1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to halt and rigorously investigate recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiatives aimed at using artificial intelligence to reduce direct physician-patient interactions. Treating healthcare as a transaction that can be automated away behind chatbots, algorithmic intake, and automated portal replies is reckless. Real medicine does not happen on a server; it happens in the room with the patient. Accurate diagnoses rely on subtle clinical cues, physical examination, and the trust forged between a human clinician and a vulnerable person. An algorithm cannot read between the lines, perceive nuanced distress, or bear ethical responsibility when a decision goes wrong. Worse, these systems are being fast-tracked into clinical pathways despite being fundamentally unproven. Deploying untested predictive software to gatekeep access to care is not innovation—it is administrative cost-cutting masquerading as progress. When algorithms miss atypical presentations, misinterpret symptoms, or hallucinate guidance, patients pay the price. People already struggle to navigate a convoluted healthcare system; forcing them to negotiate with software before they are permitted to see a doctor is dangerous. Technology should support doctors, not replace them. Efficiency gains must never come at the expense of patient safety and basic human dignity. I urge you to demand immediate, stringent congressional oversight over HHS’s clinical AI roadmaps. Congress must mandate that patient-facing diagnostic and triage tools undergo rigorous, peer-reviewed clinical validation before deployment, prohibit algorithmic gatekeeping, and guarantee every patient an unconditional right to direct, unmediated care from a licensed physician.