
epocrates
6 medical technologies that could alleviate the burden of EHRs
June 8, 2023

A recent Mayo Clinic survey of over 6,000 physicians in the United States found that 84.5% who used EHRs regularly reported feeling less satisfied with their jobs and were at a higher risk for professional burnout than those who did not report using the EHR regularly.
These statistics are significant, considering clinician burnout is a major contributing factor to suboptimal patient experiences and outcomes. For this reason, many institutions are implementing new initiatives, tools, and technologies to curb clinician burnout and stress, especially to alleviate the burden of using the EHR.
Which technologies are making EHR systems more efficient?
According to a 2023 SNS Insider report, the global EHR market was valued at $27.88 billion in 2022 and is projected to increase to $45.8 billion by 2030. This sizable uptick is largely due to the development of new EHR medical technology.
The following EHR scribe tools are available to assist with documentation details after a patient encounter:
1. Scribble by IKS Health: This tool records the patient encounter as an encrypted audio file converted to a complete clinical note and implemented into the EHR. The clinician can review the note, edit it if needed, and sign it.
2. Amazon Transcribe Medical by Amazon Web Services: This tool creates high-quality and accurate medical transcripts from clinician dictations and patient encounters for easy implementation into patient medical records (Jason, 2019).
Other available EHR technologies use machine learning and natural language processing to assist with decision-making at the point of care:
3. Amazon Comprehend Medical by Amazon Web Services: This tool performs EHR analysis of the patient’s symptoms, diagnoses, and treatment options to provide direct and personalized clinical decision support.
AI is becoming a mainstay of most technological advancements, and the same can be said for its role in developing new EHR programs. The following technology is currently in development:
4. Suki AI recently partnered with Epic to integrate their AI technology into Epic’s charting system (Aquino, 2023). This process uses ambient documentation from audio recordings of patient encounters. It is one of the first products completely integrated into an established EHR system, creating a more efficient overall workflow process (Business Wire, 2023).
5. CareCloud, Inc. announced in February of this year that they would integrate Medicomp’s Quippe Clinical Data Engine into their EHR platform. This technology can analyze specific patient clinical information within the EHR and use its analysis to assist in decision-making at the point of care (Medicomp Systems, 2023). It is still in the early stages, but preliminary reviews report that it provides a user-friendly interface, allowing for option and layout customizations that improve workflows (Globe Newswire, 2023).
6. The FDA recently selected Cerner Enviza to create AI tools that can be used to extract information from clinician notes within the EHR to improve drug safety (Nelson, 2023). The initial focus of this two-year project is on montelukast prescribed for asthma and its potential to cause adverse mental health effects. However, the goal is to expand its ability to improve drug safety for all medication classes and potential side effects.
In the foreseeable future of EHR technology development, we can expect to see more implementation of AI, especially as it relates to providing direct clinician decision support at the point of care. Additionally, with a shift in focus to genomics and individualized treatment options, new EHR technology will likely be able to assess and analyze patient demographics and characteristics and suggest interventions tailored to the specific individual.
References
Aquino, S. (2023, May 19). Health tech startup Suki is using artificial intelligence to make patient records more accessible to every doctor. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenaquino/2023/05/19/health-tech-startup-suki-is-using-artificial-intelligence-to-make-patient-records-more-accessible-to-every-doctor/?sh=170e1f281f0d
Business Wire. (2023, May 17). Suki launches ambient API integration with Epic. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230517005281/en/Suki-Launches-Ambient-API-Integration-with-Epic
Globe Newswire. (2023, April 25). CareCloud’s EHR system earns high praise in business.com review for its customization options and user-friendly interface. https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/23/04/g31987571/careclouds-ehr-system-earns-high-praise-in-business-com-review-for-its-customization-options-and-u
Henry, T.A. (2018, September 17). 7 EHR usability, safety challenges–and how to overcome them. American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital/7-ehr-usability-safety-challenges-and-how-overcome-them
Jason, C. (2019, December 2). AWS voice-enabled transcription tool to address clinician burnout. EHR Intelligence. https://ehrintelligence.com/news/aws-voice-enabled-transcription-tool-to-address-clinician-burnout
Medicomp Systems. (2023). Quippe Clinical Data Engine. https://medicomp.com/quippe-clinical-data-engine/
Nelson, H. (2023, April 10). FDA selects Cerner Enviza to develop EHR AI tools for drug safety. EHRIntelligence, Xtelligent Healthcare Media. https://ehrintelligence.com/news/fda-selects-cerner-enviza-to-develop-ehr-ai-tools-for-drug-safety
Shanafelt, T.D., Dyrbye, L.N., Sinsky, C., Hasan, O., Satele, D. Sloan, J., & West, C.P. (2016, June 27). Relationship between clerical burden and characteristics of the electronic environment with physician burnout and professional satisfaction. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 91(7), 836-848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.05.007
SNS Insider. (2023, February 24). Electronic health records (EHR) market continues to soar as healthcare providers embrace digital transformation. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/02/24/2615302/0/en/Electronic-Health-Records-EHR-Market-Continues-to-Soar-as-Healthcare-Providers-Embrace-Digital-Transformation-Global-Market-Size-US-45-80-billion-by-2030-CAGR-6-4-Research-by-SNS-I.html
TRENDING THIS WEEK