EHR Vendor NextGen Releases AI Solution to Boost Provider Efficiency

EHR vendor NextGen Healthcare has announced the availability of an artificial intelligence (AI) solution that aims to boost provider efficiency by summarizing patient-provider conversations in real-time.

NextGen Ambient Assist delivers AI-generated subjective, objective, assessment, and plan (SOAP) notes into the EHR to streamline clinical workflows. Many specialties use SOAP notes to help providers organize their observations and document patient care plans.

Using the new AI tool within the NextGen mobile application, clinicians can save up to two hours of documentation per day, allowing them to devote more time to patient interactions.

Within 30 seconds of a completed patient encounter, a SOAP note appears in the EHR for clinician review. The technology filters for relevant details to create concise clinical documentation of each patient encounter with over 90 percent accuracy.

“Far beyond a transcription service, Ambient Assist is an intelligent ally that helps providers reclaim their time and serve patients more effectively,” David Sides, president and CEO of NextGen Healthcare, said in a press release. “This innovation is in response to the well-documented epidemic of physician burnout.”

Research suggests that about 63 percent of physicians experience emotional exhaustion or another common sign of burnout at least once a week. Clinician burnout can negatively affect patient care by leading to errors and decreased quality of care.

NextGen Healthcare officials pointed out that Ambient Assist does not circumvent the clinician by inferring medical conditions or making medical judgments.

Once the clinician reviews the note and makes any necessary edits, the application sends the documentation to the EHR for inclusion in the patient’s records.

Features of Ambient Assist include familiarity with natural, conversational speaking and recognition of medical acronyms. Additionally, the tool never stores or saves audio and transcripts to maintain patient privacy.