Health care teams at MUSC find 20% reduction in time spent on patient documentation following the adoption of AI-driven ambient technology

Phone being used in a doctor's appointment to listen — By using AI as part of patient visits instead of taking active notes during the appointment, clinicians can be more engaged with their patients or the patient’s families.

by Celia Spell

Clinician burnout can be attributed to many factors in the health care field. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services points to excessive workloads, administrative burdens, scheduling conflicts and lack of organizational support as examples.

MUSC Health is combatting this issue by piloting ambient AI technology with a clear focus on improving clinician well-being and restoring the joy of practicing medicine.

The Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Copilot automatically drafts clinician summaries using conversational and generative AI for immediate clinician review in the electronic medical record system. By using AI as part of patient visits instead of taking active notes during the appointment, clinicians can be more engaged with their patients or the patient’s families. Following the appointment, they can review the summary from DAX Copilot and make any necessary changes or updates.

Kaitlyn Torrence, executive director of MUSC Health Solutions, says her team identifies pain points in health care and uses creative solutions, like DAX, to help. "We are beginning to enhance the MUSC clinical toolbelt, aiming to maximize accessibility to sought-after resources, technologies, and programs that equip our care teams to deliver optimal care to every patient," she said.

Doctor holding cell phone — Patients and physicians have reported higher satisfaction while using DAX.

DAX Copilot is currently being used by 130 providers across 12 specialties at MUSC. As part of the program’s year-long pilot, physicians can provide feedback to improve the program further.

The product, for example, was not available for the emergency department when the pilot began seven months ago, but Torrence says MUSC Emergency Medicine physicians have been working with Microsoft to co-develop and bring ambient technology to the ED. “We are one of the first health systems in the country with this technology in our emergency room,” she said. “Our teams have helped test and refine the product for our unique needs at MUSC. It’s been exciting to see technologists and engineers from Microsoft/Nuance inside our hospital, really partnering with our clinicians to solve big problems together.”

“This is what health care innovation is really all about.”

Patients have also reported higher satisfaction among providers who have been utilizing DAX Copilot, which Torrence says is promising as the enterprise continues to grow and improve the program. MUSC providers who used DAX Copilot for five months reported a 20% decrease in time spent outside of work entering details in their patients’ charts.

DAX Copilot is one of many tools in MUSC’s clinical toolbelt. “We believe providing access to the newest technologies and re-imagining how care is delivered are important to not only our provider well-being but also in ensuring we’re providing the most cutting-edge care to our patients,” she said.