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Will autonomous AI be better than doctors?		Read in browser

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

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Unease in Wisconsin

I spent Monday night in downtown Madison, WI, snacking on cheese curds and chatting with folks at happy hours ahead of the keynote session at Epic’s annual meeting for customers this morning.

Epic may be acting as if it’s business as usual — it’s been dropping product news ahead of the meeting — but it’s facing some monumental challenges, including prominent leaders exiting and lawsuits over its dominance in electronic health records. On Friday, Reuters reported that the EHR giant is facing FTC scrutiny.

Happy hour minglers wondered about the recent procession of exec departures, which included Sumit Rana, Epic’s former president, who was seen as a likely successor to CEO Judy Faulkner. Theories abounded on what could be happening behind the scenes.

As for the FTC’s reported antitrust investigation, some seemed unfazed, citing Epic’s growth despite past warnings from former FTC chair Lina Khan and a string of lawsuits brought by former employees, competitors and the state of Texas.

Others felt just a tiny bit vindicated. Some drew parallels to UnitedHealth Group’s run-ins with the FTC and the US Justice Department, despite once being seen as untouchable.

When asked to comment on the reported FTC probe, an Epic spokesperson called the company “leaders in interoperability to support patient care” and said it does not engage in anticompetitive behavior.

Nobody I spoke with believed that Epic would address these pressures onstage today. But all eyes will be on the company as it lays out its vision for what’s to come.

- Ngai

Here’s what’s new

AI will be better than doctors at some medical tasks, healthcare and VC experts predict

Most clinical AI tools being built today are meant to be used with a doctor’s oversight. But by 2030, it’s likely that AI, on its own, will perform better than doctors at some basic tasks, such as collecting medical information and diagnosing patients.

Live at Epic UGM

An image of Wisconsin's capitol building in Madison.

We sent Ngai to Madison, WI, to tune into Epic’s annual Users Group Meeting. She’ll be at the keynote and around the conference today — be sure to say hi!

This week in health Тech

While we’re on the topic of Epic, the company has been releasing some product news ahead of the meeting. Last week, it said hospital systems can now share diagnostic-quality images through Epic’s portal (previously, only written reports and lower-quality images were able to be shared). It also announced that clinicians can now use Epic to check in real time if a treatment requires a prior authorization.

Perimenopause startup Play Health is winding down, CEO and co-founder Andrea Mazzocchi shared on LinkedIn. Mazzocchi said the Boulder, CO-based, Y Combinator-backed company wasn’t able to find a place in either insurance-backed or cash-pay healthcare for the solution, noting that "improved menopause care continues to be a 'nice to have.'"

As part of CMS’ ACCESS program, a group of Medicare members get access to a Whoop device and membership to the platform including coaching for no out-of-pocket cost. To start, Whoop’s program is available in 14 states, with plans to be nationwide shortly after.

Universal Health Services has completed its acquisition of Talkspace. The hospital and behavioral health clinic chain bought Talkspace for $835 million, taking the virtual care company private.

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