How AI is shaping the future of patient care experiences

Artificial intelligence isn’t some distant idea anymore. It’s already changing the way patients interact with healthcare. But with change comes tension.

Will AI disrupt the human element of care?

Can patients really trust it?

And how should health systems approach it without losing sight of what matters most, connection?

These are the questions explored in a Becker’s Healthcare podcast, featuring Ryan Donahue, Strategic Advisor at NRC Health, and Paul Coyne, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive at Hospital for Special Surgery. 

Their perspectives cut through the noise and reveal where AI fits, and where it doesn’t, inside the patient care experience.

Tune in to the full conversation on the Becker’s Healthcare podcast to hear their insights firsthand.

Key takeaways

• 74% of consumers don’t understand how AI applies to healthcare, and nearly a quarter say it feels “dangerous”
• Patients and providers share a fear of replacement. Both groups want AI to reduce burdens, not remove human connection.
• Top areas for AI adoption are scheduling, billing, and routine support. Diagnosis ranks lowest. Patients still want a clinician for that.
• AI-driven tools like Augie help with safety and efficiency, but must stay grounded in what technology shouldn’t do.
• The promise of AI is rehumanizing care. If used wisely, AI can strip away bureaucracy and restore time for people to connect with one another.

When NRC Health surveyed patients, the results revealed more questions than answers.

“About 74% said, I really don’t have a clear sense of how AI works in healthcare,” explained Ryan Donahue.

That uncertainty matters. While some patients expressed cautious optimism, 24% admitted they think AI could be dangerous. 

Public trust directly shapes how quickly medical technologies are adopted. 

For health leaders, the takeaway is simple: patients need AI explained in plain language. They want to know that it won’t replace their doctor or compromise the human side of care.

Inside patient rooms, the balance between tech and touch is even more delicate.

Paul Coyne shared his work on AUGi, an in-room AI-powered sensing device. “The device drastically improves care efficiency and patient safety. But AI should augment the patient experience, not replace it.”

By combining computer vision and Bluetooth sensing, AUGi helps reduce falls, improve staffing allocation, and streamline tasks that otherwise drain clinical attention. 

But Coyne was quick to stress, “Equally as important to knowing what it can do is knowing what it can’t do, and what it shouldn’t do.”

The message is clear: AI’s role should always serve the patient-provider relationship, not override it.

AI brings a unique kind of anxiety on both sides of the bedside.

Patients worry that tech will create distance, making interactions feel less personal. Providers, meanwhile, feel their expertise is being questioned or reduced to data inputs.

“If we throw the term around that clinicians can be replaced, it’s offensive,” said Paul Coyne. “AI should preserve the most sacred aspects of healthcare and eliminate administrative burdens.”

And he’s right. Research shows that administrative overload is a leading factor in physician burnout. 

When AI removes those burdens, both patients and clinicians get what they want: more time and a deeper connection.

So, will AI replace doctors?

Current evidence suggests no. Patients prefer doctors for diagnoses, and healthcare staff emphasize augmentation over substitution.

When patients think about AI, they don’t picture a robot delivering a diagnosis. They think about the everyday frustrations that stand in the way of care.

“Consumers want AI to clear away the distractions,” said Ryan Donahue. “The last thing they want is AI giving them a diagnosis. They want the human side of that.”

NRC Health’s research confirmed it:

• Most requested uses for AI: scheduling appointments, managing billing questions, and providing quick answers to routine inquiries.
• Least requested use for AI: making diagnoses.

Why?

Because these are the areas where technology feels like a relief, not a replacement. 

Patients don’t mind if a chatbot handles insurance forms or if AI automatically reminds them of an upcoming appointment. AI should focus on reducing administrative strain, like scheduling, billing, and documentation, so that providers have more time to deliver care that feels personal. 

As Ryan Donahue emphasized, patients want “the other stuff cleared out of the way by AI so they can get in front of a person who knows more than them, who can help them, and get them well again.”

What they don’t want is a diagnosis without a human voice behind it.

And it’s not just healthcare. 

Research shows that most Americans are comfortable with AI handling support tasks, but resist its role in decision-making fields like medicine. This insight is pivotal for healthcare leaders. 

The path forward isn’t about asking AI to “do it all.” It’s about matching technology to patient expectations, and leaving the irreplaceable parts of care in human hands.

As Paul Coyne reminded listeners, the goal isn’t to shift decision-making to machines, but to use technology to restore presence. 

“When patients say, ‘I want my doctor,’ what they mean is, ‘I want someone fully present in the room with me.’” 

What happens if AI takes the administrative weight off patients and providers? 

Time is freed. Trust is rebuilt. The human side of medicine takes center stage again.

“The biggest opportunity is a rehumanizing of care,” said Ryan Donahue. “If AI reduces bureaucracy, we can get back to human-to-human connection.”

Or, as Paul Coyne put it, AI is like nuclear energy: powerful but dependent on how we choose to use it. It can bring light or risk harm.

The demand for healthcare workers is projected to grow by 13% by 2031, far faster than the national average. AI won’t shrink that need. Instead, it can help support staff by removing distractions that erode the joy of care.

The future of AI in healthcare isn’t about choosing between people and technology. It’s about using technology to make care feel more human. 

Patients don’t want algorithms replacing their doctors. They want AI to handle the noise so that their doctors can be fully present.

Tune in to the full conversation on the Becker’s Healthcare podcast to hear their insights firsthand.