Sean Riley, MD, MBS and Alan Kimura, MD, MPH

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the health care landscape, with implications that extend deeply into physician practices and patient care. While much of the public discourse around AI in medicine focuses on futuristic diagnostics or robotic surgery, its most immediate and profound impact is in streamlining administrative tasks and enhancing clinical decision-making.

Currently, physicians spend a significant portion of their time on non-clinical work – charting, documentation, billing, and managing electronic health records (EHRs). AI-powered tools are beginning to shoulder these burdens. Natural language processing (NLP) can transcribe and summarize patient visits in real time, while machine learning algorithms can flag billing codes, update problem lists, or recommend next steps based on clinical data. As these tools improve, physicians will be able to redirect time and cognitive energy back to patient care, potentially alleviating burnout and improving professional satisfaction.

Looking forward, AI is unlikely to replace physicians, but it will change how they practice. Rather than acting as a standalone diagnostician, AI will augment clinical judgment – offering risk stratifications, surfacing overlooked information in patient histories, or identifying subtle patterns across populations. In this context, physicians will increasingly become information interpreters and patient advocates, using AI as a powerful tool rather than a replacement.

For patients, the integration of AI could mean faster diagnoses, more personalized care, and improved access to services – especially through virtual care platforms that leverage AI for triage or follow-up. However, concerns about data privacy, bias in algorithms, and maintaining the human connection in health care remain important to address.

To help shape this evolving landscape, state legislatures and organizations like the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) have a critical role to play. They must balance advocating for ethical and equitable AI implementation, ensuring regulatory frameworks protect both physicians and patients, while promoting transparency in AI development and deployment – yet not stifle innovation in this AI race with vast implications. By providing regular updates, educational resources, and forums for discussion, CMS can keep its members informed and empowered to lead in the responsible adoption of AI. Through collaboration between clinicians, lawmakers, and professional societies, Colorado can set a model for thoughtful integration of AI in health care – one that enhances care while preserving the values at the heart of medicine.

Sean Riley, MD, is chair of the CMS Taskforce on Artificial Intelligence. He is board certified in Medical Informatics and Internal Medicine, and practices with Colorado Permanente Medical Group, where he also serves as director of medical informatics. He has extensive experience in analytics, population health, use and training of electronic health records, and leadership.

Alan Kimura, MD, MPH, is vice chair of the CMS Taskforce on AI. A specialist in vitreo-retinal diseases and surgery, with subspecialty expertise in inherited retinal diseases, he recently retired from Colorado Retina Associates. A lifelong innovator, he led their successful practice transformation by streamlining processes to maximize efficiency and investing in people, data and technology.