America Is Running Out of Primary Care Doctors. AI Is Filling the Gap
By Chase Feiger
Published on April 24, 2026.
OpenAI has released ChatGPT for Clinicians, a version of its AI product designed to help doctors with tasks such as documentation and research, free to "verified" physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists in the U.S. This move comes amidst concerns about the shortage of primary care doctors in the United States. Experts at the intersection of medicine and technology are starting to view AI's potential role in healthcare as an inevitability. While the community standard for AI is usually augmentation of humans, there will be instances where the choice is between no care or trusting an AI deemed good enough. John Halamka, MD, president of the Mayo Clinic Platform, predicts that in LMICs and rural areas, AI use without a human nearby is the safest and best alternative to no care. However, there are still many questions about how AI can be used safely and effectively augmenting the physician's practice.
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