Debra Patt, President of the Community Oncology Alliance, Executive Vice President Policy and Strategy at Texas Oncology, Chair of AI Task Force at ASCO, shared on LinkedIn:
“At the Community Oncology Alliance Payer Exchange and Innovation Summit, I worked with June Lanoue to highlight how AI tools – like ambient scribes and clinical decision support – are helping clinicians, nurses, and staff work ‘top of license,’ recover work-ife balance, and focus on patient care as well as bring novel therapies to the community oncology space – where more patients can access them.
Key takeaways:
Ambient AI scribes let physicians finish notes faster and leave clinic on time – helping reduce burnout and restore meaningful patient interaction.
Clinical decision support and automated triage-note prepopulation shift nurses’ time away from administrative tasks back to nursing care.
AI is pervasive: from screening and drug discovery to revenue cycle management – benefits extend ‘everywhere.’
Adoption barriers include ROI proof points for leadership, the need to avoid fragmented point solutions, security/compliance risks, and AI-specific issues (bias, hallucinations, errors).
Successful adoption favors channel- or sphere-based solutions that can evolve with practice needs (example: evolving PROs/remote monitoring with a single vendor).
Prior authorization remains a major pain point – causing treatment delays, denials, and downcoding – but automation, dashboards, and closed process loops can improve timeliness and reduce denials.
Practical advice:
- prioritize integrated, oncology-specific tools;
- automate templates and denial tracking;
- build the right infrastructure and feedback loops;
- and collaborate across practices (COA playbook and task force are resources).
Bottom line:
Thoughtful AI adoption – paired with process redesign, governance, and vendor partnerships – can meaningfully reduce administrative burden and improve care delivery in community oncology.
If your practice is evaluating AI or prior-authorization automation, consider connecting with COA resources and peer practices to share lessons learned. And help use these resources to develop the infrastructure to support our patients having access to the therapies of tomorrow.”
You can also read: Shaalan Beg: When AI Enters the Clinic
