Hot Springs, South Dakota – In a small town of about 3,400 people, residents are watching a national push to place artificial‑intelligence (AI) tools in rural health settings with a healthy dose of skepticism. During interviews conducted by KFF Health News, locals like Tara Haffner expressed concern that AI could make mistakes and preferred to keep health decisions between her and her doctor.
“I get artificial intelligence for certain things, but for personal healthcare – no,” Haffner said outside the American Legion. Her sentiment reflects a broader wariness among rural patients who fear that technology might replace the personal relationship they have with their physicians.
Federal leaders champion AI as a solution
At the same time, top health officials are promoting AI as a way to address chronic staffing shortages and high costs in rural hospitals. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a Senate panel that AI‑driven “concierge care” could bring specialist‑level attention to patients far from major medical centers. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, added that AI‑based avatars could connect rural residents to mental‑health services.
The $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, created by Congressional Republicans as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, earmarks funds for states to experiment with AI in clinics, hospitals, and telehealth platforms. States such as Washington, Mississippi, North Dakota and New Hampshire have outlined plans to use AI for tasks ranging from medical charting to early‑disease detection.
Local clinicians see practical benefits
Phillip Mues, technology director at Cherry County Hospital and Clinic in Valentine, Nebraska, reports that AI scribe tools already help clinicians reduce paperwork and focus more on face‑to‑face care. “It won’t replace people, but it will help reduce the burden on actual staffing,” Mues said. Surveys of clinicians before and after adopting the scribe technology indicated lower burnout and more eye contact with patients.
However, Mues cautioned that AI cannot solve every problem. Rural hospitals facing possible closure due to financial strain may not be able to rely on AI alone to keep doors open.
Evidence and implementation challenges
Recent analyses from a Stanford‑Harvard partnership (ARISE) and academic literature highlight a lack of robust evidence that AI improves outcomes in rural settings. Only 26 peer‑reviewed studies on AI in rural health were published between 2010 and April 2025, and few examined real‑world implementation.
Experts note that many AI models are trained on data from large urban hospitals, which may not reflect the health issues or transportation barriers common in rural communities. Qian Huang, an assistant professor at East Tennessee State University’s Center for Rural Health and Research, warned that without proper testing, AI could produce inaccurate recommendations for patients who differ from the urban datasets.
Infrastructure and trust hurdles
Rural clinics often lack the high‑speed internet and IT staff needed to support sophisticated AI platforms. Patients may also have limited broadband at home, making remote monitoring or chatbot services difficult to use. “In rural communities, trust and a personal relationship is essential,” Huang said.
Local voices echo that sentiment. Heavy‑equipment operator Doug Nikkila suggested AI could be useful for reminders in nursing homes, but emphasized that misuse could become a burden. Hot Springs resident Roy Ehlers summed up the mood: “I’m old‑fashioned. I don’t believe in it. Technology is not my forte.”
State plans and future outlook
Despite the concerns, many states are moving forward with AI pilots. Utah is exploring AI‑powered fetal‑monitoring devices, while Kentucky plans to test chatbots that deliver health coaching and gamified incentives. Mississippi wants predictive algorithms to guide emergency‑medic triage, and New Hampshire aims to identify patients at high risk of adverse drug events.
Whether these experiments will deliver the promised cost savings and improved access remains to be seen. As the Rural Health Transformation Program continues to fund AI projects, both policymakers and rural residents will be watching closely to see if technology can truly complement, rather than replace, the trusted care relationships that define small‑town health services.
Original reporting: Buckrail (Jackson WY) — read the source article.
