Pathway boosts clinical decision support with integrated drug tools and AI enhancements

Pathway has expanded its AI-powered medical knowledge platform by launching a fully integrated drug reference tool and drug-drug interaction checker. This update allows healthcare providers to access clear, trustworthy medication data and instantly evaluate potential drug conflicts—all from within the same interface they already use for clinical guidance. The new features aim to make complex prescribing decisions faster and safer, especially in high-pressure environments like emergency departments or virtual care consultations.

With over 2,000 medications included and a plain language query system, the update reflects Pathway’s goal to simplify how clinicians manage information. At the same time, these improvements highlight the platform’s growing presence in both hospital systems and telemedicine services. As the medical community continues to lean on digital tools for support, Pathway is offering physicians a way to reduce the risk of prescribing errors and focus more on patient care.

Expanding AI’s role in medical decision-making

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how clinicians diagnose, treat, and follow up with patients. Pathway’s AI system was built specifically for clinical use, trained on thousands of real-world scenarios and refined to provide context-aware answers.

The core of this latest expansion is a proprietary drug database designed from the ground up for AI-native applications. Unlike traditional static references, the system allows clinicians to ask natural questions like, “What’s the right dose of pregabalin for postherpetic neuralgia?” or “Is bupropion safe for a patient with liver cirrhosis?” The AI delivers accurate, structured responses in seconds. This direct, conversational interface eliminates the need for multiple clicks, manual searches, or switching tools during care.

Crucially, Pathway’s drug information is supported by credible sources, including the American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS), a long-standing reference standard maintained by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). This combination of proprietary design and trusted third-party data helps ensure the results are both clinically relevant and safe to act on.

Medication guidance in workflow

One of the major challenges clinicians face is staying efficient while navigating massive volumes of medical data. Tools that pull them away from their workflow—or force them to use multiple platforms—often go unused, leading to missed information or slower decision-making.

Pathway’s integrated design ensures that drug dosing, interactions, and therapeutic guidance remain within the same interface. This uninterrupted access is especially helpful during patient consultations, where time is limited and clarity is critical. Instead of opening a separate drug interaction checker or consulting a paper reference, the clinician can get answers within seconds—right from where they’re already working.

Addressing the threat of medication errors

The U.S. sees over a million patients harmed annually due to medication-related errors. These mistakes often stem from incorrect doses, overlooked interactions, or miscommunications during handoffs. By offering an embedded interaction checker alongside real-time dosing advice, Pathway’s new tools are designed to reduce this risk.

For example, if a clinician wants to prescribe a new drug to a patient who’s already on several medications, the system can quickly identify potential interactions. The drug checker flags any red flags immediately, giving the provider a chance to reconsider the prescription or adjust the dosage on the spot.

Supporting telehealth and hybrid care models

As virtual care becomes a permanent fixture in modern healthcare, tools like Pathway are helping bridge the gap between in-person and remote medical services.

Through partnerships with major telemedicine providers such as Teladoc and Amwell, Pathway is enabling drug safety checks and prescription support during online visits. Providers treating patients remotely—especially those in rural or underserved areas—can verify medication compatibility, tailor treatment plans, and receive prescribing guidance without switching platforms.

The platform’s compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) also makes it suitable for handling sensitive health information. Pathway Plus subscribers have access to secure features that allow AI-assisted queries involving patient-specific details, such as liver or kidney function, coexisting conditions, or lab values. This is especially useful in complex cases where treatment choices depend on more than just diagnosis alone.

Real-world applications and clinical feedback

Since the rollout of its enhanced features, Pathway has seen adoption across various healthcare settings—from community clinics to hospital systems.

Dr. Noah Hawthorne, Chief Medical Officer at Mee Memorial Healthcare System, shared that more than half of the system’s daily clinical searches now involve drug-related questions. He noted that Pathway’s medication database consistently provides reliable, fast answers, particularly when dealing with patient-specific issues or complicated prescriptions. This consistent performance makes it easier for clinicians to feel confident in their decisions while staying focused on care delivery.

The updated platform also supports multitasking environments, where physicians may be juggling multiple patients, administrative tasks, and documentation all at once. By reducing the number of apps and steps needed to find key information, Pathway helps reduce clinician stress and cognitive burden.

Emergency departments, primary care offices, and telehealth setups all demand fast, reliable access to information. Pathway’s design acknowledges these challenges by removing barriers to knowledge access and eliminating the need for external searches. In practice, this results in smoother clinical conversations and better outcomes, particularly when managing chronic diseases or coordinating care across specialties.

CME and AI performance

Beyond clinical use, the platform now supports physician education and AI development. In 2024, a new feature began offering CME credits for every question asked, turning routine use into an opportunity for ongoing learning. Clinicians can stay updated without needing extra time for courses.

In March 2025, secure HIPAA-compliant access was added for Plus subscribers, enabling safe use of patient-specific information. This makes AI-assisted decisions more practical in everyday care. Earlier that year, the proprietary “Deep” AI model reached the highest score ever recorded for a public medical AI, showing strong performance in complex clinical reasoning.

A platform evolving with healthcare’s needs

The recent upgrades to Pathway’s platform are part of a broader trend toward more integrated, responsive digital health tools. By focusing on speed, reliability, and ease of use, the platform is addressing the real-world needs of medical professionals.

Healthcare continues to move toward decentralized, technology-assisted models. Whether supporting remote consultations, assisting in specialty clinics, or providing real-time help during busy shifts, Pathway is demonstrating how AI can support—not replace—clinicians. The goal remains centered on patient safety, efficiency, and clinical confidence.

AI-powered tools are transforming daily clinical decisions by offering instant drug references, interaction checks, and patient-specific guidance—all in one place.

With growing use in telemedicine and a strong focus on clinician education and data reliability, this platform is becoming a trusted part of both in-person and virtual care. As healthcare continues to evolve, such tools will be key to keeping care accurate, efficient, and safe.