Last month, I wrote an article about the use of artificial intelligence for composing a summary of the details of an office visit. I had been to an appointment with my gastroenterologist, and he mentioned his office was using an AI program called Abridge to compose and archive a summary of the discussion he and I had during my visit. Mentioning this caught me off guard because I was unaware technology such as this existed. So, I thought I would do some investigating into this product.
This program, Abridge, uses “ambient listening technology to turn patient conversations into clinical notes” saving time, and allowing the doctor to focus on the patient, not the medical record. Abridge composes the office note as our conversation is spoken. Miraculously, the program arranges the spoken information into the standard office note format. The doctor doesn’t have to take 5-10 extra minutes after the visit to dictate a note. Everything required for the medical record is extracted from the informal conversation between the doctor and patient. It really is remarkable technology that saves loads of time, allowing the doctor to be more productive. The office note composed by Abridge is automatically added to the electronic medical record.
In their website, Abridge says they are “creating clarity for patients….establishing radical efficiencies to transform healthcare from the conversation up!” It “transform[s] constraints into unique solutions…..We….work[ing] together to figure out how to do things better and faster….we continuously seek knowledge….Success for us is a team sport and…..we…help each other achieve growth…..We empathize with the needs of our users….We develop a deep understanding of how we can best serve them, earning and maintaining trust.”
All of that verbiage means that this program makes documenting the details of a patient visit much easier and quicker to accomplish. This technology takes the spoken words of the doctor and the patient and places them in well-constructed, organized report of the details. It replaces tiresome note taking and the dictation and transcription of the office summary. It makes the entire process of documenting a visit about as quick, easy, and efficient as it could possibly be. And it does it immediately so the visit summary can be handed to the patient upon leaving the office.
There are several programs such as Abridge which have streamlined record keeping and given the doctor more time to focus on the patient. They each have a niche into which they fit and have a role. Another benefit of AI programs is that they “match[es] or exceed[s] the diagnostic accuracy of attending physicians [especially] in the ED.” This increases the intrinsic value of AI technology in specialized areas and contributes to the quality of care delivered. Facilitating history taking and diagnostic data allows the physician more time to spend with each patient.
Abridge also replaces the live human scribes many physician hired at considerable extra expense which was an un-reimbursed service. The scribe was that third person in the exam room with you and the doctor who wrote down everything you said. The AI program has an additional benefit as I mentioned before. It can “reason” with the data input and produce a list of possible diagnoses, thus helping the doctor decide on diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Artificial Intelligence is the future here today, already. It’s future is optimistic because programs will only become more universal, more efficient, and more accurate. It won’t replace physicians, but it will make our job easier and less likely to lead into a state of “burnout.”
References: www.google.com/abridge/
www.google.com/artificial-intelligence
Hochwald L. The Other Doctor in the Emergency Department: AI medscape.com 2026 July 1.
