Reflections on White Paper: Defining and Advancing the Use of AI in Healthcare Experience

By: Jamie Colbert, MD, MBA 

I chose to become a physician for the same reason many people are drawn to this profession – it was about making a difference in the lives of others. This act of providing care involves developing a relationship between the caregiver and the patient.

For me and many colleagues, it feels like technology and medical records are hindering the human connection that initially attracted us to medicine. Studies have found that healthcare providers spend only about 25% of their working time directly interacting with patients face-to-face.

Over the past decade, I have focused my career on optimizing our care delivery system. Progress has been slow, but the tide is finally shifting. AI technology is positively impacting how providers interact with patients.

In reviewing The Beryl Institute’s recent white paper, I’m struck by how the themes reflect my experience using AI in my practice. As a physician leader, I work with clinicians nationwide to support their use of AI to enhance patient care and improve overall experience.

AI as an Enabler and Equalizer 

Ambient AI leverages large language models (LLM) and artificial intelligence to convert recordings of patient encounters into clinical notes. Through training and customization, the model learns to create notes in my voice with my preferred formatting and language style.

At Commure, I work with thousands of physicians nationwide using AI, and experiences are very similar. Over 90% of providers spend less time on clinical documentation, saving over an hour per day.

As one provider shared, ‘I’ve reclaimed my evenings with my family. Now, I can complete documentation during the workday and be fully present with my patients and loved ones.’ Another physician remarked, ‘With the EHR, you’re focused on getting this checklist done. The ability to look at a patient and dictate their history, rather than charting it and staring at the computer—there’s a definite benefit.’

I’m fortunate to work for a large healthcare system with access to top online clinical resources and specialists. However, many providers I speak with in smaller practices or rural areas lack such resources. Thanks to AI, they can access the same body of medical knowledge.

Enhancement, not Replacement 

 When patients hear about healthcare AI, they may assume that this means their doctors are being replaced by an LLM developed by Silicon Valley programmers. But the reality is quite different. The primary uses of AI today are to help us physicians “up” our game:  

• AI can take on some of the more administrative tasks that are time-consuming, such as the hundreds of clicks I need to make on the computer mouse each time I have a patient visit because of the demands of the EHR.  
• AI can help me more quickly consult a reference and recall the treatment guidelines for specific conditions. 
• AI can also provide patients with resources that answer routine questions and do so in their preferred language and at the desired literacy level.   

AI is a tool that my fellow physicians and I can use to take tasks off our plate. It helps us simplify and get back to what we love most: being present for our patients, listening to them, and ensuring they feel cared for.

What’s Next 

Based on the survey results shared in The Beryl Institute’s white paper, we still have some room to better educate the healthcare community on both the provider and patient side about the opportunities AI creates here. 

• 69% of PX respondents said that they use AI very little or not at all for their experience efforts 
• Only 29% said that AI supports the human experience in a positive way currently 

It takes governance, training, education, and much more to drive adoption of AI in healthcare. We have an opportunity to transform patient care, and I look forward to that future.

About the author:

Dr. Jamie Colbert is a hospitalist at Mass General Brigham and also serves as Chief Medical Officer of Commure, a health technology company that leverages AI to transform care delivery. Prior to joining Commure, he was CMO at Memora Health and Senior Medical Director for Delivery System Innovation and Analytics at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Dr. Colbert holds faculty appointments at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Ariadne Labs, and Harvard Medical School.