Sure, doctors’ advice is best, but sometimes I wait 6 months to get to see a specialist who seems hell bent on getting through our appt as quickly as possible.
Models are infinitely patient and can see a lot more context about my health.
But, the privacy is a big question mark. The page extensively reassures on privacy (no model training, encrypted, no ads, can be deleted). There’s only one part that stands out to me:
> Memory remains in your control. To personalize future chats, memories can be created from your Health conversations. Memories are not created directly from connected medical records and Apple Health information. If you’d like to have a conversation without creating memories, you can use Temporary Chat (opens in a new window) or turn memory off in Settings > Memory.
Great that you can turn it off in settings but I wonder how many people will do that and how much sensitive context leakage will come out of your conversations and suddenly you’ll get ads for rashes and whatnot.
Even if they say they won't, they will, and there is no telling what they would do with the data itself...
With ChatGPT at least I control what I enter in the prompt to minimize my exposure.
- They avoid doctors because it's expensive and they don't want to burden their families.
- There aren't enough doctors, regardless of social spending.
- There isn't enough social spending.
Even if this only increases bandwidth of existing doctors, or allows lesser-trained nurses to cosplay as a doctor during triage to increase bandwidth, it's a great thing.
What do you think the LLMs are trained on?
I agree the current state of US healthcare is a mess. But that doesn’t mean anything is better. The current state of LLMs are so agreeable I worry what they’ll suggest to users who provide even the slightest pushback.
“Are you sure I need this test?”
“You’re right to question that. It’s unlikely to surface anything you don’t already know”
…while a chronic condition develops under the surface
Recently I had Claude analyze an MRI of my knee and it gave me five different potential problems, but once I got the radiologist report - none of those problems were present, it did not detect that it was chondromalacia that I found out from the radiologist report.
Health and the current iteration of LLM's just doesn't seem like a great match.
That said, Claude did say “I’m not a doctor, if in doubt make sure you see one”. So, that’s good… but then, what’s the point in using it?
I have witnessed a non-radiology case (a STD on the face) where the LLM got it right and the doctor didn't (he said it was diabetes related). It may have saved that person's life by causing them to go to a different doctor with the LLM's diagnosis and getting the proper treatment.
What I don't understand is why don't doctors use LLMs as a tool for a quick second opinion before arriving at a determination? They have my data. They can put it into GPT 5.6 Pro or Fable, read the output, and choose to disregard it if they really want to, but if there's a 20% chance that it spots something they missed, why not?
Maybe someone who has used it can give some feedback.
It's hard for patients to interpret medical research and evidence though... ChatGPT recommended treatment for some of my family members based on studies with 60 patients. It wasn't exactly established medical practice.
I had Claude analyze a blood panel and provide potential diagnoses, medications, dosing and contraindications for a fairly esoteric condition. It gave me the questions to ask a doctor (being completely forthright that I'm yet another layman regurgitating AI output) who agreed with the approach and even admitted that he hadn't seen a case study it referenced but that he wish he knew about it sooner.
Will doctors still be assmad that years of their study is now democratized? Probably. I am (or was) a software engineer, welcome to the club.
casper14•46m ago