Main image courtesy of Adonis. 

AI is helping healthcare facilities of all sizes become more efficient, provide better care for patients, and help reduce some clinician burnout. It gives providers the chance to really be present with their patient during encounters, and it assists them with faster diagnoses and customized treatment plans that can offer patients the best possible results. However all of this is only possible when an AI scribe can sync up with the electronic health records (EHR) management system at a hospital, clinic, or inpatient center. Ensuring that the technologies are able to interact provides a seamless experience for both the patient and the healthcare team. Epic Systems is one of the most widely used EHR systems in the U.S., and if your healthcare center uses it, you might be wondering how compatible it is with an AI scribe.

Which is why in this article we’re covering:

• Whether there is an AI scribe for Epic
• The benefits of medical scribes
• The best AI scribes for healthcare teams

If your practice is interested in an AI scribe and you have Epic Systems, it’s essential to ensure that it will work with your AI scribe for a seamless workflow. 

What is Epic Systems?

You’ll find Epic Systems in a variety of healthcare practices

One of the largest EHR management systems is Epic, which is used by hospitals and other healthcare centers for patient data management and health technology. It is considered a pioneer in the electronic health record movement and has been providing healthcare systems management software since the 1970s. Well-respected healthcare campuses such as the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and Johns Hopkins Hospital all use Epic to help them manage the incredibly large amounts of patient data that passes through these facilities on a daily basis.

In fact, Epic Systems has the largest market share in acute care hospitals, with 39.1% as of 2023. But it’s not just large hospitals that take advantage of the power of Epic Systems, as you’ll find it is used in a range of facilities of all sizes such as independent practices, hospices, and diagnostic labs among others. The reason this system is so popular with all sorts of healthcare centers is that it offers a wide array of services that allow healthcare team members to manage information in one centralized location. Epic can assist with:

• Case management
• Patient portals
• Providing essential data and analytics to assist with care
• Revenue cycle upgrades
• Better workflow
• Improving patient engagement

Epic and other operational systems

One of the major complaints with Epic in the past was that in addition to its cost, it didn’t operate seamlessly with a lot of other EHR software. It was difficult if a facility used another system to manage their records, but needed to interact with Epic-supported software. The Epic team has begun to address these issues, providing for a wider spread of their software into the healthcare realm. They’ve designed a variety of tools to help Epic and non-Epic systems better communicate and allow team members to coordinate care seamlessly. This is especially helpful to smaller and mid-size practices who may not have the budget to invest in a complete upgrade to the Epic systems. By increasing compatibility with other systems, healthcare providers can concentrate on providing better care for their patients and manage health records much easier.

Is there an AI scribe for Epic?

What are the AI medical scribe options for those healthcare centers that use Epic?

Does your practice already use Epic Systems? Are you considering adding an ambient medical scribe to your healthcare toolkit? Then you’re going to want to make sure that it is compatible with the Epic software. As we mentioned, Epic is continuing to make their software functional with other EHR systems and software, and AI scribes are no different. Ambient medical scribes are used in healthcare facilities large and small to help take some of the administrative burden away from providers. They listen in the background of a patient encounter, and allow the clinician to be present with the patient. The AI application transcribes all the information that is exchanged, and automatically puts it into the format of a note. 

Once the provider is satisfied that all the relevant information is there, the note is then added to the patient’s EHR and their health data updated. AI scribes are making a big difference for providers who find themselves burned out and losing time in their day to repetitive tasks that AI can easily take care of. 

There are some AI scribes that are already compatible with Epic Systems, including:

• Deep Scribe. This popular AI scribe is now able to easily integrate with those facilities that use Epic. Based on feedback from stakeholders, including providers, Deep Scribe can now interact with Epic Systems, reducing up to 75% of after-hours documentation. The two platforms will now operate seamlessly and provide an even better experience for patients and doctors.

• Nuance’s DAX Express. This AI scribe is expected to work together with Epic to improve charting accuracy and reduce the amount of time clinicians spend on their notes after the work day. 

• Sunoh.ai. This ambient AI application is also now compatible with Epic’s EHR platform, giving providers transcriptions of patient encounters, easily creating SOAP notes, and automating necessary tests, refills, and patient follow ups.

In addition to adding these AI scribes to the list of compatible software tools, Epic offers its own suite of healthcare tools, including generative AI that allows practitioners to draft messages, create notes, and get a summary of the patient’s medical data before each encounter. It reduces the amount of time that providers need to spend on notes (like other AI scribes) and it decreases the need for clinicians to sift through patient data to find answers. 

