New physician-in-chief takes on pressing medical issues facing both region, San Mateo County

“A lot of our members and our patient population had to put off a lot of care during those years, and now they’re coming back and getting those things tended to. And so we are doing our best to really restore them all back to health and to provide all the care and to address the care gaps,” Kao said. “I think we’re getting very close to where we were before the pandemic started.”

And as the boomer generation continues aging, he stated additional investments in certain areas — such as cardiovascular health, diabetes care and musculoskeletal ailments — will be particularly critical.

Kao stepped into the new role on Thursday, Jan. 4, and will oversee all physicians and clinical care operations in the South City location. He said he is looking forward to ensuring the medical center is employing the most cutting edge technology, including robotics tools for surgeries — such as the da Vinci robotic surgical system — as well as generative artificial intelligence for both diagnostic purposes and better patient care management.

While it may seem counterintuitive, Kao said AI applications often promote more personal interactions between patients and their doctors, as such tools take care of key documentation that may otherwise fall to physicians or medical staff.

“Within that space, diagnosis and treatment will improve, and the ability for our providers to provide the care that they need will be enhanced in so many different ways,” Kao said. “Documentation for our physicians helps improve the amount of time that they spend face to face with their patients, instead of behind a computer screen, and ambient listening where they can listen to these conversations helps document in a more efficient way.”

While COVID-19 exacerbated delays in treatment and medical services, it also accelerated adoption of telehealth and remote care.

“That’s something that’s new since the pandemic, this comfort around technology and seeking virtual care when appropriate,” Kao said. “We see a large amount of growth in that area, so being able to really adapt to the new way that medicine is being consumed and received by our patients is important.”