Local Summit Expert Panel Addresses Trends in Modern Healthcare

By Larry Thaul

What to expect in the healthcare future: fewer primary care doctors, increased use of AI in diagnosis, treatment, medical records, drug research, and insurance coverage, possible reduction of local Open Door services Open Door Care Network family medical center Mamaroneck as well as potential closing of rural hospitals and the loss of insurance and healthcare for many if the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) law goes into full effect. These were among the issues presented at the October 14th meeting of the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Local Summit by Michael J. Reichgott. MD, PhD, professor emeritus at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Aran Ron, MD, MBA, president of Healthcare Strategies.

The speakers agreed that artificial intelligence (AI) promises to bring significant changes to the practice of medicine. Dr Ron pointed out that AI reads X-rays more accurately than humans, while Dr. Reichgott heralded the rapid development of new drugs which directly target only the diseased cells. AI also has brought ‘ambient scribes’ recording systems into the Dr./patient visit, creating a summary of the interaction for the medical record without the physician doing the time-consuming work. Dr. Reichgott added, “Let’s be clear, AI does not care for you…What your doctor does with his hands and his eyes cannot be replaced.” However, Dr. Ron added that enormous amounts of data will be available for diagnosis and treatments and help reduce hospital costs. He continued that AI should be able to improve patient outcomes and improve the process of claims processing. AI will not replace the physician and does come with risks.

They both viewed the expansion of telemedicine as welcome and yet problematic at the same time. Dr. Reichgott again emphasized the importance of the physical interaction with a patient but Dr. Ron pointed out that tech can help deliver better care, e.g. via diabetes tracking and personalized drugs. Dr. Reichgott explained that the current and projected shortage of physicians begins with the self-regulation of the American Medical Association, described as a self-protecting guild, which limits the number of trained doctors each year. Residencies are available in select hospitals and only senior residents and fellows are funded through the hospital as their services are billable by Medicare. The lower pay for generalists versus specialists is creating fewer Primary Care physicians even when medical school tuition is free. Lastly, many physicians are retiring and not being replaced. “Change must come from outside the profession,” said Dr. Ron.

Dr. Ron stated that the #1 public health issue is the access to care denied to millions by the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Severe cuts in Medicaid coverage and the ACA premium subsidies will prevent many from receiving coverage and result in higher mortality in the uninsured population. The defunding in the bill will also cause rural hospitals to close and shutter or severely limit agencies such as our local Open Door Family Medical Center which provides broad healthcare services to low-income families.

They both agreed “We’re living in a sea of misinformation,” as Dr. Reichgott stated. The anti-vax movement was based on faulty science. Recent advice from the government for the treatment of measles and the use of Tylenol in pregnancy was not based on scientific evidence. To counter this, NY has joined a coalition of states to educate the public about the scientific basis for healthcare decisions. Dr. Reichgott also noted that tariffs can hurt us in the wallet as most generic medications come from overseas.

When making our own healthcare decisions, clearly the best we can do is to stay well through a healthy lifestyle that includes good diet and exercise regimens. If we feel we need care immediately, go to the ER for the most acute care, i.e. chest pain, open wounds, severe bleeding, or head injury and go to Urgent Care for lesser needs such as colds.

Congressman George Latimer, in attendance, punctuated the session with the comment, “Aran & Michael put a policy-substantive background over why we are fighting over the budget in Washington.”

The Larchmont/Mamaroneck Local Summit is an informal community council that seeks to make a better life for the community by keeping it informed of major issues of concern. Join us for the next meeting which will be held in person at The Nautilus Diner, 1240 West Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY 10543, on Tuesday, November 18th at 8:00 a.m. where the topic will be “An Update on Immigration in Our Community.”

Visit us online: www.localsummitlm.org