Rethinking Healthcare Product Development with AI

Introduction

In the fast-paced world of healthcare technology, product managers often struggle with having too many ideas and not enough time to execute them. At PharmEasy, we’ve had many conversations that ended with the frustrating line, “Let’s park it for later.”

But what happens when “later” never comes? Good ideas can get lost under tight deadlines, limited resources, or competing priorities. Small innovations that could enhance patient experience may never come to fruition. This is where AI in healthcare makes a significant difference.

By adopting an AI-first approach, we are changing how product and tech teams collaborate. AI is no longer just a tool for taking quicker notes or brainstorming; it has become a partner that helps us develop products from start to finish. The role of AI in healthcare extends beyond saving time; it enables teams to create better, safer, and more patient-focused solutions while keeping pace with a rapidly changing market.

A New Way of Working: PMs and Engineers, Powered by AI

Traditionally, PMs outline problems and goals, and engineers turn them into solutions. With AI, the process becomes quicker, smarter, and more collaborative:

• Rapid Prototyping: Ideas that used to take weeks to prototype can now come to life in hours. Generative AI helps PMs quickly visualize concepts, test workflows, and refine plans without delays. This enables teams to experiment freely, try multiple ideas, and discover the most effective solutions for patients.
• Faster Alignment: AI can instantly transform user needs into product flows, code snippets, and technical details, enabling faster alignment and more efficient development. This use of AI in healthcare connects vision and execution, keeping everyone aligned and reducing miscommunication.
• Engineers as Enhancers, Not Translators: Engineers now spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time improving AI-generated foundations. They enhance the AI’s work, rather than just translating requirements into code.

This change isn’t just about speed. It creates a shared creative space where PMs and engineers collaboratively build, moving away from sequential handoffs toward genuine teamwork. These are some benefits of AI in healthcare, including faster innovation, improved collaboration, and products that genuinely support patients.

The Radiology Case Study

One of our most extensive experiments with this approach was the development of the Radiology Bot, a tool that explains diagnostic reports in straightforward, patient-friendly language. This project clearly demonstrates the role of AI in healthcare in action.

Here’s how AI made a difference:

• From Brief to Prototype: Instead of producing lengthy PRDs, the PM utilized AI to create conversation flows, edge cases, and tone guidelines, all of which focused on patients. This made the transition from idea to prototype faster and more efficient.
• From Prototype to Code: Engineers integrated these flows into the backend with AI support, automatically generating necessary code and receiving smart suggestions for improvements. AI acted as a partner, not just a tool, speeding up work while maintaining quality.
• From Idea to Launch: What could have taken weeks went live in just a few days, without skipping validation or safety checks. The use of AI in healthcare allowed us to deliver faster while ensuring patient safety and compliance remained a priority.

The best part? Patients began using the product earlier, providing real feedback while we continued to make improvements. This early engagement emphasizes one of the key benefits of AI in healthcare: quicker innovation while keeping patients at the center.

What This Means for PMs

Generative AI is reshaping what it means to be a Product Manager:

• From idea owners to builders: PMs can now directly influence working solutions, not just plan them.
• Validate with prototypes, not decks: Hypotheses can be tested in real products, rather than endless documents.
• Collaboration becomes simultaneous: Working alongside engineering in real time shortens time to market.

At PharmEasy, this shift in mindset enables us to prioritize speed for patient value, without compromising quality or compliance.

The Road Ahead: AI-First Product Development

We see this as just the beginning. Our AI-first approach will continue to transform how we experiment, allowing us to do so more quickly with greater opportunities to test bold ideas, minimize “busy work,” and build empathetic solutions that are technically sound yet genuinely patient-centered. In healthcare, speed matters, not just for our business, but for every patient waiting for clarity, support, or the next step in their care journey.

With AI as our partner, “let’s set this aside” is finally becoming “it’s live.” By utilizing AI, PharmEasy is demonstrating that the role of AI in healthcare extends beyond simply speeding up processes. It helps teams collaborate better, build stronger products, and make healthcare simpler for patients. AI is not just a tool; it’s a partner that is changing the way we create, test, and launch solutions.

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