In a time when rural hospitals are shuttering and physician shortages are increasing, AI has the potential to radically transform healthcare, not just by optimizing workflows or boosting bottom lines, but by democratizing access.
That was the central message from Punit Soni, CEO and Founder of Suki, during his recent interview on HIMSS TV.
“Access to healthcare was always supposed to be the key reason why healthcare tech was adopted,” Soni said. “The idea was that as tech is inherently scalable, all sorts of places will have access to this technology. Not just the fanciest, biggest health systems in the biggest cities in the country.”
At Suki, this mission is deeply embedded in product design and strategy. Whether it’s deploying AI in rural clinics or major urban systems, Suki aims to be a truly invisible and assistive solution, giving clinicians their time back and allowing them to focus on patient care, not clicks.
Rethinking Care Delivery in Rural America
For many rural physicians, the administrative load is not just frustrating, it’s a reason to retire. AI can shift that calculus.
“A doctor who has kids is able to now go home in time because she’s no longer burdened with the unbelievable amount of administrative work,” said Soni. “A doctor who wanted to retire might now stay a few more years. New doctors might choose rural areas, knowing they can make a bigger impact with these tools.”
But making this real requires more than just software. It demands contextualized AI trained on diverse datasets, human-centered implementation, and affordability that meets the realities of rural systems. Suki is doing the hard work of building, refining, and deploying AI that meets these criteria.
From Point Solution to Platform
Suki is not just building tools; it’s building infrastructure. Suki Assistant lifts the administrative burden from clinicians by providing patient summaries, documentation, and coding, so they can focus on patient care. Meanwhile, Suki Platform extends this intelligence to other companies’ technology, including telehealth leaders like Zoom.
“We’re not just powering ambient AI for in-clinic visits,” Soni noted. “We’re embedded in telehealth experiences. A doctor might use Suki six times throughout the day, across multiple platforms.”
This ecosystem-first approach reflects Suki’s larger vision: to create a frictionless, intelligent healthcare environment, no matter the setting.
A New Epoch in Healthcare
Soni framed the rise of AI as an epochal shift, akin to the printing press or the internet.
“Technology will become more invisible and assistive so that we can focus on human relationships,” he said. “If you take that and apply it to healthcare, it means doctors and nurses can finally put patients back at the center—without being overwhelmed by the system around them.”
Whether in bustling hospitals or underserved rural communities, the promise of AI isn’t just efficiency – it’s equity, empathy, and access.
