“Our focus is really on what we can do to pull the doctor out of the visit,” says Akido’s CTO.
Imagine this: You’ve been feeling unwell, so you call up your doctor’s office to make an appointment. To your surprise, they schedule you in for the next day. At the appointment, you aren’t rushed through describing your health concerns; instead, you have a full half hour to share your symptoms and worries and the exhaustive details of your health history with someone who listens attentively and asks thoughtful follow-up questions. You leave with a diagnosis, a treatment plan, and the sense that, for once, you’ve been able to discuss your health with the care that it merits.
Once cautious, OpenAI, Grok, and others will now dive into giving unverified medical advice with virtually no disclaimers.
The catch? You might not have spoken to a doctor, or other licensed medical practitioner, at all.
This is the new reality for patients at a small number of clinics in Southern California that are run by the medical startup Akido Labs. These patients—some of whom are on Medicaid—can access specialist appointments on short notice, a privilege typically only afforded to the wealthy few who patronize concierge clinics.
