Mon. May 6th, 2024

I recommend you read this article in Medical Economics by Dr. Rebekah Bernard about using AI as a medical scribe. Here are some highlights:

But what a difference a few months make in the world of AI! After stumbling upon rave reviews for an AI documentation system in one of my social media medical groups, I logged in for a free 10-note trial. By the 9th patient visit, I was grabbing my credit card to sign up. I’m also hearing from many of my colleagues who are ecstatic about how AI has helped improve their quality of life.

Once you click ‘stop recording,’ the system generates a comprehensive SOAP note within minutes. Some programs also auto-generate a visit summary to print or email to the patient, as well as a transcription summary. Now comes the part where the physician is still necessary: Review the note and correct any AI errors or unnecessary elements. Once the note is edited, copy/ paste it into your EHR, and voila! You are done!

And from a DPC doctor friend who has been highlighted in the past here on DPC News:

Kissi Rosabel Blackwell, MD, a family physician in Texas who also uses Freed, says, “I feel less overwhelmed in my day-to-day patient encounters knowing that conversations are saved accurately and securely and organized in a coherent fashion, even when I’m extremely busy.” 

There were some downsides to the AI Scribe and I recommend you read the whole article. Kudos to Dr. Bernard for digging into this issue.

179290cookie-checkShould You Use AI as a Medical Scribe?
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By Douglas Farrago, MD

Douglas Farrago MD is board certified in the specialty of Family Practice. He is the inventor of a product called the Knee Saver which is currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Knee Saver and its knock-offs are worn by many major league baseball catchers. He is also the inventor of the CryoHelmet used by athletes for head injuries as well as migraine sufferers. From 2001 – 2011, Dr. Farrago was the editor and creator of the Placebo Journal which ran for 10 full years. Described as the Mad Magazine for doctors, he and the Placebo Journal were featured in the Washington Post, US News and World Report, the AP, and the NY Times. Douglas Farrago, MD received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia in 1987, his Masters of Education degree in the area of Exercise Science from the University of Houston in 1990, and his Medical Degree from the University of Texas at Houston in 1994. His residency training occurred way up north at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. In his final year, he was elected Chief Resident by his peers. Dr. Farrago has practiced family medicine for twenty-three years, first in Auburn, Maine and now in Forest, Virginia. He founded Forest Direct Primary Care in 2014, which quickly filled in 18 months. Dr. Farrago still blogs every day on his website Authenticmedicine.com and lectures worldwide about the present crisis in our healthcare system and the effect it has on the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Farrago’s has written three books on direct primary care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice, The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal and Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) are all best sellers in this genre. He is a leading expert in direct primary care model and lectures medical students, residents, and doctors on how to start their own DPC practice. He retired from clinical medicine in October, 2020.

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