RESEARCH REPORT
Gen AI amplified: Scaling productivity for healthcare providers
10-MINUTE READ
March 10, 2025
In brief
- The clinical workforce is shrinking as demand for healthcare increases and leaders can’t hire or train their way out of this situation.
- Generative AI offers opportunities for healthcare providers to surpass their competitors through the combined power of technology and human ingenuity.
- Healthcare organizations that scale gen AI can alleviate operational pressures, empower clinical teams and, ultimately, deliver exceptional patient care.
Scaling gen AI beyond pilots
Eighty-three percent of healthcare executives are piloting gen AI in pre-production environments, but fewer than 10% are investing in the infrastructure necessary to support enterprise-wide deployment.
Our survey of 300 C-suite healthcare executives from provider organizations in the US reveals that enhancing employee efficiency is a top priority for 83% of them. They recognize the transformative potential of gen AI, with 77% expecting it to boost productivity, which they believe will not only cut costs but also drive revenue growth. Despite high awareness, there's a significant gap in execution: 83% of healthcare executives are piloting gen AI, but fewer than 10% are investing in the infrastructure for widespread deployment. This underinvestment, coupled with the industry's cautious approach, limits gen AI to fragmented pilots. Without a comprehensive strategy, healthcare organizations risk falling behind more agile competitors and sectors already benefiting from scaled gen AI adoption.
The demand-supply gap is real
~900,000
Registered nurses are expected to leave the profession by 2027
~139,000
Physician shortfall expected by 2033 in the US
45%
Increase over the next 20 years of 60-90 year olds, who are the top users of healthcare
The promise of Gen AI
40%
of the healthcare industry’s total working hours are devoted to language-based tasks that can be transformed by gen AI
70%
of healthcare workers’ tasks could be reinvented through technology augmentation or automation
17%
can be fully automated while 23% can be augmented, enhancing the efficiency of human efforts
A disconnect in leadership alignment hinders progress and ability to scale
28%
of CEOs see themselves as responsible for redefining jobs and roles impacted by gen AI, only 5% of their C-suite peers agree.
Yet 80%
of the rest of the C-suite believe the Chief Digital Officer or Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer is best positioned to lead this effort.
< 4%
of the C-suite identified the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) or Chief Medical Officer (CMO) as having any responsibility for gen AI.
Everyone
should be involved to deconstruct jobs into discrete tasks best handled by humans or optimized/automated by technology, and then recombine these tasks to achieve better outcomes.
