Dr. Watson.
No, not some man named Robert or some woman named Roberta. But the machine, the computer, created by IBM.
Will today’s physicians soon be referred to as “human physicians” or “carbon-based docs” as opposed to the silicon-based kind? Paging Dr. Robot?
Maybe. Maybe not.
But in many areas the handwriting is on the wall, at least as to some elements of physicians’ actual medical practice roles, and it’s not looking so good for you. That is, if you’re one of the carbon-based kind.
Even if you think that I’m overstating the impact of a roboticized or AI future, you need to hedge your bet. In this post, let’s examine a very simple question: If Dr. Watsons (whether owned and controlled by your group or not — that’s another question) alter the demand for carbon-based docs within your group, does your group have a mechanism for “rightsizing?”
Unfortunately, many medical groups operate a very flat structure, bulked up on owners, often due to a culture of near lock-step advancement. They have a preponderance of owners compared with few non-equity-holding physicians.
That compounds the affect of their failure to adequately address the ability to flex total staffing downward. With the exception of terminating non-owners without cause or simply not renewing their employment agreements, these groups have no affirmative way to pare back the rest of their staff, the bulk that consists of owners. The notions of simply adjusting work assignments downward (e.g., moving all physicians to part time) or of waiting for physicians to voluntarily leave the group (for where?) are inadequate.
Medical groups must now protect their options to act if, or better said, when, the impact of quickly advancing technology impacts their staffing level. What steps must group leadership take? What steps may they take? Who, at what level, makes the decision?
Now is the time to address these issues. It will take time to consider alternatives and make decisions as to those that the group will adopt. It takes time to get buy-in from those required. It takes time to make the required revisions to agreements. And it takes time to get those agreements signed and in place.
If you wait until the actual impact of Dr. Watson hits your group, I assure you that it will be impossible to force the implementation of the changes that will be required to preserve your group and its business.
Yes, you can choose to do nothing and wait. Doing nothing is a choice, a choice to risk becoming nothing.
[Yes, there’s a chance that this article was written by an AI machine and that a good chunk of law practice, too, will be taken over by Dr. Watson’s brother, also named Watson. I’ve got my contingency plan, which is the point.]
