Leading Health Systems: AI-Powered Scribes Alleviate Clinician Burnout; Financial Impact Unclear

NEW YORK —

Early adopters of “ambient scribe” technology—using artificial intelligence (AI) to take notes during patient appointments—report that these tools likely improve clinician burnout, but the financial impact is unclear, according to a new report released by the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI). The report is based on extensive interviews and convenings with health system leaders, leading AI companies, and industry experts participating in PHTI’s AI Taskforce. 

Ambient scribes help reduce documentation burden for some clinicians by automatically converting discussions with patients into electronic notes for medical records without interrupting the natural flow of a visit or requiring follow-up time from the doctor. Adoption of these tools by hospitals and provider groups is on track to be one of the fastest in recent healthcare history.

PHTI research indicates that ambient scribes are potentially effective at reducing clinician documentation time and cognitive load. However, health system leaders indicate that there are gaps in evidence regarding the impact of ambient scribes on productivity and financial performance. PHTI’s AI Taskforce members indicate that savings may become realized over time as technology and implementation processes improve. These tools may also lead to improved patient experience. 

“Ambient scribes are a logical application of generative AI, with strong potential to reduce the paperwork burden on providers and improve patient experience,” said Caroline Pearson, executive director of PHTI. “Yet health systems need to be clear about what they hope these tools will achieve in terms of overall performance and efficiency, and they need to measure the results.”  

The report explores key questions surrounding purchasing rationale, vendor selection, product rollout, and measurement, and recommends process, experience, financial, and quality measures for providers to consider. PHTI plans to develop an assessment framework for administrative technologies informed by purchasers, technology developers, and other experts, to be used for future evaluations. 

“User experience and rigorous outcomes analysis are critical for getting any new technology right, especially one with such immense potential,” said Christopher Longhurst, MD, MS, chief clinical and innovation officer at UC San Diego Health and executive director of the Jacobs Center for Health Innovation. “Our health system started piloting ambient scribes within the last year, and the insights gleaned from PHTI’s AI Taskforce will help inform our decisions around broader implementation and measurement.” 

“Ambient scribe technology means that providers can focus on the patient during a visit instead of the computer and avoid the dreaded after-hours ‘pajama time’ catching up on documentation,” said Adam Landman, MD, MS, MIS, MHS, chief information officer at Mass General Brigham. “Ambient documentation has proven to be one of the most effective and impactful methods for enhancing the provider experience. As these technologies continue to evolve and incorporate new features, we remain committed to rigorously evaluating their safety and effectiveness to ensure they consistently serve as game changers for clinicians.”  

Provider organizations participating in the research are at various stages of piloting, scaling, and deploying ambient scribes within their organizations. Senior executives from CommonSpirit Health, Intermountain Health, Mass General Brigham, MultiCare, Ochsner Health, Providence, UC San Diego Health, and Yale New Haven Health participated in the Taskforce. The Taskforce was co-led by Prabhjot Singh, MD, PhD, and Margaret McKenna, both advisors to PHTI.  

Other experts who provided assistance to the Taskforce represented Abridge, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Commure, DeepScribe, Elion, Flare Capital Partners, Fourier Health, HLM Investment Partners, Infinitus Systems, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Nabla, Oliver Wyman, Oracle Health, R1, Stanford Health Care, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, Suki, and UPMC. Manatt Health provided facilitation and research support for the Taskforce.