"Kaiser declined several requests for an interview, but said in a statement that AI tools don't make medical decisions or replace human care. Rather, they hold "significant potential to benefit health care by supporting better diagnostics, enhancing patient-clinician relationships, optimizing clinicians' time, and ensuring fairness in care experiences and health outcomes by addressing individual needs.""
"Managers told the union during negotiations that they do not "intend" to lay off therapists because of the technology, but when pressed to put that in writing in the contract, several union representatives, including Marcucci-Morris, said Kaiser told them, "We can't predict the future. We need to maintain flexibility," and "We want to leave our options open.""
"Kaiser is already deploying AI note-taking technology in mental health care. Piloted first in medical exam rooms, these digital scribes record interactions between doctors and patients, then generate summaries for the patient's medical record. Many mental health clinicians are optimistic about this innovation, as they typically spend two and a half hours a day, often in the evenings, writing clinical notes."
Kaiser has faced regulatory citations and fines for prolonged mental-health appointment wait times and understaffing for more than a decade. Administrators are piloting AI tools to expand access to therapists by reducing clinicians' paperwork and freeing time for patient care. Kaiser states AI does not make medical decisions or replace human care and that AI can improve diagnostics, patient-clinician relationships, clinician efficiency, and fairness in outcomes. Kaiser employs AI-powered digital scribes to record sessions and generate medical-record summaries, potentially cutting the two-and-a-half hours clinicians typically spend nightly on notes. Union negotiations reveal concerns about job security as managers decline contractual guarantees against technology-driven layoffs.
Read at Kqed
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