AI and Physician Burnout
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Colleagues:
The powerfulness of any technology is a double-edged sword. The more potential for greater good is matched by the same potential for greater evil. I was reminded of this fact while recently attending as a guest at a Panel Discussion on Artificial Intelligence sponsored by Newsweek at its World Trade Center headquarters on September 17.
AI is finding early integration in medical specialties such as Radiology that have previously adopted national data set standards like DICOM. We can also foresee AI integration into machine imaging software and into software protocols for radiation therapy. As AI is applied to language-based data sets, imagine the time savings if AI is used to compose hospital Discharge Summaries, for example. Indeed, using AI to do the data gathering and paperwork of medicine has the potential to free up time for physicians to do more of what makes up the joy of medicine.
Unfortunately, we are already seeing some of the downsides of AI, as insurance companies are now using AI to analyze claims data. Who would have predicted that instead of increasing diagnostic accuracy and reducing the scut-work of medicine, that one of the first consequences of introducing AI into medical care is that insurance claim denials have increased? It is outrageous that misuse of AI has forced physicians to spend even more of their time fighting for the tests they know are needed to provide the highest quality care for their patients. Misuse of AI is already hurting our patients in 2024.
Another concern is that as AI is incorporated into medical delivery systems, any time savings for physicians will be appropriated by the employers as they demand that more patients be seen with less time per patient. More time for the patient, or more time to produce more RVU’s?
One important take-away message from the recent Newsweek Panel Discussion is that our medical delivery system is broken, and that AI is only a tool. We need to fix the system. Throwing AI alone at the system is not going to fix the underlying systemic problems that contribute to physician burnout and moral injury.
So, what can you do? Ask your colleagues to join MSSNY and contribute to our PAC, so that our collective voices can be amplified on this and all pending issues that affect your practice and your patients.
All the best,
Jerome C. Cohen, MD
MSSNY President
