Exploring AI’s Impact on Health Care and Integration Challenges

Good morning. As I finalize my stage notes for Newsweek’s upcoming AI Health Summit, I’ve noticed a shift in the focus of digital health care forums. Today, rather than questioning AI’s potential, we ponder human roles. When AI signals a patient’s decline, who acts? When AI enables clinicians to manage specialist-level conditions, how do roles change? AI drafting clinical trial protocols quickly raises the question: Can the contracting and budgeting processes keep up?

AI is altering workflow steps, compelling health care leaders to reconsider changes across every process step. This theme repeatedly surfaced in pre-Summit briefings, becoming the centerpiece of a story I published. For years, health systems and tech developers have demonstrated AI’s capabilities. Yet, integrating these into longstanding workflows, roles, and decision-making frameworks presents a unique challenge.

Current C-suite queries are low-tech but complex: Who does what, in what order, who decides, and what when old methods fail?

Low-tech isn’t necessarily simpler.

The 2026 Stanford AI Index shows rising AI performance on advanced reasoning benchmarks. For example, performance on SWE-bench Verified jumped from 60% in 2024 to nearly 100% in 2025. On OSWorld, testing agents in computer tasks, scores increased from 6% to 75% over the same time frame. Frontier models improved 30 percentage points on Humanity’s Last Exam, a benchmark intended to stay tough for AI.

Throughout this evolution, many of us debated outdated change management strategies. We continue these discussions, and health care remains a human endeavor.

Dan Shoenthal, MD Anderson Cancer Center’s chief innovation officer, suggests embracing the disparity between AI’s rapid evolution and human adaptability. Technology companies, he explains, “are moving faster than us,” while health systems need time to extract value. “Experimenting with AI to evolve roles is essential,” he adds. “Planning is one thing, but hands-on experience is crucial.” While many executives fear falling behind, Shoenthal encourages sharing successes and failures to define ‘good.’

I’ll see you next week at the AI Health Summit. Expect human lessons amid AI-focused discussions.

In Other News:

Recently released government records reveal substantial delays and technical issues in Medicare’s WISeR model, which encompasses AI-assisted reviews for prior authorization. Operating in six states, covering 13 services identified as vulnerable to fraud, waste, or misuse. The Electronic Frontier Foundation obtained these records through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. One request lingered for 83 days, while providers faced system outages and unwarranted denials. CMS ensures all denials involve clinician review, promising corrective measures to meet timeliness, accuracy, and transparency goals. WISeR continues through 2031.

Elsewhere in CMS developments, the ACCESS model broadens its coverage to include heart failure, COPD, substance use disorders, and nicotine dependence by spring 2027. ACCESS employs technology-supported care, including virtual and remote monitoring, across 160 participants and plans to adopt outcomes-based payment structures.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and OpenEvidence announced a partnership aimed at integrating precision oncology guidance directly into clinicians’ workflows. OpenEvidence will merge with MSK’s Epic workflow, incorporating MSK’s cancer-genomics knowledge for broader use. More US hematologist-oncologists will access this through OpenEvidence.

Dr. Nicole Saphier, President Trump’s third surgeon general nominee, faced Senate inquiries regarding vaccine views. Saphier dismissed any autism link to childhood vaccines and championed the MMR vaccine. She stood by the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, pledging to restore public trust if confirmed.

Pulse Check:

Bill Golden, former CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s employer and individual businesses, shared insights from 25 years in health insurance. AI integration in health plans offers possibilities, yet meaningful change, he argues, requires shared understanding between insurers and providers. AI could foster data-driven reimbursement discussions, shifting from confrontation to collaboration.

UnitedHealthcare’s recent plan to cut nearly 30% of prior authorization suggests internal review led to logical efficiency, not purely an AI play. Artificial intelligence might clarify choices, allowing consumers informed decisions, such as selecting cost-effective knee surgery options.

C-Suite Shuffles:

Dr. David Skorton plans to retire from AAMC’s presidency next June. His time included guiding 163 member schools through the COVID-19 pandemic. Notable AI appointed Dr. Nicholas Desai as chief medical officer, enhancing its role across 12,000 care sites. Beto López becomes UH Health’s inaugural executive director for its Institute for Digital Healthcare Transformation, reflecting evolving tech-focused leadership.