A recent study by the American Medical Association found that 81% of physicians surveyed use some form of augmented intelligence tools.
This result is more than double the 2023 poll.
According to the study, these 1,700 physicians are using AI tools to record their visits, create discharge orders, and stay up to date on medical research.
The AMA House of Representatives uses the term augmented intelligence instead of artificial intelligence to emphasize that AI supports and enhances human intelligence, rather than replacing it.
John White, CEO and executive vice president of the American Medical Association, reiterated these findings on the association’s website, expressing the need for regulation.
“Physicians are excited about this ability to support clinical decision-making and reduce administrative burden,” White said. “But as this technology advances, it is important that augmented intelligence is designed to augment, rather than replace, doctors.”
As healthcare providers increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, healthcare leaders and regulators are working to ensure the technology is used safely and responsibly.
White emphasized that doctors should “help shape the way AI is integrated into healthcare.”
“For physicians to trust and use these tools, they must be safe, effective, and used responsibly to truly improve patient care,” White said.
But who will pay for them?
On April 9, 2025, S.1399-HealthTech Investment Act was introduced in the Senate.
The bipartisan bill aims to amend Title 18 of the Social Security Act to “ensure appropriate payment for health care services based on certain algorithms under the Medicare program,” according to the bill.
“These services must be provided through a device licensed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other similarly designed software to generate clinical output or generate clinical conclusions,” the bill states.
Additionally, the bill says these services must be used by “physicians or health care professionals for the screening, detection, diagnosis, or treatment of conditions or diseases in individuals.”
Dr. Omar S. Khokhar of Illinois GastroHealth and OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington said the use of AI in colonoscopies “doesn’t add any additional cost to patients.”
“The cost of the AI system will be borne by the surgery center,” Kokar said.
Additionally, he added, “We will fully disclose that we are using AI before colonoscopies.”
“[And] We do not collect any patient data,” Kokar said.
Patients also don’t pay when providers use ambient listening AI, said Dr. Michael Endris, a pediatrician at OSF Medical Group in Bloomington.
They also have to consent to its use, Endriss said.
“By default, this feature will not be used unless you have given consent first,” Endriss said. Patients must sign a form consenting to its use. ”
Last fall, the American Medical Association launched the AMA Center for Digital Health and AI.
According to its website, the center aims to build “partnerships with regulators, policy makers, and technology leaders to form benchmarks for the safe and effective use of augmented intelligence and other digital tools in healthcare,” as well as educate and support physicians in their use.
Unfortunately, as AI is incorporated into many aspects of healthcare organizations, including administrative, care support workflows, clinical and operational aspects, healthcare organizations “face new risks related to patient safety, privacy, bias, transparency, and oversight,” the Joint Commission’s website states.
Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission is an independent, nonprofit organization that accredits more than 20,000 health care programs and organizations in the United States, with most of its functions directly related to patient safety, according to the National Library of Medicine.
To help healthcare organizations use augmented intelligence responsibly, the Joint Commission recently created a voluntary certification called Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare.
According to the Joint Commission’s website, the certification will recognize U.S. healthcare organizations that “demonstrate that they have governance, safeguards, oversight processes, and education in place to use AI responsibly.”
According to the website, this certification does not certify individual AI products or tools.
But it will create a “blueprint for the safe and appropriate use of AI,” Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, chairman and chief executive officer of the Joint Commission, said on the commission’s website.
Karen Harris, executive vice president and general counsel for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, said the association supports systems that improve patient outcomes, expand access to care and reduce costs.
But while the association generally supports AI, it also recognizes that it is in its infancy, Harris said.
Therefore, policymakers should keep three things in mind. It’s about remembering the past while planning for the future. Adopt common definitions and laws while tailoring regulations to industry. And it’s about balancing innovation with appropriate safety precautions, Harris said.
For example, Harris said the AI Act should be considered as a living policy.
“We need to get some initial frameworks out there, but lawmakers need to be cognizant of the fact that the AI technology we’re seeing continues to grow and evolve,” Harris said.
Harris said the law should also recognize that certain industries need to comply with other regulatory frameworks to prevent duplication or impede requirements already in place.
“HIPAA already provides strong protections for data and privacy,” Harris said. “But other industries may not.”
Finally, Harris said AI definitely needs guardrails. But guardrails should not negatively impact systems already in place and proven to be useful in preventing harm, she said.
That means policymakers need to continue engaging with health care providers, patients and other stakeholders, Harris said.
“So ultimately to ensure that we develop prudent, forward-thinking guardrails that protect patients, enable innovation, and improve health care delivery,” Harris said.
