The implementation of AI in physician practices
As administrative demands increasingly encroach on physicians’ time for direct patient care, there is significant enthusiasm around how AI can help reduce administrative burdens, including documentation (54%).[i]
AI-driven ambient listening solutions are emerging as a potential answer by using generative AI to automate much of the documentation process— allowing doctors to avert their eyes from their computer screens and focus more directly on the patients in front of them. Innovations like NextGen Ambient Assist, by NextGen Healthcare, reduce the documentation burden by up to two hours a day by transcribing patient-provider conversations in real time and leveraging AI to summarize patient encounters within seconds[JD1] [AB2] of an appointment.
AI-enabled technologies are also reducing the time it takes to diagnose a patient by providing decision support for specific diagnoses. These innovations can translate patients’ medical records, including disease descriptors, and turn them into diagnosis codes (ICD) or even generate relevant lab or imaging orders for providers to review and approve. This type of decision support allows providers to better focus on patient care. According to an Accenture report, preliminary diagnosis has a potential annual benefit of 5 billion by 2026.[ii]
Ambient listening solutions are growing increasingly sophisticated by offering specialty-specific customization. For example, NextGen Healthcare has developed tailored workflows for ophthalmology and optometry to address the specific challenges and limitations of using ambient listening to document eye exams.
“Efficiency is critical in ensuring we provide the best care to our patients, and this tailored release of NextGen Ambient Assist is poised to revolutionize our workflows,” said Shannan Brown, OD., Michiana Eye Center, a practice servicing South Bend, Indiana, and neighboring cities. “There's nothing this advanced in the ophthalmology and optometry space; it's clear how much it's needed to help streamline operations and reduce the documentation burden—very exciting.”
Similarly, NextGen Healthcare offers another workflow specific to psychiatric workflows that was calibrated to recognize and process the nuances of conversations about mental and behavioral health issues.
How these efficiencies cut costs
Gains in provider efficiency are not solely beneficial for providers—they can also lead to significant cost savings for healthcare organizations at large. According to McKinsey, AI tools can automate nearly 45% of administrative tasks in the healthcare sector, amounting to annual savings of $150 billion.[iii]
Although adopting AI into workflows may involve upfront costs during the implementation phase, significant long-term cost savings are likely and have the potential to transform care delivery by supporting physicians and the healthcare team. This leads to providing superior care to patients and substantial cost savings.
PwC’s Health Research Institute published their projection that healthcare expenses will increase by a whopping 8% in the coming year.[iv] However, innovative technologies, such as AI-driven ambient listening, can offset these rising costs. According to Harvard, use of AI in medical diagnosis can improve health outcomes by 40% and reduce treatment costs by 50%.[v]
Challenges that require continued advancement
While these technological tools are helping advance outcomes for patients and providing much needed support for providers, AI adoption in healthcare has raised understandable concerns regarding privacy, equity, security and benefits. AI-driven technology often collects and analyzes personal information, including sensitive medical, genetic and lifestyle data. For this reason, AI usage must be approached with care. NextGen Healthcare, for example, prioritizes patient privacy by never storing or saving audio or transcripts.
Despite some of these challenges and upfront costs, AI-driven technologies are allowing for recommitment to the heart of healthcare—the patient-provider relationship. The latest health-tech is bringing us back to the basics.
About NextGen Healthcare
NextGen Healthcare’s mission is to assist practices in achieving better healthcare outcomes for all with integrated EHR, practice management and advanced solution platforms that improve the patient experience and streamline workflows through specialized models for diverse disciplines including psychiatry, cardiology, ophthalmology and primary care. Solutions like these exist to enhance clinical and administrative efficiency, increase care volume, boost patient-provider relationships and strengthen financial stability. If your goal is to propel your organization to achieve the best experiences for patients and clinical staff, visit nextgen.com to learn about the various implementable solutions, like Ambient Assist, that meaningfully connect clinical staff and patients throughout their care journey, leading to better healthcare. We are on a relentless quest to achieve better healthcare outcomes for all.
[i] https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/physician-ai-sentiment-report.pdf
[ii] https://www.accenture.com/au-en/insights/health/artificial-intelligence-healthcare
[iii] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/global-survey-the-state-of-ai-in-2021
[iv] https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/healthcare-costs-set-rise-much-8-2025-pwc
[v] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/programs/ai-for-health-care-concepts-and-applications/?gclid=cjwkcajwx46tbhbheiwara_djpivzt43u3rvveax4p7j3gjz4rknn-99z-4adr_3cniltlqubnkrdbocqi0qavd_bwe