Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1527167
16 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP The healthcare disruptors most affecting physicians By Patsy Newitt From CVS Health to artificial intelligence, five physician leaders joined Becker's to discuss the healthcare disruptors most affecting physicians. Editor's note: ese responses were edited lightly for clarity and length. Michael Gomez, MD. NICU Medical Director of Pediatrix Medical Group (Long Branch, N.J.): Technology including telemedicine, EHR, the specter of AI and shiing patient empowerment means physicians feel irrelevant again Roger Kaldaway, MD. Owner and CEO of Milford-Franklin Eye Center (Milford, Mass.): e rise of telemedicine and AI are two healthcare disruptors impacting physicians, contributing to burnout and making it harder to maintain their practices. Telemedicine requires doctors to be available beyond traditional hours, increasing stress and fatigue. AI demands continuous learning and integration into medical practice, which can be overwhelming. Retail healthcare and direct-to-consumer telehealth services from companies like Amazon and CVS Health are reshaping primary care, adding competitive pressure. Physicians must also balance high-quality care with meeting administrative and regulatory requirements. ese challenging disruptors collectively contribute to increased burnout among healthcare providers. Javier Marull, MD. Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at UT Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas): Healthcare is changing fast, and for many physicians, keeping up with these changes can feel both exciting and challenging. One of the most significant shis affecting physicians today is the rise of technology, mainly artificial intelligence and digital tools. ese innovations have the potential to transform the way we practice medicine, but they're also bringing new challenges that require us to adapt. Technology in healthcare goes further than just new tools or soware; it is basically changing how we interact with patients, diagnose diseases, and manage information. AI is now helping predict patient outcomes, assist with diagnoses, and guide treatment decisions. Digital health platforms like telemedicine and wearable devices are giving patients new ways to access care outside the traditional office visit. While these advancements offer the potential to improve outcomes, they also make us rethink our daily practice. Many of us entered medicine to build strong, face-to-face relationships with our patients. But with the increasing use of telemedicine, we are spending more time interacting with patients through screens instead of in person. Although this may be practical, it also raises concerns about keeping the personal connection that is important to our profession. David Rosenfield, MD. Anesthesiologist at Alliance Spine & Pain (Peachtree, Ga.): e disruptors in healthcare I see having a significant impact in the near future is artificial intelligence. AI is being used and will continue to expand being used for the purpose of clinical documentation. Many administrative functions (precertification, prior authorization, appeals) and general paperwork processing can be made less burdensome to the clinician via the use of AI. AI will likely be used even more in early disease detection, drug development, and improving diagnostic accuracy. Sheldon Taub, MD.Gastroenterologist at Jupiter (Fla.) Medical Center: e biggest healthcare disruptor affecting decisions right now is time management with decreasing reimbursements. Physicians who participate in Medicare have seen almost a 30% decrease in reimbursement in the last 20 years. is is in spite of increasing costs to run an office. ey are pushed to cut corners in patient management, which is bad for the overall healthcare system. n Regulatory scrutiny leaving private equity 'hesitant' to invest in ASCs By Patsy Newitt P rivate equity has long shown interest in ASCs, but some industry leaders believe that heightened scrutiny of PE's healthcare investments could dampen this trend. Josh Mastracci, director of an investment bank TM Capital's healthcare practice, joined Becker's to discuss the biggest threat and opportunities for growth for ASCs. Editor's note: This response was edited lightly for clarity and length. Question: What is the biggest threat to ASCs right now? Josh Mastracci: Movement towards increased regulatory scrutiny of institutional investment in ASCs is troubling as it has already started to inhibit physicians' ability to finance continued growth of and improvements to these facilities. A growing segment of the private equity and credit market is increasingly hesitant to explore investment in situations where potential transactions may be denied in late stages of diligence by state officials - as would be the case in California, for example, where AB-3129 will authorize the state Attorney General to approve or deny private investment in healthcare entities. Q: What are ASCs' biggest opportunities for growth right now? JM: The growing quality and optionality of specialty services supporting physicians on the operations side of outpatient facilities — both by health systems via joint ventures and by private ventures focused on improvements to specific functionality like revenue cycle, recruiting, volume/case mix analysis, site selection/construction management, certification/licensure, etc. — is creating an increased opportunity for physician owners to scale these facilities as businesses while not sacrificing, and in fact making material improvements to, access to and quality of care for patients. n