The proliferation of separate AI tools for providers (upcoding, auth requests) and payers (denials, downcoding) will lead to automated conflict. This friction could worsen administrative burdens rather than easing them, creating a high-speed, zero-sum game played by algorithms.
The primary challenge for direct-to-consumer (DTC) AI doctor services is not technology but economics. High customer acquisition costs and churn make a standalone subscription model untenable. Successful AI doctors will likely be a top-of-funnel feature for a larger, integrated healthcare business.
While competitors like United and Aetna are prioritizing margins in a tough Medicare Advantage market, Humana is aggressively pursuing growth. This is a high-risk gamble, as new members are typically unprofitable in their first year. The strategy relies on a favorable, and uncertain, future change in government reimbursement rates.
The new Medicare 'Access' code for AI in chronic care is priced too low to be profitable if humans are kept in the loop. This clever incentive design forces providers to adopt genuine AI-driven leverage rather than simply relabeling human effort, a first for healthcare technology.