One Giant Leap for Healthcare AI w/ Dr. Robert Wachter, Author, A Giant Leap
CareTalk: Healthcare. Unfiltered. · 2026-02-20 · 39 min
Episode notes
Send us Fan Mail Healthcare has long promised a digital revolution, yet many clinicians feel more burdened than empowered. With AI now accelerating at a rapid pace, can this moment finally deliver on that promise? Dr. Robert Wachter, author of A Giant Leap, joins host John Driscoll to discuss how AI is evolving clinical workflows and decision-making, why "better than human" is good enough in our overburdened system, and the leadership choices that will determine whether AI reduces burnout or deepens healthcare's existing failures. ️️ABOUT ROBERT WACHTER Robert Wachter, MD is Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Author of 300 articles and 6 books, he coined the term “hospitalist,” the fastest-growing medical specialty in U.S. history. He is past-president of the Society of Hospital Medicine, past-chair of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. In 2004, he received the John M. Eisenberg Award, the nation’s top honor in patient safety. Modern Healthcare magazine has ranked him as one of the 50 most influential physician-executives in the U.S.