The first phase of ambient clinical documentation was largely defined by one key question: Can the technology meaningfully reduce administrative burden and burnout for physicians?
As pilot programs have played out, health systems have closely tracked changes in time spent on clinical note-taking, job satisfaction and measures of burnout before and after use. Over the past few years, a growing body of evidence suggests the answer to that question is yes. In October, researchers published a study that found burnout rates fell from nearly 52% to 38.8% after one month among 263 physicians and advanced practice providers who had adopted ambient AI scribes.
These findings align with anecdotal accounts from numerous academic health systems, where clinicians have reported that they are spending less time on after-hours documentation and feel more satisfied in their roles. Such evidence has left many healthcare leaders optimistic about the technology’s role in supporting retention long term.
With those benefits well-documented, health systems are now beginning to assess whether the tools can influence clinical quality, patient experience, access and financial performance.
At Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, physicians and APPs working in ambulatory settings across the system all have access to ambient listening technology. User satisfaction rates are high, with data showing reductions in time spent documenting. Jefferson is now starting to capture whether there are differences in patient satisfaction scores between clinicians who are using it and those who are not, said Baligh Yehia, MD, president of Jefferson.
“Our preliminary data are showing signs that productivity has improved,” he said. “So our doctors are able to improve access to care and see more patients who are using ambient versus those who aren’t. The longer term impact is still to be determined, especially as you think about how patients are receiving it.”
Dr. Yehia said he anticipates more health systems will have data to report on how AI documentation tools are affecting patient experience, access and efficiency in the coming months as adoption scales.
Angelo Milazzo, MD, chief medical officer of integrated practice at Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health, said measuring ambient documentation’s effect on care quality is more complex than tracking time spent on note-taking or clinician satisfaction. Still, he expects additional benefits to emerge, particularly around patient engagement and communication, which could ultimately improve outcomes.
“[Patients] want a clinic note or discharge summary that really reflects their problems and potential solutions to those problems,” he said. “They also want documentation that they can read, understand and be able to draw questions from that they can bring back to their providers. So I think it’s going to enhance that bilateral, bi-directional communication.”
By allowing physicians to focus more fully on listening, he said the tools could help sharpen diagnostic acumen.
“If I as a clinician can spend more time talking to you, then my diagnostic acumen will increase, because we know that 90% of diagnosis is based on a great history,” Dr. Milazzo said.
Sharper diagnostic acumen could be measured in the form of less reliance on tests and referrals.
“I think those are the kinds of things we will start looking at,” Dr. Milazzo said. “Does a clinician using ambient listening technology refer out less or order fewer lab tests, fewer imaging studies? I’m really excited about looking at those KPIs.”
Marjorie Bessel, MD, chief clinical officer at Phoenix-based Banner Health, anticipates ambient documentation technology will evolve to include more interactive, EHR-integrated capabilities that support real-time clinical decision-making. She envisions a system that can surface timely prompts based on existing data in the chart — for instance, reminding a physician that a patient is due for a follow-up lab, imaging scan or smoking cessation counseling — during or immediately after the visit.
These types of prompts, she said, would help close care gaps more efficiently while ensuring notes are thorough and accurate.
There is also potential for ambient technology to streamline coding and billing, Dr. Bessel said.
Today, physicians may still receive alerts about documentation gaps days after a visit, requiring them to reopen charts, revise notes or even follow up with patients to add details that were not captured during the encounter.
“All of that is disruptive, laborious rework,” she said. “As we get this technology to be augmented in the ways described, all of that can happen in real time as the visit is unfolding, so that everyone walks out with a fully completed visit and you’re not having to go back and revisit things that you could have done in the moment.”
