The use of artificial intelligence within medical practice continues to grow. A recent publication by the American Medical Association finds that we have gone from less than half of practicing physicians using AI to more than 80% using it in their daily practice. Many use AI to ease administrative burden and support clinical decisions.
Although beneficial, leaders in healthcare remind practitioners to use these tools to enhance – not replace – professional care. These tools are not able to provide the same level of care as a trained and experienced physician. Relying too heavily on AI raises more than just ethical questions, it could put a medical practitioner’s professional license at risk.
Where physicians are using AI today
AI use can apply in many different areas of a physician’s practice. Common uses include:
- Clinical documentation support and coding assistance
- Diagnostic support tools for imaging and pathology
- Risk analysis for readmission
These applications can improve efficiency, consistency and detection.
Core legal risk areas to track
Risk is manageable with governance, training and clear workflows. Legal analysis typically focuses on a small set of recurring issues such as:
- Standard of care alignment and documentation of clinical reasoning
- Data privacy compliance, security safeguards and vendor access controls
- Informed consent considerations for material AI involvement
- Medical record integrity, attribution of authorship and audit readiness
Amongst practicing physicians, patient privacy is a top concern.
Effective programs treat AI as a clinical tool that requires oversight.
Closing reminder on responsibility
AI can support care. It does not displace professional obligations. The physician remains responsible for diagnosis, treatment decisions and follow-up. Allegations of improper AI use, including unsafe reliance, inadequate supervision or misuse of patient data can trigger professional discipline risk. In serious cases, such allegations can threaten a physician’s professional license.
Attorney John Rivas is responsible for this communication.
