Robert Budman, MD, has seen firsthand the impact that AI-powered technology can have on physicians. A few years ago, when he was Chief Medical Information Officer at a large healthcare system in Georgia, he led the adoption of a voice-enabled system that allows physicians to speed up documentation by dictating notes. The reactions to the solution, called Dragon Medical One, were immediate. “I was getting emails from physicians saying I’m going home on time,” says Dr. Budman. “Some even called it revolutionary.”
Dr. Budman, himself, believes so deeply in the power of generative AI that he accepted a job with the Dragon’s parent company, Nuance, as chief medical information officer. Now, he partners with customers to help them improve their workflow using an array of AI solutions, including an ambient clinical intelligence solution (ACI) called Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) that seamlessly and securely records conversations between patients and healthcare providers via a smartphone or tablet, and immediately creates a fully formatted, complete note in the EHR.
Having worked on both sides of the spectrum — as a customer and now as a representative — Dr. Budman has seen the ways that generative AI can take the edge off some of healthcare’s biggest challenges, including administrative burdens and physician burnout. “The reality of ACI is it allows the physician to be fully present with the patient as a doctor, and not worry about other tasks,” he says.
To truly reap the benefits of emerging technologies involving AI, Dr. Budman says healthcare organizations must lead the way in helping their teams accept and adjust to the workflow changes. When physicians are informed and prepared, he says, the results will speak for themselves. Here are four things to consider for successful implementation of ACI within a health system.
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Have a strategy to help physicians adjust to the changes. Once installed, ACI technology is easy enough to roll out. But adapting to the changes can take time, says Dr. Budman. He says it’s important to put a project team together to identify the physicians who will be using ACI. Then, bring those physicians into the conversation and make sure they know why the organization is using this technology, when the changes will occur and what trainings will entail. “Always have the physicians included in the governance and workflow reviews of new technology to accelerate your success and avoid misadventures.”
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Create a training and support system. As with any technology, questions and challenges will arise around how to best use it. Here, says Dr. Budman, it’s important for healthcare organizations to bring together team members from across different departments to help physicians system integrate ACI smoothly into their workflow and to respond to concerns as needed. “Healthcare organizations must build their own multidisciplinary support teams to create future workflows and train new clinicians,” he says. “They must own this and lead the way into the future.”
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Consolidate trainings for new team members. When the new ACI technology launches it’s important to offer training and support to all those who will be using it. But once it’s a part of the system, that training should be integrated into other new employee trainings. “When I train a physician to do their job, I need to make sure that all components are trained together,” says Dr. Budman. “I can't train them in the electronic health records (EHR) and a couple weeks later, say, OK, now I'm going to train you how to do the voice recognition. We have to figure out how to deliver what we call in-workflow training inclusive of all technologies, not disparately.”
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Gather data that measures the impact of the technology — and share the results. Perhaps the best way to understand the effectiveness of ACI technology within your organization is by collecting data from those who use it. A survey conducted by Nuance, for example, shows that DAX improves operational efficiencies by seven minutes per patient encounter and reduces documentation time by 50%. When patients were asked for their impressions, 85% said their physician is more personable and conversational. What’s more, 70% of physicians reported a reduction in fatigue and burnout.
“Gather data from the users within your own health system,” says Dr. Budman. “Ask questions such as, ‘How much documentation time is saved? How would you rate the quality of documentation? Are you experiencing fatigue or burnout? Have patient ratings changed?’ Share the results with physicians and executives, alike, so they, too, can understand the impact of the technology on a broader scale.”
At a time when many healthcare organizations are struggling, generative AI-powered solutions may offer physicians the assistance they need to improve quality of care. And, if integrated properly, with the right support and training, those physicians may not ever want to return to the old ways. “We’ve had physicians who have gotten job offers at other hospitals,” says Dr. Budman, “and they say if they don’t have ACI, I’m not going.”
To learn more about ACI and DAX, visit Nuance’s website: https://www.nuance.com/healthcare/ambient-clinical-intelligence.html.