AI Adoption in Healthcare Risks Widening the Digital Divide for Safety-Net Providers

While artificial intelligence (AI) offers potential to reduce administrative burdens and clinician burnout, implementing these tools is challenging for safety-net providers with limited resources. North Country HealthCare, which operates 13 clinics and two mobile units serving 55,000 people in rural Northern Arizona, faces barriers like remote communities, workforce shortages, and outdated IT infrastructure.

AI adoption requires technical expertise, human oversight, governance structures, and continuous monitoring, making it labor- and cost-intensive. Many providers lack data scientists, stable Wi-Fi, and updated electronic health records, complicating integration. With slim net margins—just 1.6% at community health centers in 2023—and high uncompensated care, investments in AI are often financially unfeasible.

Experts warn that as affluent systems accelerate AI deployment, under-resourced providers risk falling further behind, reinforcing the digital divide in healthcare and limiting equitable access to AI-driven clinical benefits for underserved populations.

02-10-2025