Patients want doctors rather than data entry: modmed means more facial time, find use of almost 60% of AI support

Modmed, a leader in medical technology, today published findings from a new study on the patient's perspective on the use of AI in medical practices. A survey of 2,000 US patients benchmarks public sentiment and expectations for specific AI applications in healthcare, particularly in doctors' offices.

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“This is where the insights of real AI begin” are described by a banner copy of the “PhD AI” report.

Modmed discoveries last around alertness (55% discomfort) around AI for diagnosis, but more than half of patients (57%) mean facial time with a doctor, support AI in the examination room like an ambi-entry solution. These results represent a major change since early 2023, when the Pew Research Center published its findings from the survey.¹ This proved to be uncomfortable with healthcare providers who rely on AI, especially in their diagnostic capabilities.

Importantly, the new study revealed how patients expect to be informed of AI use across the clinic – from check-in to testing labs to payments, information they want to receive and how they want to receive it.

Important findings:

Patients say yes to AI for more quality time with their doctor. A majority (57%) of survey respondents reported that doctors prefer to utilize AI in the examination room for documentation when it means that patients will increase their facial time with the doctor. That desire is based on experience. Three out of four survey respondents (77%) said they spent less than 15 minutes with the doctor in the examination room, and almost a third (28%) of respondents said they spent 7-12 on the document focusing on the doctor during their visit.
Some patients accept the use of AI in administrative tasks, but not clinical decision-making. This study used the “apply everything” format to reveal the different levels of patient comfort that AI can help behind the scenes. For administrative tasks, respondents said they were open to behind the scenes AI, such as scheduling appointments and reminders (35%), patient check-in (31%) or prescription supplementation support (42%). However, 55% say they feel uncomfortable with the office of doctors who use AI to create a diagnosis or treatment plan.
Patients expect strong guardrails around healthcare AI. As 83% say that AI used in diagnosis and treatment should meet safety and accuracy standards, most respondents want clear protection, while 72% believe it is important to know the source of training data for AI models.
Patients want to know when and how AI is involved. Transparency Issues: 81% of respondents focus on their desire to communicate whether their doctor's office is using AI, and 55% predict whether AI is helping with diagnosis or treatment. When AI is used for follow-ups such as lab results, almost half (46%) expect disclosure, while 40% prefer to hear directly from a doctor or care team about their use of AI (27%), as opposed to others who prefer to sign a consent form (31%) or check information on their doctor's website (27%).
Financial tools with AI must gain trust: Approximately one-third of patients (34%) worry about AI accessing credit card information, but most (57%) support it to speed up claim processing. Small groups (24%) are happy that AI will help appeal for denied insurance claims.

Together, these insights provide a roadmap for healthcare providers. Patients are embracing innovation, but only when building trust, increasing connections, and making care more human.

“For too long, technology has been putting screens and documents between doctors and their patients,” said Dan Cane, co-founder and co-CEO of ModMed. “Our vision is to remove these barriers, allowing physicians and providers to focus on patients, knowing that intelligent systems will function quietly in the background, anticipate needs and streamline the process.

Kane said, “As this study suggests, patients want a more human-centered experience and when AI is transparent, we consider it an AI as a solution. We are committed to providing safe and responsible AI that truly improves the experiences of both clinicians and patients.”

For more insights, download the full AI in the Doctor's Office Report: What Patients Are Really Thinking.

Methodology

The study was distributed by Talker Research to US patients over the age of 18 who were seen by doctors within the past year. A total of 2,000 responses were collected between December 2nd and December 6th, 2024. The survey was commissioned by ModMed and conducted online.

¹“60% of Americans will be uncomfortable with providers relying on AI in their health care,” Pew Research Center Report (February 22, 2023)

About Modmed

ModMed empowers medical practices to grow and expand by providing better patient experiences with cloud, data and AI technology. Leverage a wide range of clinical datasets to design intelligent software solutions that simplify, automate and streamline clinical workflows, and drive practice efficiency. Over 40,000 providers use products to drive clinical and operational success, as well as products for specialized EHR, practice management, revenue cycle management, analytics solutions, patient engagement, payment processing and marketing. Find out more on modmed.com or on our blog. Please connect via Facebook and LinkedIn. X (Twitter) and Instagram.