Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Addressing Workforce Shortages and Shaping the Future of Care at Kaiser Permanente
Nov 7, 2025
Dr. Stephen Parodi, Executive VP at The Permanente Federation and an infectious disease physician, tackles pressing issues in healthcare. He discusses innovative strategies to combat workforce shortages and physician burnout through AI and team-based care. Parodi also addresses policy challenges affecting residency slots and funding. Additionally, he highlights the shift toward home-based care and the promise of generative AI in enhancing patient outcomes. His insights paint a picture of a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Physician Shortage Is Multifactorial
- The U.S. faces a looming physician shortage driven by aging patients, retiring doctors, and burnout.
- Kaiser is tackling this with tech, flexible schedules, virtual-only roles, and team-based care to sustain capacity.
Use Tech And Flexibility To Reduce Burnout
- Deploy ambient AI scribes to cut documentation time and restore meaningful exam-room interactions.
- Offer flexible schedules, virtual visits, and virtualist roles to reduce burnout and retain clinicians.
Scale Care With Team-Based Models
- Expand team-based care and involve disease-specific management teams for chronic conditions.
- Use multidisciplinary teams to improve outcomes and scale patient access efficiently.