HCA uses AI from Augmedix for acute care documentation in the emergency department
San Francisco-based Augmedix has launched what it claims is the first fully automated, generative AI-powered medical documentation software for emergency departments, and is already in use at one of the nation’s largest healthcare systems.
The emergency room environmental documentation tool, known as Augmedix Go, uses automatic speech recognition and natural language processing and was developed in collaboration with physicians at four HCA Healthcare hospitals, the company said Wednesday in announcing its general availability.
WHY IT MATTERS
Emergency department workflows require physicians to document multiple interactions, decisions and reevaluations and provide updates on patient progress – all in the busy, loud emergency room environment, according to a statement from Augmedix.
“Despite how loud it was in the emergency room, Augmedix got the contents of the note right,” noted Dr. Michael Borunda, director of HCA’s Florida Trinity Hospital, op.
Over the past year, emergency patients at HCA hospitals have agreed to use ambient listening with a 99% acceptance rate, allowing emergency room physicians to capture multiple, non-consecutive interactions, the company said.
Go Medical Documentation for EDs uses proprietary, refined large language models and industry foundation LLMs, including Google Cloud’s MedLM, according to Augmedix.
If desired, direct preparation of medical notes from patient visits became possible via a mobile, hands-free application. Emergency room physicians might choose to keep a mobile device with a Bluetooth microphone in the pocket of their lab coat, and the tool would automatically generate the patient interactions.
Doctors involved in the pilot reported positive feedback about the audio recording, the quality of the notes and the accuracy of the AI, according to Augmedix.
“Using Augmedix allowed me to spend more time with my patients and less time in front of my computer,” said Veronica Cassese Klasko, physician assistant at HCA Florida Trinity Hospital, in a statement about the pilot’s completion and readiness of the tool.
“I was also able to eliminate most of the mapping after my shift was over, which makes a huge difference.”
The partners said the pilot was designed to gather direct feedback from doctors and nurses and shape the platform to meet their needs, said Dr. Michael J. Schlosser, senior vice president of HCA Healthcare’s Healthcare Transformation and Innovation practice.
“This Augmedix proof-of-concept is not a complete solution, that is by design,” the paper said partnership with Augmedix was first announced in 2023.
THE BIG TREND
The use of generative AI has largely focused on scheduled clinical visits, but if healthcare systems can integrate AI into critical care, there could be benefits downstream in healthcare, said Andrew Taylor, director of clinical informatics in the emergency department at the Yale University School of Medicine.
In terms of workflows and stakeholder engagement, the success of AI depends in part on the adoption and integration of these systems by those directly affected by their use, he shared. Healthcare IT news in January.
By actively involving stakeholders, “AI tools can be developed to meet the nuanced demands of healthcare, ensuring that such innovations serve as a supportive extension of human care,” he said.
ON THE RECORD
“Our agility and flexible architecture, reflected in our broad product suite and open network platform, help us meet the complex and diverse needs of physicians and healthcare providers,” said Manny Krakaris, CEO of Augmedix in a statement, recommending Augmedix calls Go an “advanced platform”. designed to enable physicians to be present with their patients.”
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.