AI is quietly reshaping how Vermont's doctors care for patients -- and themselves

[erronis]

https://vtdigger.org/2026/05/03/ai-is-quietly-reshaping-how-vermonts-doctors-care-for-patients-and-themselves/
Olivia Gieger

Advocates of the technology say it radically reduces the amount of burnout clinicians face and allows them to focus on the truly human parts of medicine.

This mirrors my recent experiences with two large healthcare systems.

The first (UVM Health Network) uses AI scribes - I feel like I have a much better connection to the provider and I also get visit notes and summaries directly after the visit (and available on the portal.)

The second (unnamed but in Massachusetts) has a huge investment in medical technology, but as far as I can tell, doesn't use scribes and doesn't place the providers notes on their portal. I need to ask for a paper copy which I then have to scan and OCR. Just like the FAX days.

Dr. Dan Peters typically spends a shift in the emergency department dashing from patient to patient with a running list in his mind.

"I need to order meds for a patient. I need to order imaging studies. I need to call a consultant about a patient," the ER doctor at UVM Medical Center described. "And on that task list is (that) I need to write a note about this patient."

"To some extent, that task is a bigger task than everything else," Peters said of writing a medical note. The note is a simple yet major part of doctoring that most patients hardly ever see. But for physicians, it looms large.

"I need to write a note that summarizes why this patient was here, what we did and what we thought about what's going on or what wasn't going on," Peters said.

Medical notewriting is quickly changing for doctors across specialties with the advent of AI scribe technology. It's been essential to reducing the burden of paperwork and the high levels of clinician burnout that result from it. Still, some worry about how to afford the expensive technology and about the risks of over-reliance on it for medical decision-making.

. . .

[Picaro]

1. Good AI vs Bad AI

This is using AI as a tool.

But what the AI tech bros are selling to our corporate overlords is wholesale elimination of most of the high value, well compensated jobs that require years of experience, education, and knowledge.

These large layoffs that are rippling through our country are driven by that. Sam Altman, the leader of OpenAI, openly spoke of a goal to see the first billion dollar company with only a single employee.

Many of the the AI Tech bros openly talk of human extinction should AGI’s (Artificial General Intelligence) are be developed and deployed.

Yet they continue to feverishly work to create an AGI. Because their greed is apparently infinite as is their failure to understand that the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads will fall on them as well.

I’m all for using AI as a tool that makes many jobs much, much easier and make possible things that were previously impossible.

I’m very much against anything that could become an AGI and render humanity unnecessary and too much trouble the keep alive.

There have been countless science fiction works that have covered what would happen if we let this genie out of the bottle. The Terminator series and Arthur C. Clark’s 2001 A Space Odyssey are ones that most will be familiar with.

The consensus, even among AI and Tech bros, is that once we lose control of AI humanity will be exterminated.

This is a technological leap that screams for stringent, robust regulation. But in this world, where the reactionary right is against government itself and has maneuvered into control of government there’s little chance of the kind of regulation that is supremely necessary.

We are driving with our eyes closed…we’re gonna hit something, but that’s the way it goes… (apologies to Don Henley).

[Silver Gaia]

2. My doctors use this AI transcribing service.

Last edited Mon May 4, 2026, 06:31 AM - Edit history (1)

For the most part, it seems useful, but it can also make mistakes. My primary care doctor was treating me for a breast abcess that had devrloped after a spider bite, but the AI decided on its own that I had breast cancer. She had trusted it and had not proofread its report.

This multiplied into several other doctor's reports until I noticed it myself and reported it. This error was medically harmless to me, but was nonetheless inaccurrate and they had to spend extra time correcting it. It could have been a serious error with negative repercussions, though!

So, if your doctor uses it, I advise caution. Always skim their reports for accuracy because it can lie and make stuff up!

[Picaro]

3. Yes!

The fundamental flaw with current LLMs is that you can’t trust the results. To me this limits AI usefulness.

My wife works for a company that is all-in with AI. Since you can’t trust AI they have what are called Overwatchers. These Overwatchers are the most technically competent, savvy employees. Rather than using these resources for something productive—they are relegated to monitoring AI and fixing the constant mistakes.

[Silver Gaia]

4. Wow. Overwatchers.

This is definitely less than useful. I remember how computers were supposed to make our lives simpler, easier. What a crock that idea was! And AI is a hundred times worse. I am in education. It is being shoved on us so hard. I detest it!