Athenahealth Teams Up with Abridge to Revolutionize Note-Taking in Healthcare
In an exciting development for healthcare professionals, Athenahealth is joining forces with Abridge to incorporate state-of-the-art note-taking technology into its platform. As the field of ambient scribing proliferates, this partnership aims to alleviate one of the longstanding burdens that physicians face: the tedious task of documenting patient interactions.
What Is Abridge Bringing to the Table?
Abridge specializes in ambient note-taking—an AI-driven system that listens to dialogues between patients and doctors, creating structured medical notes that can be seamlessly added to electronic health records (EHRs) after a quick review by the clinician. This innovative tool not only streamlines the documentation process but also includes multilingual capabilities, allowing conversations to be recorded in one language and translated into another for the notes.
"Writing notes has been a headache for doctors for as long as anyone can remember," shares Paul Brient, Chief Product Officer at Athenahealth. "Thanks to advancements in AI, we can now have technology that listens to conversations and generates notes for physicians, saving them countless hours of time."
Many doctors often find themselves spending late nights, or what the industry dubs “pajama time,” catching up on their notes. Abridge’s technology promises to ease this burden significantly.
Integration into Athenahealth’s Platform
Abridge’s note-taking capabilities will be integrated into athenaOne, Athenahealth’s comprehensive cloud-based platform for electronic health records, practice management, and revenue cycle management specifically designed for outpatient care. This integration comes at a pivotal moment, especially as Microsoft recently unveiled its own AI-driven dictation assistant, Dragon Copilot, enhancing competition in this burgeoning market.
Brient notes that until recently, Nuance was almost the sole player in this space, but now there are 40 to 50 competitors entering the fray. Athenahealth stands as one of the largest players, serving around 10% of U.S. healthcare providers across 160,000 facilities.
A Bigger Picture Vision
The partnership with Abridge is just one aspect of Athenahealth’s overarching vision for integrating AI into healthcare technology. Brient emphasizes the importance of allowing flexibility for physicians by offering diverse note-taking options, including services from Abridge, Suki, and iScribe. This not only accommodates different styles of documentation but also empowers physicians to choose the tools that best suit their individual needs.
Athenahealth is also focused on building a robust app marketplace with over 850 APIs available for customization, enhancing the overall experience for physicians.
How AI is Shaping the Future
Looking ahead, Brient believes that generative AI and intelligent systems can dramatically enhance clinicians’ experiences with EHRs. For instance, AI could evolve from generating notes to extracting diagnoses from conversations and suggesting medication orders in a single cognitive step. Additionally, the challenge of managing unstructured data—like faxed lab results—could be mitigated thanks to AI’s ability to read and organize this information effectively.
Moreover, AI is set to streamline revenue cycle management, including billing and insurance claims. For example, when an insurance company sends a check without any context, AI could automate the tedious process of verifying details by logging into online portals.
Transforming Patient Interaction
Furthermore, Brient foresees a future where AI facilitates communication between medical practices and patients, managing tasks such as appointment scheduling and medication refills. This could significantly reduce the workload of human staff, especially for smaller, independent practices as opposed to major healthcare systems.
For instance, an AI-powered system might follow up with patients, reminding them about needed lab tests before surgery. Envision Athenahealth acting as a "virtual call center" for healthcare providers, handling routine communications efficiently.
Cost and Accessibility
As AI technologies continue to advance, costs are dropping, changing the landscape of healthcare technology accessibility. Brient points out that the expense of using note-taking solutions has plummeted from approximately $2,000 per month per physician to a more manageable $100 to $400, with prices expected to decline further.
"People often joke about Dr. Google influencing healthcare; I can see Dr. ChatGPT having a similar impact in the near future," says Brient.
Conclusion
Athenahealth’s collaboration with Abridge marks a significant step toward transforming the clinician experience through the power of artificial intelligence. As these technologies continue to evolve, the potential benefits for healthcare workers and patients alike could be monumental.
The AI Buzz Hub team is excited to see where these breakthroughs take us. Want to stay in the loop on all things AI? Subscribe to our newsletter or share this article with your fellow enthusiasts!
