Kaiser Permanente has implemented an artificial intelligence clinical documentation tool that was developed by Abridge as they strive to decrease physicians’ administrative work, according to an official announcement earlier this month.
The artificial intelligence clinical documentation tool is designed to record conversations with patients and summarize relevant medical details and is currently available to clinicians across Kaiser Permanente’s 40 hospitals and more than 600 medical offices across eight states, as well as Washington, D.C.
“For the past year, Kaiser Permanente has worked with Abridge on the largest implementation to date of the safe and effective use of ambient listening technology in the United States,” Desiree Gandrup-Dupre, senior vice president of Care Delivery Technology Services at Kaiser Permanente said, per the release. “At Kaiser Permanente, we have a long history of successfully deploying proven technologies on a broad scale, as we continue to provide health care and services when, how, and where our patients need it.”
“Our physicians strive to make every interaction with patients matter and work to establish a good rapport with our members so they know they are understood and heard,” Ramin Davidoff, MD, executive medical director and chair of the board with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group added. “By reducing administrative tasks, we’re making it easier for our physicians to focus on patients and foster an environment where they can provide effective communication and transparency while meeting the individual needs of each patient who comes to them for care. Creating space for the patient and the physician connection is what inspired us to implement this technology. And we hope that those connections and improved efficiencies will help with the sustainability of the practice of medicine for many doctors.”
The AI tool was adopted following numerous testing and quality checks and included assessments by more than thousand clinicians across all markets, the company says. The new tool requires patient consent to utilize, and clinicians will review notes/documentation before entering them in the medical record.
“The Abridge technology was implemented after careful review and testing in our market and was very well received by both our patients and our clinicians,” said Linda Tolbert, MD, executive medical director, Washington Permanente Medical Group. “It allows doctors and other clinicians to have more meaningful interactions with patients by devoting their full attention to patient care without the distraction of typing.”
“Abridge’s advanced technology supports our doctors’ well-being by reducing the documentation burden, which helps the physician to be more focused on the needs of the patient and their family, and on the aspect of care delivery apart from typing and note-taking,” Brian Hoberman, MD, chief information officer, The Permanente Medical Group commented. “We implemented this new technology after careful review and diligent testing and found it to be well received by patients and doctors. That’s when we proceeded to make it available to all of our clinicians.”
