Your next primary care doctor could be online only
February 9-15, 2026
By Martha Bebinger
When her doctor died suddenly in August, Tammy MacDonald found herself among the roughly 17% of adults in America without a primary care physician.
MacDonald wanted to find a new doctor right away. She needed refills for her blood pressure medications and wanted to book a follow-up appointment after a breast cancer scare.
She called 10 primary care practices near her home in Westwood, Massachusetts. None of the doctors, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants was taking new patients. A few offices told her that a doctor could see her in a year and a half or two years.
“I was just shocked by that, because we live in Boston and we’re supposed to have this great medical care,” said MacDonald, who is in her late 40s and has private health insurance. “I couldn’t get my mind around the fact that we didn’t have any doctors.”
The shortage of primary care providers is a national problem, but it’s particularly acute in Massachusetts. The state’s primary care workforce is shrinking faster than in most states, according to a January 2025 report.
Some health networks, including the state’s largest hospital chain, Mass General Brigham, are turning to artificial intelligence for solutions.
In September, right when MacDonald was running out of blood pressure medications, MGB launched a new AI-supported program, Care Connect. MacDonald had received a letter from MGB, telling her no primary care providers in the network were taking new patients for in-person care. At the bottom of the letter was a link to Care Connect.
MacDonald downloaded the app and requested a telehealth appointment with a doctor. She then spent about 10 minutes chatting with an AI agent about why she wanted to see a physician. Afterward, the AI tool sent a summary of the chat to a primary care doctor who could see MacDonald by video.
“I think I got an appointment the next day or two days later,” she said. “It was just such a difference from being told I had to wait two years.”
Round-the-Clock Convenience
MGB says the AI tool can handle patients seeking care for colds, nausea, rashes, sprains, and other common urgent care requests, as well as mild to moderate mental health concerns and issues related to chronic diseases. After the patient types in a description of the symptoms or problem, the AI tool sends a doctor a suggested diagnosis and treatment plan.
Care Connect employs 12 physicians to work with the AI. They log in remotely from around the U.S., and patients can get help round-the-clock, seven days a week.
Care Connect is one of many AI-based tools that hospitals, doctors, and administrative staff are testing for a range of routine medical tasks, including note-taking, reviewing diagnostic results, billing, and ordering supplies.
Proponents argue that these AI programs can help relieve staff burnout and worker shortages by reducing time spent on medical records, referrals, and other administrative tasks. But there’s debate about when and how to use AI to improve diagnoses. Critics worry that AI agents miss important details about overlapping medical conditions.
Critics also point out that AI tools can’t assess whether patients can afford follow-up care or get to that appointment. They have no insight into family dynamics or caretaking needs, things that primary physicians come to understand through long-term personal relationships.
Since her first foray on the app in September, MacDonald has used Care Connect at least three more times. Two of those interactions led to an eventual conversation with a remote doctor, but when she went online to book an appointment for travel-related shots, she interacted only with the AI chatbot before visiting the travel clinic.
This article was edited for length and is from a partnership that includes WBUR, NPR, and KFF Health News. Access full story at KFFNews.org.
Photo credit:
(greenbutterfly/adobestock.com)
