Among healthcare C-suites, return on investment is often a critical part of discussions surrounding new technology. But when it comes to ambient clinical documentation, the calculus transcends immediate financial gains.
Increasingly, health system leaders point to physician well-being and job satisfaction as the primary drivers for investing in ambient documentation tools, which use AI to listen to medical appointments and draft clinical notes.
Throughout 2024, physicians who have used the technology have reported reductions in administrative burden, including time spent on notes outside of work hours, and higher job satisfaction. Temple Health is currently testing ambient note-writing tools, with positive feedback from users.
"The response we've gotten is [providers saying] they don't think they can ever go back to not having the ambient note," said Esme Singer, MD, who recently joined the Philadelphia-based system as chief medical officer of Temple Faculty Physicians and senior vice president of its physician enterprise.
The system plans to move forward with an official rollout — an intuitive decision guided by physician satisfaction and workforce stability, rather than immediate ROI.
"In the long run, the most expensive thing is lack of retention, or turnover," Dr. Singer told Becker's. "I can't quantify how much reduction in turnover ambient notes will make … but, intuitively, if you can just make people's lives a little easier, then you will have a happier workforce."
In August, Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine shared plans to expand ambient AI to primary care clinicians systemwide. After a four-month pilot, physicians who used the DAX Copilot platform from Microsoft subsidiary Nuance reported a 30% decrease in their documentation load. Physicians who used the tool for at least half of patient appointments saw an additional 11.3 patients per month. While a measurable ROI, leaders view this as an organic, secondary benefit.
"But ultimately, the reason we did this was for the wellness of our physicians and combatting administrative burden," Doug King, CIO of Northwestern Medicine, previously told Becker's.
Across the industry, demand for these tools is growing. Physicians across specialties are advocating for adoption, and leaders are optimistic about how the technology's capabilities will evolve in the future. As more health systems explore implementation, Dr. Singer cautions against tying its use to rigid expectations, such as requiring physicians to see an additional number of patients.
"The goodwill is lost when you do that," she said.