The healthcare industry is under strain. Care delivery is fragmented, and clinicians are operating in an industry where nearly half of health systems aren’t profitable. The result is a clinical encounter shaped less by human connection and more by financial pressure and inefficient workflows. We all want better for our patients and their clinicians.
The strain is taking a human toll. Patients report eroding trust and dissatisfaction with care, while physicians are experiencing record-high levels of burnout and a higher suicide rate than the general population. At the core of these problems is the strained patient-clinician relationship. Healthcare is losing the very relationship it was built on. This is one of the prime problems that we need to solve to build a stronger healthcare industry, and AI is the instrument.
A system that is financially unstable, full of inefficient workflows, and emotionally volatile for clinicians cannot absorb new tools or new ideas effectively. Enduring change has to start with caring for those who care for us. To do this, we need to rethink how AI tools are implemented and integrated into care delivery processes. Healthcare can transform only when strategy, workflow, data, and human connection operate together with a single purpose: strengthen the relationship at the center of care.
The promise of AI in care delivery
In the last decades, new AI solutions and technology have promised to increase the efficiency of care delivery and alleviate clinician burnout. Many of these tools are already showing great potential. For example, ambient AI tools have been shown to significantly reduce note-taking time thereby freeing clinicians to focus on care, while AI-powered scheduling and coding assistants are improving throughput rates and reducing denials. Yet, we’re still seeing that health systems are failing to achieve ROI with these tools at scale. In fact, 95% are reporting zero ROI from genAI despite an estimated $40 billion invested.
Albert Einstein said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” I think this gets to the heart of where the healthcare industry is falling short when it comes to implementing AI. AI is a means to an end: we need to refocus on what we’re really trying to solve for. According to MIT Nanda’s State of AI in Business 2025, many AI tools fail due to “brittle workflows, lack of contextual learning, and misalignment with day-to-day operations.” In other words, tools fail when they are added without understanding the real work. Healthcare does not need another point solution or another layer of complexity. It needs clarity, integration, and purpose, and ultimately a unified fabric of care.
The benefits of an integrated approach
When it comes to implementing AI tools, healthcare organizations can generally be divided into three categories: those that take incidental approaches, intentional approaches, and integrated approaches. Incidental approaches are driven by curiosity and based on point solutions, and they often lead to pilot fatigue. Intentional approaches are more strategic with an eye toward progress, but their value is limited by narrow vision and lack of upstream and downstream integration. Finally, integrated approaches involve embedding AI and strategic capability across workflows to drive measurable ROI at scale and amplify physician impact. Only the integrated approach treats healthcare like a connected system rather than a collection of fixes.
With an integrated approach, AI is embedded at every step of the care journey, from appointment scheduling, to consult and diagnosis, to treatment, to reimbursement, to follow-up care. Not only does integrated AI bolster clinician and patient satisfaction, but done right, it can unleash a tremendous amount of financial value for healthcare organizations through improved revenue capture and reduced costs. Research shows that organizations with integrated automation see two to four times more ROI than those with siloed automation.
An integrated approach to AI works because the health system becomes a fabric of interconnected tasks rather than a patchwork of siloed solutions. The result is improved outcomes across the care journey, including reducing EHR inbox burden, time spent on documentation, and prior authorization denials; and improved net collection and keepage rates. This united fabric of care reduces administrative burden for clinicians and removes friction for patients, helping to bring joy and meaning back to healthcare and repair the patient-clinician relationship.
Partner alignment helps the clinician-patient relationship thrive
Once healthcare leaders have recognized the wide-reaching benefits integrated AI can have on their organizations, the next challenge is taking that AI strategy and turning it into reality. According to MIT NANDA, the chances of success in AI projects double if you work with credible partners. Once again, it’s the human relationships that drive positive impact.
Healthcare leaders should look for several characteristics when choosing a partner, including deep workflow understanding, interoperability, flexibility to adapt to new requirements, change management expertise, and willingness to take ownership of outcomes. To successfully implement integrated AI that drives efficiency and supports the relationships at the core of healthcare, outcome alignment must replace dissonance.
Repairing the patient-clinician relationship will be crucial to improving outcomes across the healthcare industry, and to do so we need to reimagine how care is delivered through the right balance of automation and humanity. Reimagining care demands more than technology. It takes integration, people, and alignment–connecting people, workflows, and intelligence into a single fabric of care.
Photo: kupicoo, Getty Images
Sachin K. Gupta is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of IKS Health, a global leader in care enablement solutions. Gupta founded IKS Health in 2007 and has pioneered its emergence as the leading care enablement platform in the United States. Fueled by Gupta’s blend of entrepreneurial spirit, executive acumen, and strategic vision, IKS Health has grown to 12,000+ employees, serving more than 600 healthcare organizations. Gupta continues to steer the organization toward rapid growth and success, including taking IKS Health public in December 2024 on the National Stock Exchange of India.
Gupta believes IKS Health serves as an accountable advisor to healthcare organizations, guiding them through the complexities of modern healthcare in order to achieve sustainable growth. His priorities include delivering a comprehensive care enablement platform that combines pragmatic AI-driven technology with dedicated expertise to alleviate administrative, clinical, and financial burdens, helping clinicians and staff to focus on delivering high-quality patient care.
This post appears through the MedCity Influencers program. Anyone can publish their perspective on business and innovation in healthcare on MedCity News through MedCity Influencers. Click here to find out how.
