“Burnout” has become somewhat of an industry buzzword lately, and the measurement of its impact is a strong focus across all fields. Per a 2018 Cureus study, “Over half of physicians in the United States experience symptoms of burnout, a rate nearly double that of workers in other professions.” Of physicians polled, 60% said too many bureaucratic tasks—like charting and paperwork—contribute to a lion’s share of their burnout.
Is Physician Burnout Common?
A third of U.S. physicians find that they spend as much as two hours a day working on electronic health records (EHRs). From pre-visit record reviews, to information tracking while with the patient, to after-visit documentation, proper recordkeeping can be time-consuming. This can lead to unnecessary workflow obstacles, like constantly running behind schedule and bumping against inaccurate coding.
Artificial Intelligence has been employed in pursuit of a solution to this problem. But not all technologies are created the same. Dr. Davin Lundquist, CMO of Augmedix, used the company’s product as a primary care physician for more than six years. “[The] unique human-in-the loop model enables physicians to have natural conversations with their patients while in the system,” he notes, a fact reinforced by surveyed clients—89% report their provider spends less time on the computer than during previous office visits.
“The system documents important information into the EHR in real time,” says Lundquist. “There’s no pausing to dictate commands, manually input data, press buttons, or invoke wake words.” This use of natural language processing (NLP) and speech-to-text technology ensures a physician’s ability to focus their attention on the patient rather than on the computer screen.
Augmedix’s Medical Documentation Software Increases Physician Productivity and Decreases Burnout
Augmedix also blends human expertise with automatic documentation. Throughout the process of care, trained medical documentation specialists to step in to support physicians by:
- Reminding the physician of patient medications and history
- Providing updates from previous encounters
- Placing orders for labs, radiology, medication, and testing
- Providing after-visit summaries
- Coordinating referrals
Rather than taking time to review transcriptions in detail, physicians can trust this hybrid approach of digital tools and human expertise. Augmedix medical documentation specialists review records as they are generated, removing the guesswork in record accuracy. They shoulder the work of perfecting records so that physicians can focus their efforts and energy on patient care rather than creating the necessary paper trail.
For physicians using Augmedix technology,
- The rate of satisfaction with time spent in EHR during clinic hours increased by 89%
- Data also points to a 61% reduction in documentation time overall
- Productivity is improved by up to 20%
Ready to Try our Clinical Support Products?
In fast-paced, tightly staffed environments, Augmedix products can save physicians time. Not only does this impact work-life balance for the better, but it can improve relationships with patients and increase practice productivity. If you would like to discuss how Augmedix can change your health system or practice, chat with us today.