Why trust, not speed, defines AI healthcare success

The real test for AI in healthcare isn’t speed — it’s trust

Healthcare is at a moment of real consequence as AI moves into everyday care. For years, artificial intelligence lived mostly at the margins of care — tested, piloted, and talked about more than truly used. That’s changing. Today, AI is showing up in ambulatory practices in practical, everyday ways: helping capture clinical notes, supporting coding accuracy, surfacing insights in real time, and reducing the administrative burden that has weighed on clinicians and staff for far too long.

That progress matters. But it also comes with a responsibility we can’t afford to get wrong. If AI is going to play a meaningful role in healthcare, it has to strengthen the human core of care — not compete with it and not ignore the trust clinicians and patients place in the system.

At athenahealth, that belief shapes how we approach innovation. It’s also why we launched the AI on the Frontlines of Care study through the athenaInstitute™ — to better understand how AI is actually being experienced by clinicians and practice leaders, not just how it performs in theory.

We wanted to hear directly from clinicians about what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to be true for AI to earn their trust.

What we heard was clear

Clinicians aren’t adopting AI all at once, and they aren’t chasing novelty. Instead, they are moving along a predictable arc — a progression in how they evaluate, trust, and ultimately integrate AI into the clinical workflow.

In fact, among the more than 500 clinicians and practice leaders we surveyed, 62% reported using four or more AI-enabled tools in their day-to-day work. That level of adoption tells us something important: AI is no longer experimental in ambulatory care. It is operational.

But adoption alone is not the goal.

Across our qualitative interviews and survey data, a clear progression emerged. First comes burden relief — when AI finally begins to ease the administrative load that distorts the clinical day. Then comes reliability — when predictable performance becomes more important than new features. And finally, partnership — when clinicians start to see AI not as a substitute for judgment, but as a second lens that supports better decisions.

This progression matters because it shows where clinicians really are today — and what responsible adoption actually requires. Trust isn’t something you accelerate with hype or scale. It’s earned over time, through disciplined execution and consistent outcomes.

The real promise is using technology to bring clinicians back to the work that only humans can do — building relationships, creating connection, exercising judgment, and caring for the whole person.

Why healthcare demands a higher bar for AI

Our research makes that clear. Clinicians are embracing AI, but they are doing so with discernment. They want transparency into how tools work. They want consistent performance they can rely on, not just promises. They want safeguards that protect patients and preserve clinical judgment. They are also clear about what AI should — and should not — do.

Importantly, nearly seven in ten physicians said that building rapport, comforting patients, and interpreting nonverbal cues must remain human work. That distinction isn’t resistance to innovation. It’s professional responsibility.

Those expectations aren’t obstacles to progress. They’re the blueprint for doing it right.

At athenahealth, we don’t believe AI adoption in healthcare is about automation for its own sake. The real promise is using technology to bring clinicians back to the work that only humans can do — building relationships, creating connection, exercising judgment, and caring for the whole person.

That means AI must reduce friction, not introduce new complexity. It must reinforce trust, not undermine it. It must strengthen clinical insight, not override it. And it must respect the complexity, autonomy, and humanity of the people delivering care.

That’s the standard clinicians are asking for — and the standard this moment demands.

AI is already reshaping the future of ambulatory care. The question now isn’t whether it will play a role — it’s how responsibly we choose to lead through this important transition.

This is a moment for healthcare leaders to move with clarity: not racing ahead of clinical trust, and not lagging behind the realities clinicians face every day. Progress that is steady, grounded, and aligned with what care teams actually need.

At athenahealth, we are committed to building an AI-native ecosystem that gives time back to clinicians, support to staff, and attention back to patients — while setting a course for innovation that is sustainable, accountable, and human.

The next era of healthcare won’t be defined by technology alone. It will be defined by the people who choose to implement it thoughtfully — and by whether we are willing to earn the trust required to do so.