In the latest episode of Fixing Healthcare, hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr welcome Joe Petro, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Health & Life Sciences Solutions and Platforms.
A mechanical engineer by training, Petro offers a refreshing and sometimes surprising take on AI’s role in healthcare. Despite being at the forefront of innovation in one of the world’s largest tech companies, he describes himself as an “incredible technology skeptic.” He explains that skepticism is precisely what’s needed to ensure AI improves, rather than disrupts, the physician-patient relationship.
This conversation is part of Fixing Healthcare’s Season 10, which explores how technology—particularly AI—can reshape American medicine. Petro highlights three major shifts that will define the coming decade:
1. AI as the new co-pilot for doctors
Petro sees a future where AI functions as a real-time assistant to physicians, handling administrative burdens, generating clinical insights and optimizing workflows. He envisions AI acting like an augmented intelligence tool, offering guidance at the point of care rather than replacing human decision-making.
By reducing time spent on documentation and bureaucracy, AI lets clinicians focus more on patient interactions, improving both efficiency and quality of care. A prime example? Petro recounts how an AI-powered solution helped a hospital’s chief medical officer get home in time for dinner for the first time in 25 years.
Petro likens this transformation to the “Bridge” from Star Trek—a place where AI, data, and human expertise come together seamlessly. Just as Captain Kirk relied on real-time insights from the ship’s computer, doctors will soon have an intelligent, AI-powered assistant guiding their decision-making and simplifying their workflow.
2. The EHR is here to stay—but AI will completely change how we use it
For years, physicians have bemoaned electronic health records (EHRs), blaming them for burnout and inefficiency. Petro doesn’t believe they’re going away. Instead, AI will radically improve them.
Instead of static systems that require excessive manual input, AI-driven EHRs will automate documentation, surface relevant clinical insights and anticipate physician needs without ever typing a note. In fact, Petro describes a future where doctors never have to stare at a screen during a patient visit again. Instead, AI will listen in the background, generate documentation in real-time and provide decision support without disrupting the human connection between doctor and patient. This transformation, he argues, will reduce burnout, improve efficiency and ultimately lead to better care.
3. AI will shift healthcare from treatment to prevention
A central theme of the discussion is how AI can help shift medicine’s focus from reactive treatment to proactive disease prevention. Petro describes a future where AI-powered virtual assistants track patient health data, predict complications and intervene early. All this will empower patients to manage chronic conditions more effectively.
He acknowledges regulatory and liability concerns but insists that the inevitability of AI-driven self-diagnosis will force the industry to adapt. He predicts AI-powered tools will soon deliver tailored medical insights, helping patients make informed decisions without waiting for in-person doctor visits.
Humanity, skepticism remain important
Beyond these predictions, Petro doesn’t shy away from skepticism. He warns against blind faith in technology, stressing that successful implementation requires trust, rigorous testing and physician buy-in.
His passion for these topics are deeply personal. Petro shares a moving story about his mother, who struggled with health issues later in life. He emphasizes how empathetic, attentive care made all the difference for her—and how AI should be used to enable more of these meaningful interactions, not replace them.
Ultimately, Petro’s vision is both optimistic and cautionary. He sees AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, human decision-making in medicine. With healthcare systems struggling under the weight of administrative burdens, staffing shortages and rising costs, he believes AI represents an opportunity to ease these pressures while improving patient outcomes.
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Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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