Episode summary
The AI-Informed Patient with Zocdoc Founder & CEO Oliver Kharazz | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Oliver Kharazz
Summary
Oliver Kharazz argues that AI is already changing how patients approach care, especially before they see a doctor. He says more people are using AI to research symptoms and conditions, and then arriving at appointments more informed, more engaged, and better prepared to ask questions. In his view, that does not replace physicians; it makes the patient-doctor visit more productive and can help people seek care earlier.
He also describes how AI is showing up inside the exam room through transcription and note-taking tools. The hosts point to a recent visit where the doctor spoke aloud throughout the exam so AI could generate a more complete record, which Kharazz says is the direction healthcare should go: patients use AI for information, but doctors still provide the care.
Kharazz says Zocdoc benefits from this shift because the platform turns AI-driven research into actual appointments. He says patients may start their search on AI, Google, or elsewhere, but Zocdoc helps them find available doctors, see insurance acceptance, and book quickly. He says the company is profitable, has more than 200,000 providers, and remains private while continuing to grow.
Key takeaways
- Kharazz says patients are increasingly bringing AI into the pre-visit stage, which is changing the doctor-patient relationship.
- He argues AI should supplement doctors by making patients more informed and visits more productive, not by replacing clinicians.
- Kharazz says Zocdoc benefits when AI-driven research becomes actionable and turns into booked care.
- He says Zocdoc has over 200,000 providers and in New York City one in three new doctor-patient relationships form on the platform.
- Kharazz says the company is profitable and can fund its growth without going public right now.
Notable quotes
“patients are increasingly adopting AI in sort of the pre-are setting and uh the the number of them that go in and bring that third party into the patient doctor relationship has gone up a lot”
“Patients want to get information from AI, but they want to get care from their doctor and that is enabled by AI making everyone more productive”
“We see that happening. We see it growing very fast from a low base, but it's something that is becoming more and more popular”
“So we make the connection and but they could start their search anywhere”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts, radio, news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Tim Stenc on Bloomberg Radio. — Well, at the playground this weekend, Carol, I'm talking to another dad. — Yeah. — He's got a startup that uh uses AI to read radiology. Uh, and I was saying to him, "Wow, radiologists, that's a a type of doctor that is very um I guess positioned to be disrupted by AI."
Yeah, I can see that. — And he said he responded with every doctor is going to get disrupted by AI. And he started telling me about all the robotic surgery. — Disrupted. Good. Disrupted. — Well, this this is the like, hey, robots are going to be doing surgery on you soon.
They are already, aren't they? Well, like robots that are not operated by somebody, you know, I'm not talking about like the Da Vinci robot. — Okay. — Like, you know, that's operated by a single doctor. I'm talking like Yeah, like
Elon's robot's going to come in and and operate on me. — I don't know about Elon's robot, but — Yeah, — Just saying.
I want to know what Oliver Karz has to say about this. He's CEO and co-founder of Zoc. It's the platform that connects patients with doctors.
It also provides teleaalth and it's increasingly leaning into AI functions, too. He joins us from Manhattan. Oliver, good to have you on the program.
You know, Zachdoc has been around for quite a while and seen many different iterations of technology. Bring us up to speed on where it is right now when it comes to integration with AI and how patients are using AI functions.
Yeah, happy to good to be on the show.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- ai in healthcare
- patient-provider relationship
- healthcare access
- patient disclosure of ai
- future of care
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Zocdoc
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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