Webinar Recap: 5 Things We Learned from our Primary Care Physicians About AI in Practice
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept in healthcare; it's actively transforming primary care practices today. We recently hosted a webinar with a panel of innovative primary care physicians who are on the front lines of this shift, sharing their firsthand experiences and insights into integrating AI tools into their daily workflows.
Watch the full webinar recording here to dive deeper into these insights and more.
Here are five key takeaways from our discussion with these forward-thinking clinicians:
1. AI Dramatically Reduces Administrative Burden
A recurring theme was AI's profound impact on alleviating the administrative load that often plagues primary care. Panelists highlighted how AI-powered documentation tools, like scribe assistants and notewriting features, automate note creation, summarize patient visits, and even generate to-do lists. This automation frees up valuable time, reduces cognitive overload for physicians, and allows them to dedicate more attention to patient care.
As Dr. Vasant Kulkarni shared, he uses Elation’s Note Assist and other scribe tools that adapt to his preferences, creating succinct notes and even generating "action panels" with clickable links to order labs or send office messages. This seamless integration into the workflow significantly streamlines daily tasks.
2. AI Enhances Clinical Decision-Making and Serves as a "Thought Partner"
Beyond just documentation, AI is proving to be an invaluable assistant in clinical decision-making. Tools like Open Evidence and NotebookLM enable physicians to quickly synthesize vast amounts of patient data, protocols, and clinical guidelines.
Dr. Michael Hobbs described Open Evidence as his "peripheral brain," using it to generate differential diagnoses, write appeal letters for prior authorizations, and even create patient handouts. Dr. David Harden recounted a "zebra-like case" where Open Evidence helped him broaden his differential diagnosis, leading to an accurate and timely diagnosis for a patient with a rare condition. This ability to rapidly access and process complex medical information empowers physicians to make more informed and confident decisions.
Sign up for our next webinar: Fireside Chat with Dr. Nipa Shah on the Role of AI in Primary Care
3. Personalized and Proactive Care is Now More Accessible
AI's ability to extract and present relevant information from large datasets is paving the way for more personalized and proactive patient care. By surfacing insights from electronic health records (EHRs) or external documents, AI can drive population health activities, such as identifying patients who need specific screenings or outreach.
Dr. Harden emphasized how AI can overcome the challenge of data being "locked away" in PDFs within EHRs. With AI, physicians can easily query their EHRs to identify patient populations at risk (e.g., "all female patients with elevated osteoporosis risk who haven't had a DEXA scan"), moving from a reactive to a proactive care model.
4. Independent Practices Can Thrive with AI-Powered Operations
For independent and smaller practices, AI offers a competitive edge by automating business operations that traditionally require more staff. From front-desk and receptionist functions to analytics for patient panel growth, AI can make it feasible for smaller practices to compete and grow.
Dr. Kulkarni shared a visionary perspective on AI's potential to empower independent practices. He mentioned the concept of an AI-powered virtual receptionist, capable of answering phones 24/7 in a physician's own voice, ensuring no missed calls and enhancing patient access. He aptly quoted, "AI is not going to replace humans; humans with AI are going to replace humans without AI."
5. Starting Small and Being Curious is Key to AI Adoption
For physicians new to AI, the advice from our panelists was clear: start small, iterate, and maintain a beginner's mindset. Don't try to overhaul your entire practice at once; instead, identify a specific pain point and pilot an AI tool to address it.
Dr. Harden encouraged simply "taking the first step" and exploring available resources. Dr. Hobbs suggested experimenting with foundational models like Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT, and treating them like "medical students" – smart, capable of finding information, but needing direction. His practical acronym, RTF (Role, Task, Format), provides a simple framework for effective prompting. Dr. Kulkarni offered a concrete starting point: think of a clinical question from your day, go to Open Evidence, sign up, and ask your question.
Ready to Explore AI for Your Practice?
The insights shared by our panel truly showcase AI as a "force multiplier" for primary care. By thoughtfully selecting and implementing AI tools, physicians can reclaim time, augment decision quality, and refocus on the most valuable aspect of their profession: the patient relationship.