IMPROVE EFFICIENCY THROUGH DIGITAL SCRIBES

An artificial intelligence (AI) scribe is the most exciting tool I have implemented in my practice recently. I estimate it has reduced my documentation time by at least 60%. AI scribes are available as mobile apps or can be used alongside the EHR on a laptop as a separate application or internet browser extension.

I wear a portable Bluetooth microphone linked to a Chrome extension on my laptop, allowing me to leave the computer in my office versus having it in the exam room. The AI scribe listens to my conversation with the patient while I provide detailed information about the patient's chronic and new health conditions. I describe any abnormal exam findings to my patient (and my scribe). In this way, I ensure the patient understands what I'm seeing and hearing. The scribe listens to the conversation, turns it into a structured note, and suggests diagnosis codes for billing. The scribe also creates patient instructions based on the conversation, which I can immediately email to or print for the patient.

AI scribes have come a long way in terms of accuracy. Currently, they categorize the conversation into encounter sections and are able to weed out non-relevant discussion. It's important for the clinician to review the note for accuracy and completeness, but a quick scan is usually all you need to confirm the encounter was captured accurately and completely.