Physician burnout and administrative burdens plague the healthcare industry, hindering efficient, high-quality care. Ambient listening technology powered by AI promises a revolution in healthcare documentation. By automating clinical note creation, this technology frees clinicians to focus on patient care while potentially improving the accuracy and completeness of medical records. However, successful implementation requires not only sophisticated AI but also deep EHR integrations, unwavering vendor support, and a commitment to innovation.
PHYSICIAN BURNOUT AND ADMINISTRATIVE OVERLOAD
Burnout is common among doctors. More than 60% of U.S. physicians have at least one indicator of burnout, according to a research report from the University of Florida College of Medicine.1 Burnout is a long-term stress reaction that can leave doctors feeling emotionally drained, detached from their work, and like they’re not making a difference. This can result in increased risk of medical errors, poor quality of care, safety incidents, reduced patient satisfaction, and higher primary-care workforce turnover.
The hope that electronic health records (EHRs) would reduce stress has not yet been realized. In fact, documentation and administrative tasks are leading drivers of clinician burnout. These tasks consume time doctors could be using to interact with and treat patients. A survey by the Health Department’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found more than half of physicians experience time pressures when seeing patients, and at least a third said they needed at least 50% more time for conducting patient examinations.2
Reports on burnout and administrative burden have stated physicians spend an average of two hours on EHR documentation for every hour of direct patient care.3 This administrative overload not only detracts from the time physicians can spend with their patients but also contributes to cognitive fatigue and emotional exhaustion.
A LISTENING EAR: THE RISE OF AMBIENT LISTENING TECHNOLOGY
Ambient listening technology, leveraging AI to summarize clinical conversations, offers a potential solution to the physician burnout crisis. A KLAS survey of healthcare provider organizations using AI-powered Suki Assistant, an enterprise-grade AI assistant, found reducing documentation time resulted in several benefits including reduced burnout and better patient experiences. (For more on this survey, download the report, “Suki Assistant 2024: Improving Clinician Well-Being and Efficiencies through Ambient Speech AI Technology.”)
By automating tasks like generating clinical notes, suggesting codes, and retrieving information from the EHR, Suki’s AI-powered technology allows clinicians to focus on patient care. The use of this tool has reduced providers’ stress levels and made same-day note closures easier to complete, according to one respondent to the KLAS survey. “The system has not disrupted my workflow... In fact, the system has sped up documentation. It makes it much easier to provide detailed documentation of patient visits,” said one of the medical directors interviewed.
The potential benefits of ambient listening technology are significant. By automating administrative tasks, this technology can free up physicians to focus on what they do best: providing compassionate, high-quality care to their patients. This can lead to reduced burnout, improved job satisfaction, and ultimately, better patient outcomes.
In addition to reducing administrative burden, ambient listening can also enhance the quality of clinical documentation. By capturing the nuances of clinical conversations, this technology can create more comprehensive and accurate notes, which can be invaluable for communication and continuity of care.
Logging many hours of documentation at home after work became a burden for family practice physician Elizabeth Goff, who said her patients and her own children weren’t getting the best of her.
After using Suki Assistant for more than a year, she praised its documentation capabilities but highlighted additional features that helped the process flow smoothly. “It pulls in the vitals. It pulls in the medications. It can pull in past problems,” she noted. “Things are going better. I’m communicating better, I’m also getting better revenue and better RVUs …. and patients are getting better care.”
Reduced administrative burden has been a game changer for Leslie McNaughtan, MD, a family medicine specialist at Utah Navajo Health System, and her patients, who have complex health issues and are often late to care. “Suki allows me to really focus on my patients,” she said. “I am able to spend more time asking them questions and getting more information from them because I don’t have to worry about typing notes on the computer.”
Primary care physician Judd Reynolds has been able to see four or five more patients per day after implementing such an AI-powered solution. “Documentation time has improved by 40-50%,” he reported.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SOLUTION: KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
With a growing number of ambient listening solutions entering the market, healthcare organizations must carefully evaluate options to find the best fit. Key factors to consider include:
Accuracy and Reliability: The solution should accurately and reliably transcribe clinical conversations, ideally validated in real-world settings.
EHR Integration: Seamless integration with existing EHR systems is crucial for efficient workflows and minimizing manual data entry.
Vendor Support and Innovation: Choose a vendor with training, ongoing support and a commitment to innovation to ensure smoother onboarding, ongoing troubleshooting, and up-to-date features and compliance.
Data Security and Privacy: Patient data protection is paramount. Select a vendor that prioritizes security, complies with regulations (e.g., HIPAA), and has robust security measures.
Usability and Flexibility: The solution should be user-friendly and adaptable to different specialties and workflows, offering intuitive editing tools and voice editing capabilities.
Cost and ROI: Thoroughly evaluate the costs involved, including hardware, training, and support, while also assessing the potential ROI through time savings, increased productivity (encounter times), and reduced claim denials — these drive significant incremental revenue increases and as much as 9-times ROI.
By carefully considering these factors, healthcare organizations can select an ambient documentation solution that aligns with their specific needs, ultimately improving clinician satisfaction, patient care, and operational efficiency.
THE FUTURE OF AMBIENT LISTENING: A NEW ERA OF CLINICAL EFFICIENCY
While still in its early stages, ambient listening technology is poised to revolutionize healthcare. The technology’s ability to automate tasks and streamline workflows not only reduces physician burnout but also promises a significant return on investment through increased efficiency and improved patient care. As AI continues to advance, ambient listening solutions will become even more sophisticated, ushering in a new era of clinical efficiency with future upgrades like deeper integration into EHRs, orders, inbox management, natural language Q&A and editing, more specialty-specific capabilities, and more individualized note generation. Embracing this revolutionary technology will empower healthcare providers to enhance patient care while fostering a more sustainable healthcare system.
AI ASSISTANTS: HEALING THE HEALERS, ONE NOTE AT A TIME
Check out the special report, Suki Assistant 2024: Improving Clinician Well-Being and Efficiencies through Ambient Speech AI Technology, to learn about the positive impact of Suki Assistant, an AI-powered ambient speech technology, in reducing physician burnout and enhancing clinical efficiency by automating administrative tasks like documentation and coding.
REFERENCES
1. Budd J. “Burnout Related to Electronic Health Record Use in Primary Care.” J Prim Care Community Health. 2023 Jan-Dec:14:21501319231166921.
2. Linzer M et al. “Organizational Climate, Stress, and Error in Primary Care: The MEMO Study.” Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation (Volume 1: Research Findings). 2025 Feb. AHRQ.
3. Arndt BG et al. “Tethered to the EHR: Primary Care Physician Workload Assessment Using EHR Event Log Data and Time-Motion Observations.” Ann Fam Med. 2017 Sep;15(5):419-426.
Ambient Listening and The Future of
Healthcare Documentation