It’s nearly impossible to go a week without catching a story online or in the news about generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT. As with other AI innovations that came before it, generative AI raises questions about the future of work and job security across a variety of industries. But what if, instead of taking people’s jobs altogether, generative AI could take on some of the aspects of jobs that people like the least?
We are answering this question at Altera Digital Health as it relates to clinical documentation in the electronic health record (EHR). I’m particularly excited about the potential here given my background in medicine as well as my career in healthcare IT development. Here’s what you should know about generative AI and how it can improve provider workflows.
“I’m all out of clicks”
The digitization of medicine has undoubtedly added unintended consequences to the daily work of providers. One study found that physicians use EHRs for more than 16 minutes per clinical encounter. Additionally, physicians using EHRs spend nearly two hours, on average, completing their documentation after hours. It should come as no surprise, then, that providers are frustrated by productivity obstacles, poor user experiences and disruptions to the patient–provider relationship.
Documentation should not be this time-consuming—and newer technologies mean it doesn’t have to be. Some healthcare organizations have been leveraging voice-to-text solutions so providers can simply dictate a note instead of typing it.
At Altera, we’ve been working diligently to develop tools that go beyond creating transcriptions of encounters. Instead, our ambient listening tools can detect different voices in the exam room, capture what the patient and provider say, and summarize it in the note to help to facilitate a more natural conversation.
Once the note authoring is complete, that’s where generative AI comes in. By leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and reasoning capabilities, our ambient listening AI solutions can extract data from an unstructured note and create structured documentation for the provider.
This not only reduces the time taken to transfer information, but it also minimizes errors that can arise from manual data entry. These AI-driven processes are designed to understand the context, semantics, and nuances in dictated notes, ensuring a high level of accuracy and consistency.
Key considerations for generative AI in healthcare
Saving providers time, reducing administrative burdens and improving patient–provider interactions are no-brainers, but there are challenges to be aware of when considering generative AI. These are some of the things that are top of mind at Altera as we bring these capabilities into our solutions:
- Data security and compliance. Ensuring patient data remains secure and adhering to regulations like HIPAA are critical.
- Learning curve. Even when a new solution enables big improvements, there is often a transitional period as users learn and adapt to their new workflows. Having a technology partner ready to guide your organization can help ease the process.
- Cost management. Between thin operating margins and competing priorities across your organization, investing in new technology isn’t always an easy decision. That’s why Altera aims to strike the right balance between delivering advanced solutions and maintaining financial feasibility.
The future of EHRs will combine technological prowess with human touch. Altera is driving toward this new paradigm to help solve some of the biggest challenges our clients and their providers have been facing.
Learn how Altera is bringing next-level healthcare within reach by visiting alterahealth.com and stopping by booth #2532 at HIMSS25, March 3–6 in Las Vegas, Nevada.