OpenAI is making healthcare one of its biggest business priorities. OpenAI is now focusing on the healthcare industry because it believes AI can improve healthcare for millions of people. The company said healthcare is now one of its most important business areas, also known as “verticals.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman personally attended meetings with hospital CEOs to convince them to use OpenAI’s artificial intelligence tools. His presence shows how important health care is to the company, according to Forbes. OpenAI believes hospital leaders are more likely to trust the company when Altman explains its vision in person.
OpenAI Healthcare Initiative
In January of this year, OpenAI announced eight major U.S. healthcare systems as customers of its enterprise healthcare tools, according to an announcement from OpenAI. These include Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and HCA Healthcare.
OpenAI has launched three healthcare-focused products in the past six months. It is launching a special version of ChatGPT designed for doctors and clinicians.
The company also launched “ChatGPT Health,” which allows users to securely connect their medical records and health apps, Forbes reported. Apps such as Apple Health and MyFitnessPal can connect with ChatGPT Health. This product is currently only available through a waitlist.
More than 260 doctors are helping OpenAI improve ChatGPT’s medical answers. These doctors review ChatGPT responses and point out errors. Rebecca Soskin Hicks, director of the OpenAI Physician Network, said via Forbes that they also train the AI to know when it shouldn’t answer because it lacks enough information.
OpenAI reviewed more than 700,000 example responses to improve ChatGPT’s medical accuracy. The company says millions of clinicians now use Chat GPT weekly.
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Nate Gross, head of healthcare strategy at OpenAI, said in an interview with Forbes that healthcare is different from many other industries because everyone faces health issues at some stage in their lives. He believes AI has the opportunity to help everyone, not just hospitals.
Healthcare accounts for approximately 18% of the entire U.S. economy. OpenAI believes artificial intelligence can help patients make better health decisions. It also believes artificial intelligence can help doctors treat patients better. AI can also reduce paperwork and make hospitals more efficient.
OpenAI is expanding into healthcare as competition in artificial intelligence intensifies. Competitors such as Anthropic and Google are also developing healthcare AI products. According to Forbes, OpenAI will have revenue of $13 billion by 2025, but it reportedly lost about $39 billion during the year. The company reportedly missed some revenue and user targets in April. The company confidentially filed for an initial public offering in June but may delay it until next year.
OpenAI must compete with Anthropic, Google and many healthcare technology companies. Experts say hospitals have very thin profit margins, so OpenAI will also have to compete on price. John Beadle, an investor at Aegis Ventures, said via Forbes that he believes OpenAI has a big opportunity in consumer healthcare, but is less sure about selling to hospitals.
ChatGPT Health Benefits
About 230 million people around the world use ChatGPT every week for various purposes, including health advice. People ask questions about symptoms, medications, exercise, lab reports, and medical terminology.
Lauren Bannon, from North Carolina, suffered from joint pain and stomach problems. Doctors diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis. She asked ChatGPT about her symptoms because she didn’t believe the diagnosis. According to Forbes , ChatGPT suggests she may have Hashimoto’s disease.
After further examination, doctors discovered thyroid cancer. In January 2025, surgeons removed her thyroid and two lymph nodes. Bannon said via Forbes that she believes ChatGPT “literally saved my life.”
Karan Singhal, head of health artificial intelligence at OpenAI, said via Forbes that healthcare has become one of the most active use cases for ChatGPT. He said there are risks with AI, but it also has huge potential to improve health care.
Also read: OpenAI launches GPT-Live speech model that can speak and listen at the same time
Many communities in America don’t have enough doctors. Many patients wait months to see a doctor. In rural America, more than one-third of adults go to the emergency room to receive care that a primary care physician could handle. Approximately 86% of rural counties have no practicing cardiologists.
OpenAI’s Ashley Alexander said ChatGPT is designed to provide information via Forbes while patients are waiting for medical care. She said it’s not a replacement for professional medical care.
ChatGPT health risks
Experts say ChatGPT sometimes gives incorrect medical advice. It might tell people to go to the emergency room when they don’t need to. It may also fail to identify serious medical problems.
Forbes cited a study published in the journal Nature Medicine that found ChatGPT Health failed to recommend hospitalization in more than half of the cases that required hospitalization. The study also found that suicidal patients sometimes fail to be identified. In many non-emergency situations, it recommends unnecessary medical care. OpenAI disputed the study and said it used an older artificial intelligence model and that its methodology was flawed.
OpenAI has reportedly received subpoenas from several U.S. states over health data handling and security issues. A Canadian woman sued OpenAI after her daughter committed suicide, claiming that ChatGPT encouraged OpenAI. OpenAI said it takes these concerns seriously and will respond constructively.
Doctors see both benefits and risks
Neuroscientist Dr. Jinsy Andrews said ChatGPT can sometimes help patients seek medical care earlier, via Forbes. But she also said it could increase patients’ anxiety by suggesting they don’t have a serious illness. She recalled one case in which ChatGPT presented research that didn’t actually exist.
An Albany Medical Center doctor said some patients declined further testing because ChatGPT had recommended the diagnosis from an anonymous Albany Medical Center doctor through Forbes. Doctors say this can make proper treatment more difficult.
Hospitals using OpenAI
AdventHealth says OpenAI has helped reduce administrative work by about 80%. Memorial Sloan Kettering is testing OpenAI tools with about 1,000 employees. Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Ophelia Chiu said via Forbes that hospital leaders say it’s too early to measure the full impact.
Labcorp partnered with OpenAI in May to launch an AI-powered app for interpreting lab results. The app also helps users track health trends over time. Labcorp said doctors tested the system and found it to be highly accurate, Labcorp’s Bola Oyegunwa reported via Forbes.
Healthcare Startups AI models like Abridge, Ambience and EliseAI use OpenAI. Abridge uses artificial intelligence to listen to doctor-patient conversations and automatically create clinical notes. The company says OpenAI works well at taking notes, but is less accurate when it comes to making detailed medical diagnoses or billing codes, as Abridge’s Davis Liang noted via Forbes .
OpenAI says artificial intelligence is advancing very quickly and healthcare tools will continue to get better. Nate Gross said there is no single solution for healthcare, but OpenAI hopes to build artificial intelligence that truly helps patients, doctors and hospitals.
