We’ve always defined the standard of care by what the average clinician does.
That’s changing.
AI is beginning to alter what is possible in clinical practice:
It detects patterns
It surfaces risk
It documents more completely
At first, this looks like optional improvement.
Something extra.
Something helpful.
But over time, a shift occurs:
Early adopters begin to perform at a higher level
Outcomes improve
Expectations adjust
And then something subtle happens:
What was once optional starts to feel… expected.
This creates a new dynamic:
The standard of care is no longer based solely on what clinicians are doing.
It begins to reflect what they could be doing with available tools.
That’s the inflection point.
Because now:
A clinician doesn’t need to use AI to be judged by it.
They only need to have had access to it.
We’re not fully there yet.
But the conditions are forming.
And when the shift happens, it won’t be announced.
It will just become the baseline.
AI-Adjusted Standard of Care (AASC)