Giving clinicians their time back.
When AI takes on the documentation burden, clinicians spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients. Here’s what health systems across the country are reporting.
From the clinicians living it.
According to Dr. Gina Sulmeyer of Torrance Memorial Physician Network, thanks to AI's ability to reduce documentation burden and cognitive load,"Physicians report an improved ability to connect with their patients."[Oracle] Rather than replacing clinician-patient interactions, AI tools help eliminate administrative burden so providers can be more present during visits. AI tools that are being implemented across healthcare settings are allowing clinicians to push their computers to the side and go back in time, where they're able to have face-to-face conversations with their patients, not a computer screen.
Michael Charlton, President and CEO of AtlantiCare, stated, "We anticipated the operational benefits. What's been remarkable is the immediate impact on quality of life for both patients and providers. That's the part we underestimated." At AtlantiCare, on average, providers saw a 41% reduction in total documentation time, saving them 66 minutes per day, a two-month comparison study found.[Oracle] Healthcare organizations using AI-assisted clinical documentation are reporting improvements in patient satisfaction alongside significant reductions in documentation time, giving providers more opportunities to engage with patients and spend less time completing notes between visits and after hours.
Across six health systems, burnout among ambulatory clinicians using an AI scribe fell from 51.9 percent to 38.8 percent in 30 days, with measurable gains in after-hours documentation time and attention focused on the patient.
Donna Lynne, CEO of Denver Health, prioritizes productivity, patient satisfaction, and provider satisfaction. All three have improved with the use of AI tools in the health system. "What used to be 'pajama time'—after-hours documentation and dictation—is now streamlined, making life easier for both patients and providers." [American Hospital Assoc.]
Hudson Physicians, an independent, physician-owned medical group, delivers primary and specialty care through 60 providers in two clinics in Hudson and New Richmond, Wisconsin. Facing staffing shortages and growing administrative demands, the group sought to reduce its documentation workload without compromising patient experiences with the use of AI tools. According to Hudson, almost all physicians now complete their documentation before leaving for the day. Several physicians even said they'd rather retire than go back to the old, labor-intensive way of doing things. Training physicians to use the solution usually takes less time than downloading it on a mobile device, says Dr. Ryan McFarland, who relates the story of how one of the most resistant physicians in the group nonetheless agreed to try it for one patient visit. "He got the note back a minute after the end of the appointment, looked at it, and went, 'Huh, that's the best note I've written in 40 years,'" McFarland says.[Oracle]