Honoring Physicians by Fixing the System Around Them

Alan Roga, MD, FACEP, Chief Clinical Officer, Transcarent

Every year on National Doctors’ Day, we recognize physicians for the care they provide and the difference they make. Those moments matter. But after more than 30 years in healthcare, one thing is clear: if we truly want to honor physicians, we need to do more than say “thank you.” We need to fix the system around them so they can focus their expertise on what matters most: the people they serve.

Making room for care

Every physician I know chose this work to help people live healthier, fuller lives. Yet too often, their day is filled with work that distracts from caring for people. Prior authorizations, fragmented records, unclear benefits, and documentation pull them away from their real work.

In a system this complex, it’s worth asking a more meaningful question. What are we doing to give physicians the time and space to show compassion, apply their expertise, and practice at the top of their license?

AI has the potential to play an important role here. When applied thoughtfully, it can remove many of the administrative and coordination burdens that get in the way of care, so physicians can spend more time listening, connecting, and delivering care that is more personal and more human.

Redesigning the system around physicians

Improving the experience for physicians starts by streamlining everything that happens before and after the one-on-one encounter with someone seeking care. AI can help create a more seamless health and care experience by bringing together clinical history, medications, prior care, and benefits into a unified view, so physicians begin with context, instead of piecing information together across systems.

That foundation makes care more consistent and connected. Follow-up, coordination, and ongoing management happen more reliably, while advanced primary virtual care can create continuity and clinical ownership from the start. As friction is reduced across the system, physicians spend less time managing complexity and more time focusing their expertise on the people they serve.

Health Impact: turning strategy into action

This is where a clear framework becomes essential. At Transcarent, we use Health Impact to ensure we are improving the system, not just parts of it. We believe Health Impact should focus on three connected outcomes: better experience for Members and physicians, lower and more appropriate costs, and improved clinical outcomes. These are not separate goals. When they improve together, real change happens.

What makes this possible is our seamless, agentic AI-driven approach to care that anticipates needs and takes action, not just suggests it. By combining priorities like Personalized Health Paths, risk stratification, advanced primary care, care pathways, and a strong focus on clinical quality, care becomes more coordinated, more effective, and easier to navigate.

We are already seeing the benefits of this approach. Our Members receive improved treatment plans through Expert Second Opinions. Cancer care begins faster. Readmissions are reduced. Access improves through on-demand virtual care. Experience reaches best-in-class levels at scale.

For physicians, this translates into something practical and meaningful: stronger alignment around care, more time to focus on what matters most, and greater confidence that Members are getting the right care at the right time.

Supporting physicians with data without adding burden

One of the biggest challenges in healthcare today is not a lack of data; it is the burden of navigating it.

AI helps change that by turning data into something usable, not something physicians have to manage. By bringing together clinical history, medications, benefits, and next best actions into a continuously updated view, physicians can focus on decisions rather than data gathering.

It also helps move care forward. Follow-ups, referrals, and coordination happen more reliably. Information becomes more unified, and benefits become part of the care conversation rather than a barrier. The goal is not to add more technology. It is to reduce the need for physicians to manage the system themselves.

A different way to celebrate Doctors’ Day

Doctors’ Day is an important moment to recognize physicians. But it can also be a moment to reflect on how we support them. That means simplifying the experience for both Members and physicians, aligning care around quality and outcomes, and reducing unnecessary administrative burden. It means giving physicians the time, tools, and clarity to practice at the top of their craft.

At Transcarent, this is the direction we are focused on every day. Using AI and a Health Impact lens, we are working to align experience, outcomes, and cost, and to remove the barriers that get in the way of care. The best way to honor physicians is not just to thank them. It is to make more room for care, for physicians, and for the people they serve.