Patients Want Answers, Not Appointments

When you’re sick or managing a chronic condition, waiting 26 days for help isn’t care - it’s a system failure. Patients aren’t asking for more visits. They’re asking for solutions - now.

The Problem with the Current Model

In the U.S., patients wait an average of 31 days to see a physician for a new appointment. Here's the breakdown:

• Primary Care: 23–24 days

• Dermatology: 36.5 days

• Cardiology: 33 days

• OB/GYN: 42 days

• Gastroenterology: 40 days

These delays drive patients toward urgent care or telehealth - often in the form of “see-you-now, forget-you-tomorrow” visits that don’t support long-term outcomes.

A New Model for Care: AI-First

Healthcare is, fundamentally, a knowledge exchange industry. It’s not about the appointment. It’s about mapping symptoms to the right treatment at the right time - and driving lasting behavior change.

Today’s AI health assistants aren’t theoretical - they’ve already passed the USMLE, understand clinical reasoning, and can deliver evidence-based care support. From triage and education to ongoing engagement, AI-first models put patients in control - without compromising clinical rigor.

Use Case: Meet Maria

Maria is 58 and managing hypertension. She notices her blood pressure is elevated. Instead of waiting weeks for an appointment, she opens her AI health assistant:

• Logs vitals, past history including active and medications

• Access to the larger clinical history via TECFA/QHIN

• Answers a few guided questions

• Receives personalized advice: "You're OK for now. But here’s what to monitor."

If flagged as urgent, she’s escalated to a provider; otherwise the platform continues to provide medication and health maintenance reminders and schedules member for annual wellness visits and other necessary follow-up appointments. That’s modern care. That’s what patients want.

The System Must Catch Up

CMS wants all providers in risk-based arrangements by 2030. But today’s telehealth often doesn’t support value-based care - it supports volume. That’s unsustainable.

If you’re a Medicaid plan operating under funding pressure, telehealth alone won’t bend the cost curve. It’s time to prioritize AI-first care that delivers value, scale, and better outcomes.

Let’s Rethink the Care Journey

• It’s not about tech.

• It’s about delivering care that’s intelligent, accessible, and continuous.

• It’s about patients like Maria who need help now - not in 3–6 weeks.

• The Future Isn’t More Appointments. It’s More Answers.

Let’s move from episodic to intelligent. If you’re a payer or provider, explore how AI-first care changes cost curves - and care outcomes.

What This Shift Means

• For Patients: They get immediate, evidence-based support—on demand. No waiting rooms. No confusion. Just clear answers, personalized to their health journey.

• For Providers: They’re freed from repetitive tasks and can focus on complex, human-driven care. Their license and expertise are used where it matters most.

• For Payers and Medicaid: Cost-effective, AI-led triage reduces unnecessary utilization while increasing care access, adherence, and outcomes—especially in underserved populations facing the sharpest provider shortages.

A Strategic Imperative

This isn’t about replacing providers - it’s about rethinking where their time is most valuable. In an era of medical deserts and clinician burnout, AI-first isn’t futuristic - it’s foundational.

Healthcare needs a new front door—one that’s intelligent, accessible, and built around the exchange of knowledge, not just the scheduling of services.

Let’s stop building more waiting rooms. Let’s build tools that move patients from question to action, and from illness to wellness - faster, smarter, and at scale.

Because patients don’t want appointments - They want answers.

Let me know your thoughts: tomfoley@thevirtualshift.ai

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