Resuscitating Primary Care: A Triad of Patient, Clinician, and AI Coach

Bodenheimer T, Salmi L, deBronkart D, Delbanco T. Resuscitating Primary Care: A Triad of Patient, Clinician, and AI Coach. Family Practice Management. 2026;33(2):5-6. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2026/0300/future-primary-care-triad.html

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2026/0300/future-primary-care-triad.html

Abstract

The gap between the demand for primary care in the U.S. and the capacity to meet that demand is widening. As the number of primary care clinicians per capita declines, only 43% of U.S. adults report having a long-term primary care relationship. A 2021 National Academies report warned that “primary care in the United States is slowly dying.”

Standard solutions call for more money and more clinicians. While the U.S. should pursue these approaches, they are unlikely to succeed on their own, particularly in the short term. In this opinion piece, we (two primary care doctors and two patients with histories of serious illness) suggest embracing a primary care triad of the future: a doctor, a patient, and an artificial intelligence (AI) health coach. We envision a multitasking AI program to supplement, rather than replace, a strong and trusting patient-clinician
therapeutic alliance.