Katie Adams , 2025-06-23 23:19:00
Even the fiercest proponents of AI understand the enduring importance of human connection in an increasingly technology-driven world.
Zack Kass, an AI expert and former head of go-to-market strategy at OpenAI, discussed this idea during a Monday morning address at the HFMA Annual Conference in Denver. To illustrate his point, Kass spoke about an experience he had about six months ago while witnessing his father receive a lifetime achievement award from a breast cancer association.
His father, oncologist Dr. Fred Kass, was being honored for a decades-long career in breast cancer care. During Dr. Kass’ time as an oncologist, the survival rate for breast cancer soared from 35% to about 90%, his son pointed out.
“This is an incredible achievement and a testament to science — and I am so proud of my father, the scientist, that I was not ready for when I heard that evening,” Kass remarked.
Before Kass’ father received his award, one of his breast cancer patients spoke on stage. She had survived her battle with the disease — and Kass admitted he expected her to rave about his father’s unique approach to saving her life.
Instead, she stated that she had gotten three identical diagnoses from three oncologists, all of whom came up with care plans that were pretty much exactly the same.
“She admitted that it occurred to her that the science had gotten so advanced that the machine was better than the doctor at actually prescribing the treatment. So she decided, she said that she would choose the doctor that inspired the most hope,” Kass declared. “In a world where the science had been solved, she realized that bedside manner wasn’t the feature — it was the product.”
In other words, bedside manner is not a “nice-to-have” — it’s the core of care, and it’s what truly matters to patients.
Kass said this woman’s comments changed his life. He realized that his father, who he had always known to be a much-celebrated oncologist in the Santa Barbara area, wasn’t important to the community because he was brilliant — he was important to the community because he was kind and people could tell that he truly cared about them.
“If oncology is about to be solved, what won’t be? And in a world where you can specialize in anything, it’s probably time that we start talking about specializing in our most humanistic qualities — adaptability and courage and empathy and wisdom and curiosity and humor. The list actually goes on,” Kass remarked.
As AI continues to transform the clinical landscape, Kass is optimistic that healthcare leaders won’t lose sight of what makes medicine meaningful.
Photo: kieferpix, Getty Images
