Mina Obbehat, MD, Medical Director, The Transcarent Clinic

Watching my mother routinely donate blood as a child ignited my curiosity about medicine and inspired my desire to help others, fueling my ambition to make a meaningful impact in healthcare. I was in awe of how her simple act in the middle of the mall could save lives elsewhere. Questions swirled in my mind: How did the technology work? How were the right matches found? In the 80s, much of it was still done manually.

After completing my residency in family medicine, I joined a practice, dedicating twelve years to the comprehensive care of diverse populations. While I found fulfillment in individual patient successes, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being part of a broken system. It was clear to me early on that the Canadian healthcare system that I grew up with was quite different than the complex U.S. system. Here in the U.S., I witnessed patients delaying tests and treatments due to confusion surrounding their insurance and costs. Often, I spent as much time guiding them through the intricacies of their healthcare plans as I did explaining their diagnoses. My team and I frequently found ourselves drowning in paperwork and discussions with insurance representatives. The promise of electronic medical records was meant to ease these frustrations, yet they often led to more “clicks” and confusion instead of answers and clarity.

More than five years ago, driven by curiosity and a sense of purpose, I seized an unexpected opportunity on Facebook. I traded my stethoscope for a laptop and joined the virtual care startup, 98point6. This innovative company was merging physician expertise with technology to make healthcare more accessible and affordable. It didn’t matter what time it was or where the patient was, there were no boundaries to care. It was care on their terms! Kind of like having a trusted doctor in the family that you could call anytime. As I began treating people nationwide, with each interaction, I felt a genuine connection with someone I had never met—a feeling that continues to amaze me.

The vision of 98point6 was always about using technology to improve the experience that people have with their care but also to reduce the administrative tasks that take up so much of a doctor’s day. It’s been said that doctors spend more time getting insurance approval than It’s been said that doctors spend more time getting insurance approval than explaining diagnoses.

Just over a year ago, 98point6 was acquired by Transcarent and our investments in technology . . . what we now think of as generative AI. . . significantly accelerated and today, those investments are paying off. Our generative AI tools, which are being integrated into our clinic, are revolutionizing every Member encounter, creating a more accessible and welcoming experience. The AI infused interaction encourages people to ask questions they might otherwise consider a “waste of a physician's time,” gathers and confirms information so a physician won’t have to, and provides new choices for people that weren’t previously available. By leveraging AI, I can, along with the other physicians in the Transcarent Clinic, focus on delivering care and spending more time with patients and less time on paperwork. By reducing the paperwork and administrative tasks, we’re bringing back the joy that was lost over the last years. From my conversations with other physicians, I can see that it is reducing burnout, particularly among primary care doctors.

What’s especially fun is that our physician team is playing a critical role in developing our AI system to ensure responsible human-centered innovation focused on the people we care for and making it easier for physicians to deliver high-quality care. Putting physicians on the development team has shaped which aspects of patient interactions are suitable for automation and determines how information is shared.

In today’s world, where information flows freely and often in misleading ways, physicians must ensure that people receive accurate, trusted, evidence-based information regarding their health. And using AI, people can play a more important role in their own care (no different than when you book travel . . . you know what you are looking for). And, especially as AI improves, we’ll get better and better at personalizing our care protocols, providing people with tailored, credible health and care resources, improving their health literacy, and enhancing both their experience and that of the doctors who care for them.

Today, I’m able to see more patients, answer all of their questions, and spend the majority of my time interacting directly with them . . . a real win for everyone. When people come to us well-informed, it allows our nurses and doctors to use our time more efficiently, focusing on what truly matters, their care. AI is not a replacement for medical practice; it is a powerful tool that expands our reach and enhances our capabilities. As a physician, knowing that our Members leave each visit smarter and more engaged in their care is invaluable.

The perception of AI as a threat to physician jobs has shifted. It is now embraced as a tool that can enhance the art of medicine. AI will only take over the jobs of those who don’t use it. Our work in generative AI, and the way we’re using it, has made me more hopeful than ever that we can make it easier for people to access high-quality, affordable care wherever they are and whenever they need it.

Years ago we were told that technology would reduce our workloads while improving the quality of care we deliver. I’m not sure either happened back then, but it’s happening now . . .first with ambient listening to automate our notes (reducing paperwork and saving time) and now with generative AI making our patient interactions higher-quality and more efficient, something I almost didn’t think was possible.

Our potential is limitless, and I am excited to be a part of the information and digital health revolution, but mostly to have more time to deliver the best care to the people I serve, which is why I became a doctor in the first place. It’s kind of ironic that technology is finally bringing back the human touch to health and care. It’s about time and I’m glad to be a part of it.