Recently, AI has dominated the headlines with concerns about its impact on everything from jobs and education to the stock market and the environment. That’s not to say there isn’t also optimism about AI and its potential to improve our lives. One headline, in the latter category, caught my attention, as it offered some perspective on what I’m hearing about the role of AI in clinical practice.
As Vice President of Recruiting for Jackson Physician Search, my discussions with both hiring managers and physicians increasingly include mention of AI. Clients at hiring organizations that have adopted these tools want to highlight them as a benefit of joining their group. Candidates, both physicians and APPs, often wonder if this differentiator could be the solution they’ve been seeking.
So, what exactly does the new research say about physicians’ use of AI? And what does it mean for your next physician job search?
The New Research on AI Scribes
A study published in JAMA this spring, co-led by Mass General Brigham and UCSF researchers, is one of the largest and longest looks yet at how AI scribes affect physician workflow in practice, rather than in a pilot program. The team tracked more than 1,800 clinicians who used ambient documentation tools across five hospitals over two years, compared with nearly 6,800 non-users at the same institutions.
The results were real, but modest: clinicians using AI scribes spent about 13 fewer minutes per day in the EHR and 16 fewer minutes per day on documentation (roughly 3% and 10% reductions, respectively) along with a small uptick in productivity (about half an additional patient visit per week). Notably, only 32% of adopters used the tool in more than half of their visits, and that subgroup saw two to three times the time savings of occasional users.
Just as telling was what the researchers said the data didn’t explain. Senior author Dr. Rebecca Mishuris, Chief Health Information Officer at Mass General Brigham, noted that prior JAMA Network Open research has tied ambient documentation to meaningful drops in burnout. However, the modest time savings observed in the recent study are unlikely to account for that effect on their own, suggesting AI scribes may be changing the physician experience in ways that go beyond a stopwatch. In other words, the benefit may be less about minutes saved and more about cognitive load, or simply feeling less tethered to a screen during the visit.
It’s worth noting that while the aforementioned research focuses on physicians and AI, there is also evidence to suggest nurse practitioners and other advanced practice providers are also using AI for clinical documentation, patient portal replies, and prior authorization requests. The time saved benefits APPS as much as it does physicians.
The Bigger Picture
That MGB/UCSF study lines up with what physicians are reporting more broadly. The American Medical Association’s 2026 Physician Survey on Augmented Intelligence found that 81% of physicians now use AI professionally, more than double the 38% who said so in 2023. Seven in 10 see AI as a genuine tool for automating the tasks that contribute to burnout. The most common current uses are what one might expect: summarizing medical research and standards of care (39%), drafting discharge instructions and care plans (30%), documenting visit notes (28%), and drafting responses to patient portal messages (19%).
Doximity’s 2026 State of AI in Medicine report, based on surveys of more than 3,100 physicians, found similar momentum: 75% of physicians already using AI said it has reduced their administrative workload and improved job satisfaction, and 90% believe AI has the potential to cut into “pajama time,” that is, the after-hours EHR work that eats into evenings and weekends.
A Note of Caution
Of course, not all AI in healthcare is built to help the physician. The same AMA survey found that 61% of physicians are concerned that health plans’ use of AI in prior authorization is increasing denials. Tools designed to speed up payer decision-making can add friction for the clinician on the other end of that process. The takeaway isn’t that AI is good or bad; it’s that who the tool serves and what it’s optimized for matter far more than whether the organization uses AI.
What This Means If You’re Evaluating a New Role
If reducing administrative burden is important in your next position, it’s important to ask more than simply, “Do you use AI?” Most organizations will answer that question affirmatively, so better questions to ask include:
- Which specific tools are in place for documentation, portal messages, or care plans, and how long have physicians been using them?
- Is adoption optional or expected, and what does onboarding and training with these tools look like?
- Were physicians involved in selecting or evaluating the tools?
- How does the organization measure success with AI: time saved, burnout survey scores, patient volume, or something else?
- How is AI used on the payer side of things, and has it changed prior authorization or claims friction for physicians?
The research so far suggests AI is positively impacting physician burnout, but it is not a silver bullet. Organizations that can speak candidly to how they’ve implemented these tools (and what they’ve actually measured) are likely further along than those simply pointing to a vendor logo.
Has any organization discovered how to use AI to completely reverse administrative burden? Definitely not. But it has significant potential to reduce physician burnout, so how a prospective employer leverages AI is a topic worth exploring.
Are you looking for a physician role that prioritizes patient care over paperwork? Reach out to the recruitment team at Jackson Physician Search today or explore open physician job opportunities now.
About Jeff Foster
With more than 15 years of experience in healthcare strategy and physician recruitment, Jeff Foster has partnered with hospitals, health systems, and academic centers across the country to strengthen their recruitment programs and improve processes.
A West Virginia native, Jeff began his career at Charleston Area Medical Center, where he specialized in candidate acquisition, practice start-up, and service line expansion. He later joined National Jewish Health, the nation’s #1 respiratory hospital, to help develop a strategic faculty recruitment office.
In 2016, Jeff joined Jackson Physician Search as one of the first team members in its Denver office. Since then, he has built a reputation as a leading expert in physician recruitment — earning Consultant of the Year multiple times and advancing to his current role as Regional Vice President of Recruiting. In this role, he not only works directly with hospitals to secure top talent but also mentors a growing team of recruiters, helping them achieve long-term career success.
What Jeff values most is seeing people thrive — whether it’s physicians finding their dream jobs, healthcare organizations strengthening their teams, or colleagues achieving new milestones in their careers.
Outside of work, Jeff enjoys skiing, playing soccer, and exploring the outdoors with his wife in Denver.
