AI in healthcare may increase efficiency, but how does it impact privacy?
AI in healthcare may increase efficiency, but how does it impact privacy?
Publish Date: 2026-03-09 06:06:00
Source Domain: wjla.com
WASHINGTON (7News) — At this point, AI has infiltrated just about every industry, including healthcare.
Many hospitals and private practices have incorporated it into their patient care, raising the question: What does this mean for efficiency, accuracy, and our privacy?
7News’ Adrianna Hopkins had a lengthy conversation with Dr. Marschall Runge, a cardiologist and former dean of the University of Michigan Medical School, about AI in medicine. He said to think of it as a partner that helps doctors write high-quality medical notes quickly and even flags possible diagnoses for further review.
“So far in my experience, I haven’t had it suggest anything that I hadn’t thought of. But I’m sure it will, and the physicians that I’ve talked to, they’ll get suggestions. Sometimes it’s something that they maybe were thinking about, and they think, well, I will look into that in more detail,” he said.
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Dr. Runge also said he doesn’t see AI replacing doctors. He points to the field of radiology, for example. When healthcare systems started using AI, there was a lot of hype that radiologists wouldn’t be needed to review images. He said AI can help identify which scans may need the most attention, but a trained radiologist is still needed to interpret the images and make the call. Radiologists have not been replaced.
“Let’s talk about nurses or advanced practice providers. They are an integral, an integral part of the healthcare team, and I want to emphasize that I rely on them,” he said. “I envision that AI will also be used as, say, a medical assistant of some sort by some nurses and nurse practitioners, etc, begging the question, will we need medical assistance? Yes, we will.”
He said doctors are using AI as a “partner,” which may have you thinking, “well, why shouldn’t I upload my symptoms, or medical history, images of whatever ails you, to AI and get a diagnosis and…
