St. Mary's Hospital is making strides in integrating artificial intelligence technology to alleviate clinician burnout, improve retention and improve patient care.
“We're at a point where many providers feel overwhelmed by the administrative burden of EMRs, leading some to retire early or leave the profession," Julie Demaree, executive director of clinical innovation and transformation at St. Mary's told Becker's. "It’s essential to find ways to keep our clinicians focused on patient care."
To do this, St. Mary's has integrated Suki, an AI assistant into its Meditech EHR system to streamline physician documentation, which has been showing promise in boosting efficiency and improving physician satisfaction.
Suki has recently announced its deployment in more than a dozen health systems on Meditech Expanse, including St. Mary's and Greensburg, Ind.-based Decatur County Memorial Hospital.
"We use an efficiency dashboard to monitor how long it takes for providers to complete their notes, from start to sign-off," Ms. Demaree said. "Before we implemented Suki, some clinicians struggled to keep up with their documentation, often working late into the night or over weekends. But after going live with Suki, we saw a 50% reduction in the time it took for our first group of clinicians to complete their notes. One physician who always had over 130 open notes managed to clear them all within a week. She called the tool 'life-changing.'"
According to Ms. Demaree, the AI assistant has allowed clinicians to spend more time focusing on patient care rather than administrative tasks, leading to a noticeable boost in morale.
"One medical director told me that thanks to Suki, she now has time to go to the gym or sit in traffic like everyone else — small but significant quality-of-life improvements," she said.
Overcoming challenges with AI implementation
While the introduction of the AI tool has brought benefits, the implementation process hasn't been without its challenges. In rural settings like St. Mary's, infrastructure issues, particularly with internet connectivity, have posed hurdles.
"Our biggest challenge wasn't the technology itself, but our aging infrastructure," Ms. Demaree explained. "We had physicians use their phones to connect to Suki instead of relying on our Wi-Fi, which wasn't always reliable. We're hopeful that a grant we applied for will help us upgrade our infrastructure and eliminate those barriers."
Despite these challenges, St. Mary's flexibility in adapting to the situation has helped clinicians embrace the technology. The ability to use Suki on any device — whether a phone or computer — has allowed the hospital to continue using the tool without being held back by connectivity issues.
The future of AI at St. Mary's
Ms. Demaree said as she looks to the future, she's excited about the possibilities of AI in healthcare.
"I was geeking out when I first saw what Suki could do. It's finally a tool that feels like it's offering relief rather than adding more tasks to the plate," she said. "Next year, it might help with ordering labs, and soon, it could even catch things like a missed follow-up on a low-dose CT scan."
For a rural hospital like St. Mary's, where clinicians are often responsible for managing a broad spectrum of medical needs, the AI tool has been especially useful.
"Our primary care doctors handle everything from cardiology to dermatology. Suki helps them document complex cases accurately, and often reminds them of key details they might have missed," Ms. Demaree said.
While AI tools like Suki come with a hefty price tag, St. Mary's sees it as a critical investment in physician retention and patient care.
"We don't have limitless resources, but we choose investments that improve patient satisfaction and help us retain physicians," Ms. Demaree emphasized. "It's costly to recruit new doctors, so if AI can help us keep the ones we have, it's worth every penny."