San Francisco-based Augmedix has launched what it says is the first fully-automated, generative AI-powered medical documentation software for emergency departments, and it's already in use at one of the biggest health systems in the country.

Known as Augmedix Go, the ambient documentation tool for EDs leverages automatic speech recognition and natural language processing. It was developed in partnership with physicians at four HCA Healthcare hospitals, the company said Wednesday in announcing its general availability.

WHY IT MATTERS

Emergency department workflows require clinicians to document multiple interactions, decisions and re-evaluations and make patient progress updates – all in the busy, loud ED environment, according to a statement from Augmedix.

"Despite how loud it was in the ED, Augmedix got the note content right," Dr. Michael Borunda, director at HCA's Florida Trinity Hospital, noted.

In the last year, emergency patients at the HCA hospitals consented to the use of ambient listening at a 99% acceptance rate, enabling ED doctors to capture multiple, nonsequential interactions, the company said.

Go medical documentation for EDs uses proprietary fine-tuned large language models and foundational industry LLMs, including Google Cloud’s MedLM, Augmedix said.

When desired, instantly drafting medical notes from patient visits was accomplished through a mobile, hands-free application. ED clinicians could choose to store a mobile device with a Bluetooth microphone in their lab coat pocket, and the tool would generate the patient interactions, automatically.

Clinicians involved in the pilot reported positive feedback on the audio capture, note quality and AI accuracy, Augmedix said.

"Using Augmedix allowed me to spend more time with my patients and less time in front of my computer," Veronica Cassese Klasko, physician assistant at HCA Florida Trinity Hospital, said in a statement about the pilot's completion and the tool's readiness.

"I was also able to essentially eliminate charting after my shift was over, which makes a huge difference."

The partners said that the pilot was designed to capture direct feedback from physicians and nurses and mold the platform to meet their needs, said Dr. Michael J. Schlosser, senior vice president of HCA Healthcare’s Department of Care Transformation and Innovation.

"This Augmedix proof-of-concept is not a complete solution, which is by design," said when the partnership with Augmedix was first announced in 2023.

THE LARGER TREND

Deployment of generative AI has been largely focused on scheduled clinical visits, however, if health systems can integrate AI into critical care, that could pay dividends downstream in healthcare delivery, according to Andrew Taylor, director of emergency department clinical informatics at Yale University School of Medicine.

Regarding workflows and stakeholder engagement, the success of AI relies in part on the acceptance and integration of these systems by those directly impacted by their use, he told Healthcare IT News in January.

By actively involving stakeholders, "AI tools can be crafted to address the nuanced demands of healthcare delivery, ensuring that such innovations serve as a supportive extension of human care," he said.

ON THE RECORD

"Our agility and flexible architecture, exhibited by our broad product suite and open network platform, help us address the complex and varying needs of clinicians and providers," said Manny Krakaris, CEO of Augmedix in a statement, calling Augmedix Go a "sophisticated platform designed to enable clinicians to be present with their patients."

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.