With many Americans turning to big language models for health advice, health systems across the country are taking notice and even launching their own branded chatbots in an effort to utilize this already popular tool and drive more people to their services. But the growing trend is raising urgent questions and concerns for the country’s complex and generally poorly performing health care system.
Officials have pitched the new offerings as a convenience for patients, meeting people where they are and providing service with digital equity. They also suggest that their chatbots will be a safer alternative to the commercial versions that people are using now.
“We are at a critical juncture in healthcare,” Alan Bloch, CEO of Health, a clinical AI company, said in a statement. “Demand is growing, and patients are already using AI to enhance their lives.”
K Health is working with partner Hartford Healthcare in Connecticut to roll out its PatientGPT chatbot to thousands of its existing patients.
“The question is not whether AI will shape healthcare, it’s about how we do it in a safe, transparent way, inside a health system that connects to your medical records and your care team. PatientGPT represents that turning point,” Bloch said.
But some experts are wary of the rollout, raising concerns about whether chatbots are ready for such a branded debut, whether there will be enough oversight, what liability will look like, and even whether it’s the answer to the care problems patients are actually having.
While these risks and questions persist, the benefits to patients are still only hypothetical. “It’s a fascinating idea,” Adam Rodman, a clinical reasoning researcher and internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, recently told Stat News. But there is no evidence yet to show that integrating chatbots into health systems improves patient outcomes. “We’re not there yet,” he said.
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