Engaging physician voices to transform primary care: Announcing the “Advancing AI and Digital Health for Primary Care Initiative”

Thank you to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) for their support and collaboration, with special gratitude to Shawn Martin; Steven Waldren, MD; Karen Johnson, PhD; Kathy Reid, PhD; and Bethany Burk.

New advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health technologies are unlocking a wide array of opportunities in healthcare—many of which stand to have a big impact on primary care. Investment is flowing rapidly: since 2023, more than 280 venture-backed U.S. digital health startups with AI/ML-enabled solutions have raised $6.3 billion in funding, comprising 34% of all sector funding, according to Rock Health’s Digital Health Venture Funding Database.¹ Two-thirds (67%) of these companies have built their solutions for provider organizations, including tools aimed at optimizing clinical decision-making, streamlining clinical and administrative operations, and enabling more proactive care. These are exciting opportunities to solve challenges that have long plagued primary care clinicians, including patient access, provider burnout, and administrative burden.

Recognizing the potential for these technologies to improve primary care, Rock Health is collaborating with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) to explore and accelerate the application of digital health and AI tools by identifying opportunities that can transform clinical practice, enhance the operations of primary care practices, and improve outcomes. Together, we are committed to helping bring meaningful, AI-enabled solutions to primary care while enabling their responsible development and deployment.

Objectives of the “Advancing AI and Digital Health for Primary Care Initiative”

The foundation of our collaboration is a shared focus on improving healthcare delivery for patients, primary care clinicians, and primary care practices. Our goals include:

• Exploring the impact of digital health and AI in the practice of primary care
• Identifying key areas where digital health and AI could improve the clinical practice of primary care
• Identifying key areas where digital health and AI could improve the operations and performance of primary care practices
• Informing innovators and builders on the highest-need, highest-impact areas for innovation
• Highlighting key areas where digital health and AI could enhance medical education and training

Initial steps toward our objectives

To guide this important work, together we are engaging with primary care physicians and will translate their perspectives into guidance for industry development. We have formed a Primary Care Leadership Committee consisting of leaders across primary care and AI and tech development, who bring perspectives on clinical care, technology development, policy, and health equity. These experts will play a central role in steering our efforts and ensuring that our recommendations are actionable, grounded in lived experience, and positioned to drive meaningful change. Members of our committee include:

Co-chairs

• Brent K. Sugimoto, MD, MPH, FAAFP—chief medical officer of Decoded Health; program director of the LifeLong Medical Care Family Medicine Residency Program, and vice speaker of the California Academy of Family Physicians
• Jen Peña, MD, FACP, AAHIVS—co-founder and chief medical officer of MyCuratedHealth; former White House physician

Members

• Peter Bonis, MD—adjunct professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and chief medical officer at Wolters Kluwer; part of the founding group at UpToDate
• Ricky Y. Choi, MD, MPH—head of digital health at Samsung Electronics America and assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University
• Jackie Gerhart, MD —chief medical officer, Epic Research, and associate professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Winston Liaw, MD, MPH—chair, Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences, Tillman J. Fertitta College of Medicine
• Steven Lin, MD—chief of general primary care and the head of technology innovation for the Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University
• Shweta Maniar—global director, Healthcare & Life Sciences at Google, board member, RxSight and Orthofix; advisor, Allen Institute; member, USDM Cloud Compliance Advisory Board
• Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP—chief health officer at Cityblock Health and co-chair of the Health Systems and Provider Advisory Board at the Coalition for Health AI
• David Rushlow, MD—chair of family medicine for the Mayo Clinic (Midwest)
• Nipa Shah, MD—professor and department chair of family medicine at the University of Florida
• William Brinson Weeks, MD, PhD, MBA—director, AI for health and medical director of Bing and Bing Health at Microsoft

Additionally, to incorporate a wide array of clinical voices, we’re surveying primary care clinicians to understand their needs, challenges, and perceived opportunities related to AI and digital health in primary care. By actively engaging these clinicians, we aim to generate actionable insights for healthcare leaders, investors, and solution developers, enabling the development of innovative tools and educational resources.

Join the conversation: Participate in the survey

Physician and other clinician voices are critical to ensuring that the resources we will develop help solve the real-world challenges of primary care delivery and operations—which is why we’re asking U.S.-based primary care clinicians to participate in our Use of AI and Digital Health Survey.

Click here to participate by November 4.

Together with primary care and digital health leaders, we’re hoping to turn the promise of AI and digital health into practical solutions that support the practice of primary care and transform health for all humanity.

About Rock Health
Rock Health accelerates innovation at the nexus of healthcare and technology through an early-stage venture fund, a digital health strategy group, and a non-profit advancing equity-centered change. As a leader in digital health since 2011, we are committed to transforming health for all humanity and bringing greater humanity to healthcare by investing in, supporting, and advising innovators and entrepreneurs across the healthcare landscape. From early-stage startups to enterprise health companies to equity-focused innovators, we provide our community with the meaningful support and insights needed to bring innovation to life and improve healthcare for all. Learn more at rockhealth.com.

About AAFP
Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents 130,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the largest medical society devoted solely to primary care. Family physicians conduct approximately one in five office visits — that’s 192 million visits annually or 48 percent more than the next most visited medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care. To learn more about the specialty of family medicine and the AAFP’s positions on issues and clinical care, visit www.aafp.org. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.

Footnotes

1. Rock Health Digital Health Venture Funding Database