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Unpopular opinion: AI scribes are a bandage on a bullet wound.
Every major health system is racing to deploy ambient AI documentation tools. Epic, Oracle Health, Microsoft, Nuance, and a dozen well-funded startups are all selling the same promise: give doctors their time back.
And yes, the early data looks good. Physicians report spending less time on notes. Satisfaction scores tick up. Burnout metrics improve slightly.
But here is what nobody is saying about this:
We are automating our way around a system design failure instead of fixing it.
🔍 Think about what ambient AI scribes actually do. They listen to a conversation, generate a note, and drop it into the EHR. Faster. Cleaner. Less painful.
What they do not do is fix the 47 inbox messages waiting after that visit. They do not fix the 14-step prior authorization process that starts the moment the note is done. They do not fix the fact that a physician’s schedule has been compressed to 15-minute slots to hit RVU targets.
We celebrated EHRs as a revolution in care coordination. Then we spent the next 20 years watching physicians drown in them. Now we are celebrating AI scribes as the antidote.
Are we just repeating the same cycle?
💡 Here is the harder question healthcare leaders need to ask right now:
If you remove the documentation burden and physicians still feel burned out, what does that tell you?
It tells you the problem was never just the notes.
The problem is a system that treats physicians as input-output machines, optimized for throughput over care quality. AI scribes make that machine run slightly more smoothly. But the machine is still broken.
I am not saying ambient AI is bad. It is genuinely useful technology. But the way health systems are positioning it as a burnout solution is intellectually dishonest.
Burnout is a systems problem. Inbox overload, fragmented workflows, administrative creep, and loss of clinical autonomy are not solved by a better microphone in the exam room.
If health system leaders are serious about fixing physician burnout, the AI scribe is step one, not the finish line.
The real work is redesigning the workflows that surround every single patient encounter.
Are we brave enough to do that, or are we just going to keep buying tools that make the dysfunction feel slightly more manageable?
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Author:
Jonathan Govette is a seasoned healthcare and technology executive with more than two decades of experience building, scaling, and advising digital health companies. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Oatmeal Health, an AI-driven Lung Cancer Screening and Diagnostics company focused on expanding access to early detection for underrepresented populations, particularly patients served by Federally Qualified Health Centers and value-based health plans.
With a background in engineering, product development, and strategic partnerships, Jonathan has founded and led multiple health technology ventures across clinical care delivery, regulated medical software, and AI-enabled diagnostics. His work sits at the intersection of medicine, technology, and health equity, with a consistent focus on translating complex clinical problems into scalable, real-world solutions.
Jonathan has spent much of his professional life dedicated to improving outcomes for marginalized and underserved communities. He has designed and implemented frameworks that align clinical quality, reimbursement, and technology to sustainably advance health equity at scale. This mission is deeply personal and informs his leadership philosophy and long-term vision for healthcare transformation.
In addition to his operating experience, Jonathan is an author and long-time writer in the healthcare domain, with over 20 years of published work covering digital health, medical innovation, and healthcare systems. He is a frequent mentor to early-stage founders and regularly advises startups on product strategy, partnerships, and go-to-market execution in regulated healthcare environments.
Before entering industry full-time, Jonathan nearly pursued a career in medicine with an early path toward cardiothoracic surgery, an experience that continues to shape his clinical perspective and respect for frontline care delivery.
CEO | Oatmeal Health | AI Lung Cancer Startup | Engineer | Writer | Almost Became a Doctor (Cardiac Thoracic Surgeon) | 3x Health Tech Founder | Startup Mentor | Follow to share what I’ve learned along the way.
