NextGen Healthcare this week announced the availability of an artificial intelligence-powered ambient listening technology that interprets patient-provider conversations in real-time, summarizes appointments and documents care plans. 

WHY IT MATTERS

The new tool, Ambient Assist, documents AI-generated subjective, objective, assessment and plan notes to save providers time, according to NextGen. 

The cloud-based electronic health record vendor also said its generative AI, leveraged through the NextGen mobile application, filters for relevant details at more than 90% accuracy.

SOAP notes, used in many specialties to help providers organize their clinical observations and establish patient care plans, are available for provider review within 30 seconds of a completed patient encounter, the company said. 

Once the provider reviews the note and makes any necessary edits, it is sent to the NextGen Enterprise electronic health record and included in the patient’s medical records – without requiring copying and pasting.

The new AI tool was created "as a response to the well-documented epidemic of physician burnout," said David Sides, NextGen president and CEO, in a statement.

NextGen noted that its AI doesn't infer medical conditions or make medical judgments, but trains itself based on familiarity with natural language and medical acronyms

The audio, transcription and generated notes are also automatically deleted to preserve patient privacy, NextGen said. 

THE LARGER TREND

Clinician burnout is a widespread and significant challenge to healthcare delivery that is closely tied to the amount of documentation required, and it's regarded as an impingement on patient care.

But pressure testing medical transcription software across a range of scenarios before deciding to invest is critical to finding the right tool for documenting more patient charts and experiencing less burnout, said Dr. Kendell Cannon, chief medical officer at Herself Health, a primary care practice for women aged 65 and older.

"Time spent on documentation is time that could otherwise be spent on delivering patient care," she told Healthcare IT News in June.

Beth McCombs, executive vice president and chief technology officer at the Fortune 500 medical and healthcare information technology company BD, agreed that automation helps return time to patients.

"Advances in technologies like AI are creating opportunities for clinicians to streamline administrative tasks to devote more time to patient care," she said in August. 

ON THE RECORD

"Far beyond a transcription service, Ambient Assist is an intelligent ally that helps providers reclaim their time and serve patients more effectively," said Sides in announcing NextGen's new capabilities. 

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.