Image: Adobe Stock

U.S. health systems expect artificial intelligence to play an increasingly important role in making primary care a strategic priority in coming years.

More than three-quarters of executives plan to expand their primary care footprint by adding more owned practices and employing more primary care providers over the next 5 to 7 years, according to Bain & Co.’s 2025 Primary Care at Health Systems Survey. They anticipate a significant shift toward value-based and population-focused care models.

"The ambition around primary care is clear -- health systems are betting on it as a cornerstone of strategy," said Dr. Erin Morissette, a partner in the company’s health and life sciences practice. "Our research suggests that those who can navigate workforce shortages, reimagine care models and adopt AI in ways that truly reduce burdens for clinicians will succeed.”

Several trends about the future of primary care emerged from the survey:

  • The value of primary care is shifting. Improving medical cost management and fulfilling community commitments are rising in importance, while driving referrals to specialists has dropped to the bottom of rationales for employing primary care professionals.
  • Momentum toward value-based model is building. Most health systems continue to rely heavily on fee-for-service reimbursement, but executives expect a shift toward population-focused clinics with value-based reimbursement in the next five to seven years.
  • Labor challenges persist. Physician recruitment and retention are the top near-term priorities. and leaders said workforce shortages are their greatest concern over the next decade.
  • AI adoption will reshape primary care operations. Health systems expect adoption of AI solutions to surge in the next three years, with e-prescribing systems rising from 27% to 55%; appointment scheduling from 33% to 63%; and telehealth platforms from 38% to 63%.
  • Patients' comfort with AI is rising. The share of patients comfortable with AI listening and taking notes jumped from 21% in 2024 to 60% in 2025. Comfort with AI analyzing medical exam results and creating a report increased from 37% to 51%, and 35% now are comfortable speaking to a non-human call center, up from 19% the previous year. Comfort remains lower for fully automated uses. One-third are comfortable with AI making a diagnosis, and only 28% with AI becoming their doctor.
  • AI is still far from replacing doctors. In-person visits at traditional settings remain the clear preference, with net preference scores of 49% for sick visits and 63% for chronic condition visits. Virtual appointments are mixed, and AI chatbots rank lowest.

“Investment in AI and digital health enablers is accelerating, reflecting their growing role in the transformation of primary care,” the report concluded. “Health systems are beginning to scale tools that enhance efficiency, ease administrative burden and support more coordinated models of care. This shift underscores how technology is moving from a supporting function to a core enabler of primary care delivery and the transition to value-based models.”

NOT FOR REPRINT

© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.