The Chris Wolfe Podcast: The hidden danger of AI: more findings, not better care

Dr. Christopher Wolfe reflects on a recent conversation with Dr. Aaron Werner, Dr. Shane Kannarr, and Harry Colas about cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and where technology is taking optometry. The episode matters because it connects two things that often get separated: protecting patient data and improving patient care. Christopher shares how his view of cybersecurity has changed, why AI should help clinicians make better decisions rather than just generate more findings, and how technology should support both doctors and staff in building more capable, sustainable practices.

Key topics

Christopher explains why cybersecurity has moved from a “necessary expense” to a clinical responsibility, especially after seeing 37 practice breaches through Practice Performance Partners.

He argues that a breach is not only a financial problem but a patient care problem, since losing access to EHR data can affect follow-up, monitoring, and clinical decisions.

Shane Kannarrs example of an open port left from a previous installation shows why general IT support is not the same as healthcare network security.

Moving imaging and records to the cloud helps, but it does not remove the need to assess local devices, older operating systems, and office infrastructure.

Christopher compares cybersecurity risk management to evaluating suspicious optic nerve findings: you do not need certainty before taking action.

The discussion shifts to AI and clinical imaging, including OCT, OCTA, fundus autofluorescence, and ultra-wide field imaging.

He emphasizes that more data is not automatically better care if it does not change decisions, follow-up timing, or treatment choices.

Christopher warns that AI could make clinicians overly dependent on software recommendations unless they understand how outputs are generated and when they do not make clinical sense.

He sees major potential for AI to help technicians and clinical teams understand the purpose behind the tests they perform, not just move patients from one instrument to another.

Harry Colas’s comments on oculomics highlight the broader role of eye care in identifying systemic disease risk, while also raising questions about how early is too early to detect and act.