Doctors say artificial intelligence is transforming vein care by improving early diagnosis, enhancing patient follow-up, streamlining treatment coordination, and helping more patients receive timely, potentially life-changing interventions, all while ensuring that clinical decisions remain firmly guided by physicians
Artificial intelligence is reshaping venous and lymphatic care, helping more patients receive treatments that were once difficult to access, according to physicians and researchers who gathered at the VISION 2026 conference in Maryland.
The meeting, hosted at the Marriott Marquis, brought together specialists to discuss advances in venous medicine and the growing role of automation in patient management. Organisers said AI-powered systems have nearly doubled call centre capacity, increased patient interactions by 40 percent, expanded follow-ups and treatments, and reduced insurance denials.
Supporters argue the technology is allowing clinicians to spend more time with patients while operational tools help ensure timely interventions that may prevent serious complications.
“This conference is grounded in purpose,” said Sanjiv Lakhanpal, MD, founder and president of the Center for Vein Restoration (CVR), in his keynote address. “When physicians come together with a shared mission to improve lives in the communities we serve, we create meaningful progress for patients and for the future of our field.”
As healthcare systems increasingly turn to automation, one key question is whether AI is improving clinical outcomes or simply making hospitals run more efficiently.
Dr Lakhanpal said the technology should not be viewed as a treatment in itself.
“AI is not the therapy. It is the system that makes evidence-based therapy happen on time, consistently and for the right patients,” he told Impact Newswire in an exclusive interview.
He pointed to existing research supporting early intervention for venous disease. The EVRA randomized trial found that earlier endovenous ablation helped leg ulcers heal faster and kept them from returning for longer compared with delayed treatment. Other long-term data suggest recurrence is reduced when definitive venous treatment is combined with compression therapy, while compression has also been shown to lower recurrent cellulitis in chronic edema.
“So, what is the ‘clinical evidence’ behind AI-driven patient management?” he said. “It’s the evidence behind the care pathways AI helps us deliver reliably: ensuring patients do not fall through gaps in scheduling, education, compression access, follow-up imaging and escalation of care.”
Adherence to treatment remains a major challenge in real-world care, particularly with compression therapy. CVR says its AI-enabled workflows are designed to reduce common failure points such as missed appointments, delayed ultrasounds and loss to follow-up.
“Importantly, patient-level outcomes, including healing timelines, recurrence, complications and adherence, are being systematically tracked and reviewed for continuous quality improvement,” Dr Lakhanpal added. “This creates the infrastructure needed to rigorously evaluate whether AI-supported care delivery translates into measurable long-term improvements in outcomes.”
The expansion of automated tools has also raised concerns about whether algorithms could influence medical decisions or standardize care in ways that overlook individual needs.
Dr Lakhanpal emphasised that physicians remain in control. “We treat AI as decision support and operational support, not decision authority,” he told this writer. “CVR is physician-led, and clinical decisions remain with board-certified physicians at the point of care, always.”
He said automated systems are designed to capture complete clinical information, highlight guideline-aligned considerations and streamline follow-up and coordination, but they are not permitted to “auto-prescribe” or “auto-authorize” treatment.
“Practically, that means a human-in-the-loop design: physicians and clinical leaders define the clinical pathways, documentation standards and escalation criteria,” he said. “Clinicians can deviate when patient-specific factors warrant it, because venous and lymphatic disease is not one-size-fits-all.”
He added that standardized approaches should support care rather than replace individualized clinical judgment, particularly for complex patients.
Another concern is whether AI tools that help reduce insurance denials could unintentionally steer care toward treatments that are easier to reimburse.
Dr Lakhanpal said the decline in denials reflects improved documentation rather than a shift in clinical priorities.
“Reduced denials are a byproduct of better documentation and standardization, not a change in medical necessity,” he said.
“I understand the concern: any tool that touches authorization or claims can inadvertently bias care toward what is easiest to reimburse. That is exactly why we separate clinical intent from revenue-cycle mechanics.”
He explained that the technology focuses on ensuring medical records accurately capture symptoms, imaging findings, prior therapies and functional impact.
“That supports medical necessity; it does not define it,” he said.
According to Dr Lakhanpal, CVR guards against what he described as “reimbursement-first” care through physician governance, auditability and overrides, and a clear separation between treatment recommendations and payment logic.
“Coverage rules inform what documentation is required and when appeals are needed, but they do not determine what we recommend,” he said. “The treatment plan is driven by diagnosis, severity, risk and patient goals. Then we do the work to obtain coverage for medically-necessary care.”
Beyond the technical discussions, the conference also highlighted mentorship, research and peer collaboration. Attendees examined minimally invasive therapies, strategies for managing complex venous disease and the ways emerging technologies could reshape patient care nationwide.
For many participants, the conversation reflected a wider transformation unfolding across medicine: automation is no longer confined to administrative tasks but is increasingly influencing how care is coordinated and delivered.
Whether AI ultimately leads to better outcomes will depend on careful oversight, continued research and the willingness of clinicians to balance innovation with caution.
For now, advocates say the technology offers an opportunity to close long-standing gaps in care, particularly for patients who might otherwise miss critical follow-up or treatment.
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