The new model matches pricier 'Thinking' models on medical benchmarks, is free to all users, and was validated by a network of more than 260 physicians.
OpenAI has upgraded ChatGPT’s healthcare capabilities by deploying a new model called GPT-5.5 Instant, the company announced this week. [1]
According to OpenAI, GPT-5.5 Instant matches the performance of the company’s more expensive “Thinking” models — its reasoning-focused tier — on machine-evaluated health benchmarks including HealthBench and HealthBench Professional, but at a significantly lower cost. [1]
The model is available to all ChatGPT users, including those on the free tier, though usage limits apply. [1]
When evaluated against physician-written answers, GPT-5.5 Instant’s responses scored higher on accuracy, clarity, and completeness, OpenAI said. [1] The company also reported that the rate of incorrect health statements produced by the model has dropped 71 percent over the past two months. [1]
The improvements were informed by a physician review network of more than 260 doctors spanning 60 countries, who collectively reviewed more than 700,000 model responses. [1]
OpenAI says more than 230 million people use ChatGPT weekly for health-related queries, citing use cases such as interpreting lab results, preparing for medical appointments, and navigating insurance questions. [1] The company also offers separate products aimed at medical professionals, including ChatGPT for Clinicians and OpenAI for Healthcare. [1]
Sources
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