Healthcare systems across the U.S. are launching artificial intelligence chatbots to help patients access medical guidance faster, even as physicians remain divided over the risks and benefits, Newsweek reported on Sunday.
Hartford HealthCare recently launched Patient GPT, built by clinical AI company K Health, for patients in Connecticut. California-based Sutter Health and Reid Health, which serves Indiana and Ohio, have rolled out Emmie, built by healthcare software company Epic. Both platforms access patients’ medical records and operate within HIPAA-protected environments, setting them apart from consumer chatbots.
Allon Bloch, CEO of K Health, told Newsweek that Patient GPT allows patients to book a doctor’s appointment 24/7, with some appointments available in as little as 15 minutes. “A doctor might take 20 minutes just to read through a medical record,” Bloch said. “Now it’s all there and ready for the doctor.”
Demand Is Outpacing the System
The rollout comes as hospital waiting times worsen. Patients now wait a month on average to see a doctor, a 19% increase from 2022, according to a 2025 AMN Healthcare report. About 25% of Americans have already used an AI tool for health information, according to a Gallup poll.
Some surveys suggest lower-income groups are more likely to turn to AI tools when cost or access to doctors is a barrier, and some patients report delaying or skipping visits after receiving AI-generated guidance.
Doctors Raise The Bar On Monitoring
Nigam Shah, professor of Medicine at Stanford University, told Newsweek the tools were a “net positive” but cautioned that questions remained about how effectively they would be monitored.
Suchi Saria, professor of computer science and health policy at Johns Hopkins University, told Newsweek that “the same technology can either meaningfully improve care or quietly introduce risk, depending on how rigorously it’s built, validated, and monitored.”
Governance and monitoring standards for patient-facing AI remain inconsistent across hospital systems. A Utah pilot by telepsychiatry company Legion Health is already testing AI-powered prescription renewals for stable mental health patients at $20 per month, with the median psychiatry appointment wait time sitting around 67 days nationally.
The use of AI chatbots in hospitals is expanding alongside ongoing evaluations of their accuracy, regulatory compliance, and role within existing healthcare systems.
Disclaimer: This content was produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A via Shuttestock
Recent Comments