Director of Clinical and Quality Analysis, MGB, former chief of GIM, Brigham and Women's, Editor, Journal of Patient Safety; dad, birder, climber

Boston, MA
Joined October 2012
David Bates retweeted
Tracy Minichiello on bleeding and clotting. This graphic is busy but it's a terrific summary of the state of the art in pulmonary embolism risk stratification, testing, and treatment. #UCSFMHP2026
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This week on The Digital Pulse, we sat down with @DBatesSafety and Luciana D’Adderio to ask how AI is transforming diagnosis. We got into why AI may reverse the traditional diagnostic process, whether clinicians can resist automation bias when the AI answer arrives first, what trainees lose if they never learn on legacy imaging, and how patients using AI at home are changing the doctor-patient relationship. And whether the doctor’s job is to make the diagnosis—or verify it. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:43 How AI is changing diagnosis 02:49 Studying stroke AI in Scotland 05:20 AI reverses the diagnostic process 07:33 How stroke AI reads the scan 11:21 Speeding care in rural Scotland 11:54 A faster pace of change than ever before 13:49 AI in its real context of use 17:39 Training in the AI era 18:09 Confirmation bias and diagnostic error 22:13 Verifying the AI output 24:11 Automation bias and “don’t believe the beautiful picture” 26:40 What junior clinicians could lose 27:35 Patients using AI at home 29:20 The physician as advisor 31:00 Health anxiety and somatization 33:00 “Vibe diagnosing” and the last mile 34:48 AI is too eager to please 35:37 AI in mammography 37:28 A broader revolution in diagnosis Hosted by @BenMazer and @sammargolis_. Produced by @danielkimjung.
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Mike Ryan also underscored the central importance of trust, especially given the growing cynicism of the public regarding the healthcare system and our providers. #ISQua2026
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Mike Ryan is delivering the opening plenary at ISQua and is underscoring the central importance of primary care and improving the quality and safety of care and reducing burnout. #ISQua2026
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David Bates retweeted
Check out this new @eClinicalMed study from @OSUengineering @OSUWexMed @OSUbigdata @BrighamWomens @harvardmed Seungyeon Lee, Wenyu Song @DBatesSafety Richard Urman and I explore Illicit vs medical fentanyl use.
A new @OhioState study suggests illicit use of fentanyl in the US is more than twice as common as medically based use. The study also shows illicit exposure is linked to a much higher risk of opioid-related harmful outcomes than medical-source exposure. news.osu.edu/illicit-fentany…
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Leader of Albert Einstein in São Paulo is discussing how their three pillars are strategy, culture and innovation.
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A new analysis in Science of more than 116,000 bird songs has revealed that the astonishing variety of passerine birdsong is built from just eight basic acoustic motifs, like trills, whistles, and harmonic notes. The findings also reveal that local environments greatly shape how birds communicate around the world. Learn more: scim.ag/4wYoVXE
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Chris Koller spoke today at BWH grand rounds. Financing for primary care is insufficient, and this level of support has been going down. Access has gotten much worse. The Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill that would require institutions to spend 15% on primary care.
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David Bates retweeted
It’s a real honor to receive an honorary doctorate of science from @BrownUniversity . 😍
At its 258th Commencement on Sunday, Brown conferred honorary doctorates on six candidates who have achieved great distinction in a variety of fields, including economics, civil rights, artificial intelligence, national security, business and community leadership. buff.ly/cSP89Ff
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David Bates retweeted
We've written about AI-induced physician deskilling that has already surfaced thelancet.com/journals/lance… @tberzin AI-induced never-skilling among newly trained doctors, while not yet proven, is a serious concern that needs to be addressed @NatureMedicine @nliulab nature.com/articles/s41591-0…
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David Bates retweeted
With predictable long term consequences for wealth, health, and happiness. Pediatricians ought to be in the vanguard of tracking this, publicizing it, and intervening.
Reading scores, 3rd graders to 8th graders, 2015 to 2025. This is a national tragedy.
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David Bates retweeted
NEJM: New research reveals a massive concentration in medical malpractice: just 1% of all physicians account for 32% of all paid claims🩺⚖️ It seems risk isn't random—it's highly concentrated among a small group of practitioners. Full study: nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJ… @EricTopol
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David Bates retweeted
We’re delighted to announce Pedro Delgado as CEO of ISQua, effective 1 Sept 2026 🤝Pedro brings 16+ years at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, leading global work in quality improvement, patient safety & health equity. Find out More 👉 bit.ly/3OORSVG
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Check out our systematic review in JAMIA on testing and evaluation of generative large language models in electronic health record applications. | Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association | Oxford Academic
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Our paper led by @LisaRotenstein is out. Measuring the Return on Investment for Clinician-Facing Artificial Intelligence Technologies | Artificial Intelligence | JAMA Internal Medicine | JAMA Network
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