Physicians at the Permanente Medical Group in Northern California have saved 16,000 hours in documentation by using an artificial intelligence-powered scribe.
Between October 2023 and December 2024, 7,260 physicians used the tool to assist with 2,576,627 patient encounters, according to an April 2 news release.
Here are six findings the Oakland, Calif.-based system observed about AI scribe use during that period:
- Physicians most likely to use the scribe were in mental health, emergency medicine and primary care. Allergy and cardiology also ranked among the top specialties for scribe usage.
- Those in infectious disease, obstetrics/gynecology and urology were least likely to use the tool.
- Among 102 adult and family medicine physicians surveyed, two-thirds reported using the scribes at least five days per week. Eight percent said they had never used them.
- Sixty-three percent of respondents said they used the scribes for every in-person visit; 29% said they used them for most visits.
- Usage was lower for telemedicine visits.
- Eighty-eight percent of respondents said the scribes had a positive impact on their visit interactions.
