Rochester, Minn. — One of the world’s most prominent healthcare institutions is exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can reshape the way clinicians access medical records, prepare for patient consultations and ultimately deliver care.
At Mayo Clinic, internal medicine physician Dr. Alexander Ryu can spend significant time reviewing dozens—or even hundreds—of pages of medical records before meeting a patient. The challenge is particularly significant for patients seeking third or fourth opinions, who often arrive with extensive and unorganized medical documentation from other health systems.
A new AI-powered tool, known as Record Time, is helping clinicians navigate these complex medical histories more efficiently. The technology can generate relevant patient summaries, organize records chronologically and make information easier to search, allowing physicians to identify critical details that could otherwise remain buried in lengthy files.
Ryu said Record Time can save between five and 30 minutes of preparation for each patient visit, depending on the complexity of the case. The additional time can then be redirected toward direct interaction with patients.
“We receive a huge volume of these records, tens of millions of pages every year, and we needed a way to find important information in that,” said Ryu, who also serves as vice chair of innovation for Mayo Clinic’s Department of Medicine.
The initiative reflects a broader push to integrate AI into healthcare. Health-related applications are increasingly viewed as one of the most promising areas for AI innovation, with technology companies including Google, OpenAI and Anthropic introducing AI-powered health assistance features. Millions of people are also turning to AI tools for answers to medical and health-related questions.
At the same time, the rapid expansion of AI in healthcare has fueled ambitious predictions about its potential to accelerate drug discovery, improve diagnosis and even contribute to breakthroughs in diseases such as cancer. However, the technology’s real-world impact remains an area of ongoing research and debate.
For Mayo Clinic, Record Time is only one component of a wider strategy to explore AI’s potential to improve patient care and clinical decision-making. The healthcare organization is working with technology companies, including Microsoft and Scale AI, to develop AI applications that leverage its extensive collections of patient records and medical research.
According to Dr. Matthew Callstrom, a radiologist and medical director of Mayo Clinic’s generative AI program, approximately 150 AI models are now deployed across the healthcare system.
The growing use of AI in clinical environments, however, has also raised concerns about accuracy, oversight, data security and patient privacy. The technology must operate within a highly sensitive environment where errors or inappropriate use of patient information could have significant consequences.
Those concerns have already surfaced at Mayo Clinic. Former Director of Research Operations Traci Tamiko Eto filed a lawsuit against the organization, alleging that she faced retaliation after raising concerns related to privacy and oversight involving certain Mayo AI systems.
As healthcare organizations accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence, Mayo Clinic’s experience illustrates both the promise and the challenges of integrating AI into medicine. While tools such as Record Time may help clinicians spend less time navigating complex medical records and more time with patients, the broader adoption of AI will likely depend on maintaining accuracy, protecting patient data and establishing robust governance and oversight.
For one of the world’s best-known healthcare institutions, the experiment is already underway—and its outcomes could offer important lessons for the future of AI-enabled healthcare.
