access to care, administrative efficiency, equity, and outcomes. In terms of healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP, the 10 other countries studied all clocked in at or below 10 percent. We’re pushing 20 percent (and it was less than 5 percent in 1960).
I’m sure it’s merely coincidental that we’re also the only high-income nation on earth that doesn’t universally guarantee health coverage. Otherwise known as the reason that two-thirds of all personal bankruptcies in the U.S. result from medical bills.
But wait just a second! Isn’t all this an argument in FAVOR of AI, not against it? Is our healthcare system so fatally flawed that burning it all down and starting from scratch could be a viable solution?
You’d think so, right? But no. Doctor salaries add up to about 8 percent of U.S. healthcare costs (not 80, 8). The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that even a drastic 40-percent cut in such salaries would reduce overall healthcare spending by about 3 percent.
Making up a far bigger piece of the pie is administrative spending, accounting for somewhere between 15 to 25 percent. And “at least half” of such spending “does not contribute to health outcomes in any discernable way,” according to a Health Affairs research brief.
Yes, pointing out the problems is far easier than identifying the solutions, and I’d be the first to admit that there is a long, winding road ahead toward improvement. But I’d humbly suggest that we just need to see some of that improvement before even dreaming of talking about AI doctors becoming the norm. By no means am I against AI as a concept, but artificial intelligence will only be as effective as the human intelligence applying it. And human intelligence got us in the mess we’re in now.
Plus, an AMA survey done last year found a record high of 63 percent of physician respondents reporting symptoms of burnout. Could we cut them some slack before we start suggesting they get the ax? I’m sure if you asked them, they’d say that burnout is preferable to unemployment.
In the meantime, maybe we keep the words of Dr. Malcolm in mind. If I recall correctly, the rest of the movie didn’t do very much to prove him wrong.
And let’s all perhaps be a little more skeptical of anything described as a panacea. Too often such promises turn out to be more of a Pandora’s box.
When you hear about pixels, you might think of computer screens – the smaller the pixels, the better the image. Or you might think of
They say artificial intelligence (AI) will improve medicine. But how good is it? Recently, several independent studies tested the leading AI systems, including the PrIME-LLM
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Breast biopsy procedures may be clinically straightforward but accurately translating them into compliant billing can be anything but. In this focused webcast, Shawn Blackburn, CPC, CPMA, CIC, CRC, CCS-P breaks down how imaging guidance, lesion count, laterality, and payer expectations all impact how these procedures should be reported. Through clear explanations and real-world scenarios, you’ll gain practical insight into aligning clinical workflows with billing requirements, avoiding common pitfalls, and ensuring your documentation supports accurate reimbursement and compliance.
Gain clarity and confidence in OB‑GYN coding with this expert‑led webcast featuring Sherri L. Clayton, RHIT, CSS. You’ll learn how to apply global maternity package rules accurately, select the right CPT codes for procedures and visits, and identify documentation gaps that lead to denials. With practical guidance and real examples, this session helps you strengthen compliance, reduce audit risk, and ensure accurate reimbursement for women’s health services.
Uncover essential coding insights with nationally recognized coding authority Kay Piper, RHIA, CDIP, CCS. Through ICD10monitor’s interactive, on‑demand webcast series, Kay walks you through the AHA’s 2026 ICD‑10‑CM/PCS Quarterly Coding Clinics, translating each update into practical, easy‑to‑apply guidance designed to sharpen precision, ensure compliance, and strengthen day‑to‑day decision‑making. Available shortly after each official release.
Uncover critical guidance on the ICD-10-CM/PCS code updates. Kay Piper reviews and explains ICD-10-CM/PCS coding guidelines in the AHA’s fourth quarter 2026 ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding Clinic in an easy to access on-demand webcast.
Traditional utilization management models can no longer keep pace with regulatory shifts, payer scrutiny, and operational pressures. In this webcast, Tiffany Ferguson, LMSW, CMAC, ACM, ACPA-C, introduces an Adaptive Model strategy that modernizes UM through role specialization, technology-driven workflows, and proactive, team-based processes. Attendees will learn how to restructure programs to improve efficiency, strengthen clinical collaboration, and enhance financial performance in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
Federal auditors are intensifying their focus on inpatient psychiatric facilities, using advanced data analytics to spotlight outliers and pursue high‑dollar repayments. In this high‑impact webcast, Michael Calahan, PA, MBA, Compliance Officer and V.P., Hospital & Physician Compliance, breaks down what regulators are really targeting in IPF-PPS admissions, documentation, treatment and discharge planning. Attendees will learn practical steps to tighten processes, avoid common audit triggers and protect reimbursement and reduce the risk of multimillion-dollar repayment demands.
In this timely session, Stacey Shillito, CDIP, CPMA, CCS, CCS-P, CPEDC, COPC, breaks down the complexities of Medical Decision Making (MDM) documentation so providers can confidently capture the true complexity of their care. Attendees will learn practical, efficient strategies to ensure documentation aligns with current E/M guidelines, supports accurate coding, and reduces audit risk, all without adding to charting time.
Join Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHCQM for The PEPPER Returns – Risk and Opportunity at Your Fingertips, a practical webcast that demystifies the PEPPER and shows you how to turn complex claims data into actionable insights. Dr. Hirsch will explain how to interpret key measures, identify compliance risks, uncover missed revenue opportunities, and understand new updates in the PEPPER, all to help your organization stay ahead of audits and use this powerful data proactively.
Celebrate Lab Week with MedLearn! Sign up to win one year of our Laboratory All Access Pass! Click here to learn more →
Have a Medicare regulation question you’d love Dr. Hirsch to answer? Now is your chance! CLICK HERE to learn more→
Happy National Doctor’s Day! Learn how to get a complimentary webcast on ‘Decoding Social Admissions’ as a token of our heartfelt appreciation! Click here to learn more →
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 1 with code CYBER25
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24
