Why I believe AI is the lifeline Arizona’s health care system needs

Bryan Saba

Submitted photo

While AI doesn’t replace doctors or nurses, it empowers care teams by alleviating routine burdens and enabling them to focus on what matters most: caring for people.”

NEIGHBORS

Medicaid cuts cause JFCS to close Glendale office

Arizona’s health care system is in a state of emergency. We rank among the bottom 20 states in overall health system performance and treatment of low-income residents.

The passage of the Big Beautiful Bill Act and its estimated $911 billion in cuts to federal Medicaid spending over the next decade, $34 billion of which are set to hit Arizona, could shutter several Arizona hospitals, including those in relatively remote and rural areas. For some, this could mean the closure of the only provider within a 50-mile radius, threatening to leave entire populations without accessible medical care.

At the same time, our state is facing severe labor shortages. We’re projected to have the largest nursing shortage in the country this year, falling over 28,000 nurses short of the number needed to staff hospitals and clinics across the state.

These shortages are compounded by a lack of primary care providers, particularly in rural and underserved communities, creating health care deserts statewide. These gaps are having a profound impact on care, creating longer wait times and worse patient outcomes.

With these challenges in mind, it’s clear we need to get smarter about health care. While it’s certainly true that we can’t fix provider gaps and funding shortages overnight, we can use new tools like artificial intelligence to strengthen providers’ impact.

AI is reshaping health care in profound ways. With the rise of broadly accessible large-language models, developers now have the tools to build applications that tangibly improve patient experiences. While AI doesn’t replace doctors or nurses, it empowers care teams by alleviating routine burdens and enabling them to focus on what matters most: caring for people.

One of the most pressing challenges in health care isn’t simply admin work — it’s maintaining consistent, meaningful engagement with patients outside the clinic. When care providers are bogged down with paperwork or stretched thin across hundreds or even thousands of patients, it becomes difficult to maintain a personal touch and detect issues early.

Tracking symptoms, medication adherence, and follow-up care is vital, but the reality is that limited time and resources often prevent providers from catching problems until they’ve already escalated.

Solutions include personalized wellness checks through simple, friendly phone calls — a medium most patients are already comfortable with. The system pulls relevant details directly from existing medical records, so care teams don’t need to do any extra work. It checks in on symptoms, medication routines and care plan adherence, then immediately flags any concerning responses so staff can intervene before problems become crises.

AI is also making a difference in affordable senior independent living communities, where staffing is limited and even a single fall can completely alter a resident’s life. Facilities with constrained budgets can now deliver a safer, more connected experience without adding administrative burden. Residents stay on track with their care plans, providers regain time for higher-value tasks and unnecessary hospital visits are reduced — improving outcomes for everyone involved.

Facing the dual crises of funding and labor shortages, finding meaningful integrations like these for hospitals and clinics stands to make a significant difference. Freeing up time from paperwork, improving patient communication and driving more personalized care are goals we’ve always strived for as a state. AI innovation is helping us come closer to achieving them.

We’re at a pivotal moment for health care in Arizona. While it’s true that embracing innovations like AI won’t solve every problem, they can ease pressure where it’s needed most. With it, providers can reach more patients, deliver better outcomes and boost our health care system’s resilience in the face of growing strain.

Editor’s note: Bryan Saba of Scottsdale is founder of reCare.AI. Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.