The landscape of providing healthcare in the United States has always been a rapidly changing one. That constant change also doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon, either. As the needs of healthcare providers and those seeking that care grow and evolve, technology is growing and evolving at an equally rapid pace.
One outlet that has been explored to adapt to these changes has been advances in mobile healthcare solutions. These advances range from improving mobile access to EHRs and patient engagement to streamlining many of the clerical processes with AI. The most recent development for this comes in the form of an AI scribe, which was developed to reduce time spent on documentation and lower the clerical burden on staff.
What are AI scribes?
AI scribes have the ability to augment notetaking in healthcare which can save providers hours every day and give them more time for themselves or even for seeing more patients. An exciting prospect, definitely, but what exactly are AI scribes, and how do they work?
AI scribes perform much of the role of a traditional scribe. They do this by utilizing something called ambient listening technology. Ambient listening transcribes conversations in the background of a visit and then extracts information based on context using a medically tuned LLM, a large language model AI.
The best AI scribes are able to take this information and generate a full SOAP note and transfer that directly into the EHR.
How are AI scribes used in healthcare?
AI scribes are used to alleviate healthcare providers and staff from much of the burden of manual documentation. Studies show that not only are primary care physicians overwhelmed by their overall workloads, but it is also causing them to take shortcuts in delivering care.
Reducing that total workload is key to improving the overall quality of care for patients, and medical transcription AI seeks to do just that. By removing much of the manual aspects of documentation, physicians not only are freed during this time, but they are also able to be more present with patients and better focus on delivering care and adhering to care guidelines.
AI for documentation in healthcare is much more than a convenience, but rather a revolutionary step towards streamlining care.
Are AI scribes HIPAA-compliant?
One of the first concerns when discussing the collection of patient data is often that of the security of it. With health data being one of the most protected classes of information, it is a necessity that healthcare solutions handle it with responsibility.
Responsible AI scribes like NextGen® Ambient Assist ensure that all transcripts and audio recordings are erased immediately upon completion of SOAP notes, ensuring that patient information exists only in the secure location of the EHR. This approach guarantees that you remain HIPAA-compliant and minimizes the risk of data security breaches.
The benefits of AI scribes for doctors
The benefits of AI-powered documentation like AI scribe for physicians and their practices are endless. Many of these benefits boil down to time and the outcomes that can come by simply having more of it. This reduces burnout in physicians, which still troubles the industry.
Some of the ways AI scribes benefit doctors:
- Saves time for medical providers
- Increases medical transcription accuracy
- Reduces costs associated with a human scribe
- Increases focus on the patient during the encounter
- Creates more regular schedules by eliminating after-hours charting
While many of the benefits of AI scribes help physicians with their day-to-day workloads, they also benefit patients. With more of the physician's attention being directed towards them, they can expect more engaged care. This can further comfort patients and give them a much better outlook towards their care, which in turn can lead to increased engagement on their end.
AI scribes vs. human medical scribes
Since AI scribes perform many of the same tasks as human medical scribes, it might leave one thinking, “What’s the difference?”
Human medical scribes do come with their own experience, a track record with references that you can rely on. They also usually come in the form of a full-time employee which means they can perform other tasks during times when they are not in a visit. This, however, does come with a full-time salary that can certainly add up.
Forms of human medical scribes can include:
- In-person scribes
- Remote scribes
- Transcription services
With an AI scribe, physicians get many of those documentation benefits, without the need to coordinate with another human being. AI-powered documentation solutions can be faster, and oftentimes more reliable than human scribes.
One downside to human scribes that ambient listening scribes can avoid is the discomfort a patient might face when an additional person is in the room with them in addition to their doctor. Concerns of privacy are also lessened here since AI scribes do not store patient information.
What is the best AI Scribe for you?
Between the time savings, workflow efficiencies, and improvements to patient-provider relationships, you may be thinking, “When can I start?” But the question that gets in the way is probably, “Where do I start?” Finding the best AI Scribe can involve a lot of research and consideration.
Some things you should look for in an AI scribe:
- Fast and efficient notetaking, around the 30-second mark
- Secure handling of information, not storing transcripts long-term
- Entry of data into specialty-specific discrete forms
- Automatic upload of notes into the EHR, no copy or paste required
If you ensure your AI scribe has those features, you are set up for best possible optimization.
For more information on NextGen Healthcare mobile solutions visit here.
Meet NextGen Ambient Assist, your new AI ally that generates a structured SOAP note in seconds from listening to the natural patient/provider conversation.
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