Commure rolls out AI scribe for Tenet Healthcare after yearlong customized build

Tenet Healthcare has selected Commure to provide an artificial intelligence scribe to providers throughout the health system.

Commure has gained a vast amount of ground in the AI scribe market over the last month, inking a deal with HCA Healthcare in late October. Commure’s AI products are being used by thousands of providers a day, the company said.

Commure acquired AI scribe company Augmedix in July, but the Tenet deal was in the works with Commure’s existing AI scribe product long before the acquisition.

Over the last year, a Commure engineering team has been deployed to Tenet locations to work with providers, understand their workflows and build a custom AI scribe product that meets its providers’ needs.

Deepika Bodapati, chief operating officer of Commure, said the engineers worked to customize the look of the note, determine the point at which the note closed out and for the note to capture the information relevant to the system.

“They run a very thoughtful operation,” Bodapati said. “And so we it takes us time to really understand what they're trying to do and build the exact perfect solution for them. It's definitely very customized.”

Bodapati said the chief differentiator of Commure’s AI scribe solution is the company's broader suite of offerings. She estimated that 80% of Commure customers use more than one of their products. Using a continuous system to carry forward patient data through revenue cycle management is key to improving operations and having an AI scribe make an impact on the organization, she said. 

“The scribe also is important because it creates the documentation that is then sent to the insurance company that then the hospital gets reimbursed on,” Bodapati explained. “So you want to have a fairly holistic document that is going to the insurance company to make sure that your denial rate is as low as possible, that your first pass rate is as high as possible already.”

Commure’s experience in revenue cycle management helps its scribe be more efficient for the provider and patient, like ensuring that the information needed by the insurer has been recorded or asking all the right questions for the patient’s condition to properly engage the patient in the health system, according to Commure executives.

The goal, Bodapati said, is to build out the industry’s smartest AI copilot that can follow a patient through their care journey to ensure care is performed and the health system gets reimbursed properly for that care.

“It's taking out a lot of back and forth between provider, patient, and insurance company, doctor-patient, and really getting and simplifying that experience as cleanly as possible,” Bodapati said.

Bodapati said the company’s recent acquisition of AI scribe company Augmedix has expanded the company's customer base, setting the stage for future partnerships.