Introduction

The looming shortage of primary care physicians is a global concern, and recent developments in agentic AI offer a credible pathway to address this crisis. A recent article by STAT in partnership with Lumeris illustrates how this technology could help transform healthcare systems under pressure (Berke & Carmouche, 2025).

The Global and Local Context

The United States is projected to face a shortage of 87,150 full-time primary care physicians by 2037 (Berke & Carmouche, 2025). Meeting demand would require hundreds of millions of additional patient-care hours annually, and this is an impossible gap to fill with human resources alone.

Australia faces similar challenges, with severe GP shortages forecast in rural and regional areas by 2032. The UK’s NHS is also experiencing record GP shortfalls, longer wait times, and increasing patient demand. In all three systems, the combination of population growth, aging demographics, and chronic disease prevalence is pushing access to primary care to breaking point.

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The Promise of Agentic AI

Tom™, developed by Lumeris, is a virtual care agent capable of:

  • Interacting with patients via text and voice.
  • Predicting care journeys and guiding evidence-based plans.
  • Integrating data from EHRs, claims, and consumer insights to build comprehensive patient profiles.

Its potential lies in freeing up clinician time by replacing many routine, low-complexity interactions with AI-led touchpoints. A patient with diabetes, hypertension, and depression might reduce in-person visits from five per year to two, supplemented by 50 personalised AI interactions and thus multiplying clinician capacity without sacrificing quality.

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Cautionary Considerations for Adoption

While the opportunities are significant, integrating agentic AI into existing healthcare systems brings challenges that must be addressed:

  • Data Privacy and Security – Protecting sensitive health data and ensuring compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, and local regulations.
  • Interoperability and Legacy Systems – Adapting AI to integrate with outdated EHR systems and avoid data silos.
  • Regulatory and Ethical Compliance – Managing bias, explainability, consent, and accountability with robust oversight.
  • Workflow Integration and Adoption – Embedding AI into clinical workflows so it becomes a valued assistant, not an underused add-on.
  • Infrastructure and Resource Limitations – Ensuring access to secure, scalable computing power.
  • Model Accuracy and Reliability – Continuously validating performance and maintaining hybrid human-AI decision-making.
  • Human Oversight and Governance – Maintaining clear governance and intervention protocols.
  • Cost and Complexity – Addressing high initial and ongoing costs, and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration.

These challenges require localised solutions that reflect the realities of each healthcare system, community, and clinical practice.

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Bottom Line

Agentic AI offers a transformative way to combine the expertise of a limited clinician workforce with scalable, data-driven patient engagement. Its successful adoption will require strategic planning, robust governance, and deep collaboration to ensure safe, ethical, and impactful integration.

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Join the Conversation

At Askahealth, we believe innovation must be grounded in proven expertise and tailored to the unique needs of each community. We invite healthcare leaders, clinicians, and innovators to join the discussion in our Aligning for Excellence Facebook group. It is a space to explore best, share experiences, and co-design AI-enabled systems that reflect your local realities.

Connect with Co-Create Care movement.

→ Facebook Group: Aligning for Excellence
→ Community Link – Meetup Discussions @ AI in Practice  (Our Fortnightly Online forum for live discussions)

Together, we can shape a future where healthcare isn’t just sustainable—it’s remarkable.

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Reference

Berke, R. & Carmouche, D. (2025) Agentic AI tackles primary care’s physician availability shortfall. STAT Brand Studio, 8 July. Available at: https://www.statnews.com/sponsor/2025/07/08/agentic-ai-tackles-primary-cares-physician-availability-shortfall/ (Accessed: 10 August 2025).

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