Health systems across the country are exploring how AI can reduce documentation burdens, ease clinician burnout, and improve patient outcomes. During a recent webinar hosted by Becker’s Healthcare and Ambience Healthcare, leaders from Memorial Hermann Health System and St. Luke’s Health System discussed their strategies for scaling ambient AI across specialties, the measurable outcomes they’ve achieved, and the future of AI in care delivery.
Panelists included:
- Ryan Walsh, MD, CMIO, Memorial Hermann Health System
- Terry Ribbens, MD, Associate CMIO, St. Luke’s Health System
- Will Morris, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Ambience Healthcare
Key themes from their discussion are summarized below.
1. Burnout drove early adoption
Both systems turned to ambient AI technology to reduce clinician burnout and documentation burdens. At Memorial Hermann, leaders implemented AI documentation even while transitioning from Cerner to Epic because they couldn’t wait to ease physician stress. Providers accepted a temporary non-integrated workflow because the benefits outweighed the inconvenience.
At St. Luke’s, early pilots across nine specialties quickly proved the technology’s value. Dr. Ribbens noted this was the first time an EHR-related tool felt like it was improving, rather than worsening, daily practice.
2. Integration and specialty-specific rollouts matter
St. Luke’s adopted a phased rollout, beginning with primary care and behavioral health, where burnout and documentation loads were highest. Templates were customized to each of the now live X specialties, ensuring notes met clinical expectations.
Memorial Hermann took a similar “waterfall” approach—starting with early adopters and expanding outward. Both leaders stressed balancing standardization with flexibility, allowing clinicians to choose among preferred note structures without overwhelming IT resources.
3. Measurable outcomes demonstrate impact
Both systems emphasized the importance of data to validate success. Utilization was strong: more than 80% of eligible encounters at both health systems were documented using AI, double the industry average.
At St. Luke’s, users experienced a 35–45% reduction in documentation time and similar decreases in time spent working outside scheduled clinic hours. Surveys showed high satisfaction, with many clinicians saying the technology improved their work-life balance.
Memorial Hermann found that same-day chart closures rose significantly, and coding accuracy improved. Physicians felt more confident billing at appropriate levels because documentation more fully reflected the complexity of visits.
4. Looking ahead: AI beyond documentation
While ambient documentation remains the foundation, both systems are piloting new functionality within Ambience’s AI platform. St. Luke’s is testing “patient recap” tools that summarize longitudinal data for more efficient pre-visit preparation. Leaders also see potential for AI-driven decision support, surfacing risk scores, best practices, and patient-specific recommendations.
Dr. Walsh noted the speed of innovation as a key opportunity: “The pace of improvement in these AI solutions is unlike anything I’ve seen in more than 20 years. Soon, physicians will not only capture visits with AI but also anticipate next steps in care and surface insights buried deep in records”.
From reducing burnout to strengthening documentation and coding, both Memorial Hermann and St. Luke’s have seen meaningful results from scaling AI. As Dr. Ribbens concluded: “This is going to be a new way of doing medicine. If organizations don’t move forward with this, they risk falling behind.”
