Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Clinician and patient satisfaction (or lack thereof) is a significant issue in healthcare \u2014 patients because they can struggle to get access to care, clinicians because they simply have too much to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) set out to tackle this challenge with the integration of Microsoft\u2019s DAX Copilot last year. And it\u2019s already had a big impact: Early results show seven minutes saved per encounter, a 70% reduction in clinician-reported burnout and fatigue, and 93% of patients report a better or equivalent care experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAccess to care is probably one of the biggest issues patients face,\u201d Glen Kearns, EVP and CIO of TOH, told VentureBeat. \u201cIf we can improve the throughput, even a couple of patients per physician per shift, you multiply that by 10 physicians in a care setting, then multiply that by 365 \u2014 that\u2019s not an inconsequential increase in access to care.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n TOH was the first Canadian hospital to pilot Microsoft\u2019s DAX Copilot, which is directly integrated with the widely used electronic health record (EHR) platform Epic. In March, Microsoft bundled DAX Copilot with Dragon Medical One (DMO) into the embedded AI assistant Microsoft Dragon Copilot, which the tech giant says is used by more than 600,000 physicians.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n DAX Copilot, which is out of the box, captures physician-patient conversations via a mobile app and generates draft clinical notes in real time, Kenn Harper, Microsoft\u2019s head of project for Dragon, explained to VentureBeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cClinicians can start a recording from a mobile phone, put their phone down, examine the patient, talk to the patient, no different from what they\u2019d be doing anyway,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The system then extracts details based on the context of the visit (symptoms, diagnosis, treatment plans, follow-ups), which is immediately available in the EHR; all the clinician has to do is quickly review and finalize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInstead of having to author something from scratch and remember all the minute details or type in front of a patient, this is just running automatically,\u201d Harper explained, noting that they receive a \u201cpretty accurate\u201d first draft once the visit is over.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n To tune Dragon Copilot, Microsoft uses a \u201cmassive repository of clinical data that\u2019s been curated over the years,\u201d Harper explained. Engineers continuously fine-tune large language models (LLMs) with that data so that the system can understand and reliably summarize medical information.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n To further improve accuracy, models are optimized by specialty\u2014whether that be an emergency physician, a dermatologist, a cardiologist or any other medical professional.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In feedback loops, teams analyze the first draft prepared by the machine and compare that to what and how much the clinician changed afterwards.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s making sure that as an average over time, as data keeps coming in and we learn from that data, the editing goes down,\u201d said Harper.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Canadian Medical Association, physicians spend around 10 hours per week on administrative tasks, such as updating charts after patient appointments.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kearns explained that TOH developed a robust evaluation plan for DAX Copilot that includes monthly updates through a Microsoft Power BI dashboard. This incorporates feedback from clinicians, patient surveys and data from Epic.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis framework helps us continuously monitor impact and guide improvements,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Typically at the end of the day or shift, physicians have to then go back and finalize documentation from patient visits, he explained. But the tool has reduced after-hours, charting and documentation work for \u201call categories of physicians.\u201d This not only saves them time but helps reduce burnout because they have less tedious work to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tool has also improved clinician cognitive load during visits: Instead of focusing on inputting patient details and navigating documents and forms, they are able to \u201cengage differently and better,\u201d said Kearns. Additionally, \u201cwe saw an increased level of throughput, more patients per shift, per physician.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kearns emphasized that all patients are asked to consent before appointments are recorded and they have access to the notes in their MyChart patient portal. They are also provided with literature about the program and assured that their health records are always confidential and secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patient receptivity has also been \u201cvery, very positive,\u201d with 97% reporting that their experience with the AI tool was as good as a typical appointment or better. \u201cWe attribute that to the physician\u2019s opportunity to engage with them differently and more intentionally during the visit, which is often compressed by time,\u201d said Kearns.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking ahead, he said the tool could be used in scenarios like biomarker detection and social determinants of health (non-medical issues that impact a person\u2019s health, such as undernourishment or lack of transportation. Further, orders, pre-authorization and referral letters can be cumbersome; one goal down the line is to have Dragon Copilot trigger post-visit actions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot coming down the road in the documentation capture space,\u201d said Kearns.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another area where TOH is incorporating AI is \u201cdigital teammates.\u201d Last summer, the facility developed use cases with Deloitte and launched Sophie, who speaks several languages.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, she\u2019s able to interpret patient sentiment and behavioral response.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hate to say this, but patients lie to clinicians,\u201d Kearns acknowledged. \u201cYou know, \u2018What\u2019s your pain scale?\u2019 \u2018Oh, I\u2019m doing fine, it\u2019s five out of 10.\u2019 But then Sophie\u2019s going to have the ability to take a look at your face and go, \u2018Well, it doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s a five.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She may then go on to ask what the patient\u2019s definition of five is, and can pivot based on objective data.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n TOH will launch another avatar in the spring to help patients navigate and access the healthcare system and engage in pre-screening.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody\u2019s not aware of the health care human resource crisis that exists globally,\u201d Kearns noted. \u201cWe want to really try to support and serve patients more robustly than we can today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, the facility makes follow-up calls to patients after certain procedures. However, due to resource limitations, they can only follow up with the highest-risk patients. A goal for Kearns is following up with every single patient, with the avatar providing clarification on any patient questions and confirming if they understood their discharge orders, were able to get to the pharmacy, or have been following clinician orders. The avatar can escalate to a nurse or the patient\u2019s clinical team if needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of the things that healthcare prides itself on is human touch,\u201d said Kearns. \u201cThis is a way to make sure that we\u2019re maximizing and optimizing those human touch resources, but also making sure that patients are well supported through their healthcare journey.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, he noted that it\u2019s still early in the game. One important future step is enabling the digital teammate to interact with the Epic information and environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot more work to do there, we\u2019re still very focused on the adoption side,\u201d said Kearns. \u201cWe\u2019re still a healthcare system that\u2019s very reactive to the health status of patients. We\u2019d like to get to the place where we\u2019re proactive.\u201d<\/p>\n Daily insights on business use cases with VB Daily<\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tThanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n An error occured.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>Ambient AI as an active assistant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How TOH is improving visits, reducing physician burnout<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Digital teammates to overcome staffing issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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