An AI medical scribe for clinical documentation is helping a healthcare system prevent claim denials while giving clinicians more face-to-face time with their patients.
The healthcare system, based in Yuma County, Arizona, is a nonprofit with nearly 500 providers, 430 inpatient beds, and 45 outpatient clinics. Its goal is to reduce clinician burnout, which is often exacerbated by the significant administrative burden of documentation. The sheer volume and complexity of documentation required, along with the increasing demands from payers for more detailed information, contribute to this problem.
How an AI Medical Scribe Streamlines Clinical Documentation
The healthcare system launched a pilot program with an AI medical scribe to support clinicians and address revenue cycle challenges. The technology uses ambient AI to unobtrusively capture conversations during patient visits. With patient consent, a recording is made, allowing the provider to focus entirely on the patient rather than a computer screen.
After the visit, the AI scribe generates documentation for the patient’s record. Clinicians then review and edit the document as needed before signing off. The documentation is then filed directly into the electronic health record (EHR) through the technology’s data integration capabilities.
A spokesperson for the system noted improvements in provider and patient satisfaction, as well as patient throughput. The AI scribe technology, which was initially used by a small group, has now been rolled out to 100 clinicians across various specialties. This shift allows doctors to focus on medicine rather than administrative tasks, which also leads to more accurate reimbursement for their services.
Benefits for the Revenue Cycle
Implementing an AI medical scribe that supports the revenue cycle was a key priority for the healthcare system. The technology they chose not only streamlines documentation but also incorporates coding and billing capabilities.
Revenue cycle teams are under increasing pressure to substantiate medical and billing codes with clinical documentation. Medical Coding errors and a lack of supporting documentation are common reasons for claim denials. With the new AI scribe, the technology analyzes conversations to identify relevant ICD-10 and CPT codes, providing audit trails for revenue cycle teams. This reduces the need for clinicians to be experts in coding, allowing them to focus on patient care while ensuring compliant documentation that supports the needs of revenue cycle, compliance, and quality teams. The system has seen a decrease in denials and less administrative work across the organization.
Incorporating AI in Healthcare
The decision to use AI in patient encounters was a deliberate one. The healthcare system established an AI subcommittee to evaluate use cases, measure benefits, and identify returns on investment. While cost savings can be hard to quantify, the technology has shown improvements in “soft” metrics like clinician burnout rates, patient experience, and employee engagement.
The AI medical scribe has been well-received by staff. The system’s spokesperson highlighted that it’s the first technology in a long time that clinicians are actively asking for, a positive sign that it is genuinely helping them in their jobs.