Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy’s partnership with Microsoft is bringing back what the health system’s Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive, Stephanie Clements, describes as “invisible care.”
Mercy began collaborating with Microsoft in 2023 with the goal of using generative AI to give physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses more time for patient care while improving the overall patient experience. As part of the partnership, Mercy is one of eight U.S. health systems working with Microsoft and frontline nurses to develop Microsoft Dragon Copilot, a tool that captures and documents nurse-patient conversations with consent and automatically enters the information into the EHR.
“Mercy’s relationship with Microsoft is a deep one,” Ms. Clements told Becker’s. “Microsoft has ensured that we aren’t just testing a product — we are co-developing it. We’re able to provide real-time feedback and see changes implemented quickly, which leads to a stronger product overall. That co-development approach sets this partnership apart from the typical pilot-site model you see elsewhere.”
The tool, now in use on inpatient units at Mercy hospitals in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, is already showing promising results, including a reduction in documentation time within the electronic medical record.
“Our early data showed a significant decrease in time spent at the computer and away from patients, and that reduction has likely increased over the nine months we’ve been working with Microsoft,” Ms. Clements said. “This gives nurses more meaningful face-to-face interaction with patients, which directly improves the patient experience.”
The tool has also helped improve patient satisfaction and capture what Mercy calls “invisible care.”
“These [invisible care] are the moments that aren’t tied to required documentation: praying with a patient, checking pain levels outside prescribed intervals, interacting with families or ensuring safety in ways that aren’t task-based,” Ms. Clements said. “With ambient voice technology, many of those encounters can now be captured in ways that would previously have been missed because of cognitive burden or time pressure. Being able to reflect those invisible moments is something very special, and we plan to measure it more formally.”
Mercy is also exploring how the tool can restore joy in the workplace.
“Nurses choose this profession because they want to connect with people. Over my 31 years in healthcare, electronic medical records have brought efficiency but also new barriers to connection,” Ms. Clements said. “What we’re hearing from nurses involved in this private preview is that joy is returning. They can truly see and feel the difference in the time they’re spending with patients and families. While difficult to quantify, those experiences are absolutely indicators of success.”
As for the future of the tool, Ms. Clements said Microsoft is releasing the product for general availability in the next few weeks and Mercy plans to distribute across its hospitals in the medical surgical units.
