Healthcare providers are urged to adapt to the emergence of AI-enabled patients, according to insights shared by industry experts. Steven Roffman, an executive at ZS, emphasized the importance of meeting patients where they are by integrating technology and AI into healthcare practices. “Healthcare providers should be meeting the patient where they are in this new ecosystem, which means plugging into the technology—the AI—and the sources where patients are getting their information,” Roffman stated.
This approach involves proactively engaging patients through the tools they already utilize for health-related decisions, empowering them toward earlier diagnosis and treatment. It also includes enhancing the healthcare experience for patients, making every point of contact smoother and more intuitive once they decide to seek care. “It’s really about helping people feel empowered to take action,” added Andrew Whitman, another expert at ZS.
Achieving ‘Zero Distance’ to Care
As patients increasingly take charge of their health journeys, healthcare organizations must redesign care processes to align with how patients search for information and make decisions, according to Whitman. He highlighted the goal of creating “zero distance to the patient,” which involves minimizing the logistical burdens on patients, such as navigating referrals and scheduling appointments. Instead, a connected healthcare ecosystem would seamlessly manage these details, bridging the gap between identifying healthcare needs and receiving timely care.
This strategy entails optimizing traditional interactions, such as clinical assessments and diagnostics, as well as facilitating navigation through the often convoluted steps that can delay care. “We have a chance to rethink how care happens as if AI existed when it was first built,” Whitman noted, emphasizing the importance of design alongside technology.
In the context of rare diseases, where patients typically consult between seven and ten specialists before receiving a diagnosis, ZS is implementing systems to shorten the time from symptom reporting to specialist care. This model prioritizes identifying eligible patients earlier and organizes their symptoms into structured cases, allowing timely referrals with supporting clinical evidence. In pilot programs, this approach has significantly reduced the time to diagnosis from years to months.
Roffman identified another key opportunity to minimize barriers that prevent patients from initiating or adhering to treatment. A ZS survey revealed that beyond costs, factors such as side effects and treatment burdens impact patient decisions. To address these challenges, ZS has collaborated with biopharma companies to develop AI-driven models that identify at-risk patients and deliver tailored interventions, resulting in a reduction of non-initiation of treatment by up to 25%.
Roffman emphasized that leveraging AI will be essential in achieving zero distance to care. “As patients increasingly navigate healthcare on their own terms, every stakeholder must use AI to shrink the distance between patient need and care,” he said. Biopharma companies are uniquely positioned to capitalize on AI capabilities to identify unmet needs and facilitate patient journeys from prescription to treatment, minimizing the gaps that can lead to treatment delays.
For healthcare organizations to remain relevant to today’s empowered patients, a shift in mindset and enhanced cooperation among all stakeholders throughout the care continuum is crucial. “The role healthcare providers play in helping their patients navigate care can be accelerated and improved by AI,” Roffman added, highlighting the transformative potential of these technologies to achieve better health outcomes.
Read the 2026 Future of Health Report to learn more about advancements in healthcare.