The benefits of using an AI scribe

There are a lot of advantages to including an AI scribe into your daily routine

No matter what healthcare speciality that you practice or whether or not you work in a large hospital or a small clinic, AI medical scribes provide a lot of advantages. 

• Reduces clinician burnout. One of the biggest obstacles facing the healthcare industry is dealing with provider burnout. Not only are they tasked with caring for patients and mapping out the best treatment plans possible, physicians also need to ensure that their patient notes are reflective of their current health status. This can lead them to either chart notes during the patient visit, which diverts their attention, or they will have to find time to complete them at the end of the day.

Either way, this is an inefficient way to create notes and update patient records. An AI medical scribe can help streamline this task, allowing practitioners to be fully present during their patient encounters, knowing that the entire conversation is being transcribed in real time. Information is less likely to be missed or omitted entirely, and the doctor/patient relationship is improved thanks to AI eliminating the need for manual note creation.  

• Increased efficiency. Notes are now created in real time, which means that all the right information is where it needs to be by the time the encounter is finished. It is synced with the practice’s EHR and available immediately to all team members, which can lead to a faster diagnosis and a readily available customized treatment plan. Having an AI scribe that is completely compatible with the EHR system is a must so that up to date information is always available and ready to be shared. The AI created transcriptions are more accurate than humans, ensuring that important information isn’t left out. 

• Improved patient experience. Patients want to feel like their clinician is listening to their concerns, and not just busy typing notes while they speak. An ambient medical scribe ensures that not only is the entire encounter transcribed, but the provider can pay attention to what the patient is saying without worrying about missing crucial health information for their record. AI can help clinicians diagnose problems sooner, and they can assist them with creating data-based treatment plans that are likely to yield the best results possible. 

• Integration with EHRs. AI scribes need to be compatible with EHRs so that notes and other patient data can be uploaded and made available to the health team. We’ve seen that Epic Systems is continuously working to make their software more compatible with other systems, including AI medical scribes. 

• Secure and compliant. Because they are handling sensitive data, AI scribes are secure and compliant. It’s essential that the scribe you choose for your practice is HIPAA compliant, and that the data is encrypted end to end. 

• Did you know? Playback Health’s AI scribe is HIPAA compliant, encrypted, and SO 2 compliant ensuring that patient data is secure.

Where AI scribes are used

You’ll find AI scribes in all kinds of healthcare fields, from mental health services, to family practices, to teaching hospitals. AI can assist healthcare professionals in all types of facilities as well, from large hospitals to small one-person practices. One of the best parts about using an AI scribe is that it can be scaled to meet the news of your team, as lots of subscriptions are based on how many team members need access, or how much you need the AI to do.

Best AI scribes for healthcare practices 

Choose an AI scribe that works for your healthcare team

There are a lot of AI scribes out there, so it’s important to find the one that does exactly what you need it to do, for a price you can afford. Some of the top medical scribes include:

• Playback Health
  
  • Pros 

• Ambient listening
• Automated patient journeys
• EHR integration 
• Templates
• Easy to share
• Affordable 
• HIPAA and SO 2 compliant

• Cons
  
  • Volume discounts only at higher tier
  • EHR integration is extra at lower tier

• Nuance DAX
  
  • Pros
    
    • Ambient listening scribe
    • EHR integration (including with Epic)
    • HIPAA compliant
    • Easy to use

• Cons
  
  • Expensive
  • Built for larger enterprises
  • Full implementation can take months

• Deep Scribe
  
  • Pros
    
    • Captures transcriptions of encounters
    • Easy to use
    • Uploads to EHRs 

• Cons
  
  • Misinterprets words in conversations
  • Pricey
  • Users report issues with accuracy

These are just some of the top AI scribes available. Most are subscription-based, and some offer a free trial or a free tier that has limited capabilities. Take advantage of these services so you can get a better feel for if one application seems to work better than another and then make your decision. 

Consider an AI scribe that works with your EHR system

One of the major factors that should go into your choice of AI medical scribe is whether or not it’s compatible with your practice’s EHR system. When the two are compatible, it makes integration a seamless process that increases the efficiency of workflow and patient data management. If you’re looking for an AI scribe that simplifies charting, automates the patient journey, and allows for instant sharing among healthcare team members, consider looking into Playback Health.