""There's no question about it whether you want it or not the best way to help some of these communities is gonna be AI-based avatars," Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said recently at an event focused on addiction and mental health hosted by Action for Progress, a coalition aimed at improving behavioral health care. He said AI could multiply the reach of doctors fivefold or more without burning them out."
""We can use robots to do ultrasounds on pregnant women," Oz said. "You take a wand, you don't even see the imageyou just get digitized insights that tell you whether the child's OK. And frankly, I don't have to see the image. I just have to know if the image is good enough to tell me the child doesn't have a problem.""
Artificial intelligence, including AI-based avatars, is proposed to expand clinician reach in underserved rural communities by conducting basic medical interviews and assisting diagnostics. The proposal aims to multiply doctors' reach fivefold or more while reducing clinician burnout. The plan also includes robotic systems for remote diagnostics, AI-guided devices for obstetric care such as robot-performed ultrasounds, and drones to deliver medication where pharmacies are unavailable. CMS stated support for responsibly exploring evidence-based, patient-centered AI tools under clinical oversight rather than replacing licensed clinicians. Rural hospitals face steep funding cuts from recent federal Medicaid spending reductions, exacerbating access challenges.
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