In a recent episode of the MGMA Business Solutions Podcast, Senior Editor Daniel Williams welcomes Paul Wiley, President of AvodahMed, to discuss the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Wiley highlights how AvodahMed is leveraging AI to improve clinical documentation, streamline workflows and reduce physician burnout.
A Unique Path to Healthcare Leadership
Wiley’s journey to healthcare began in the airline industry, where he worked for United Airlines and Sabre Holdings before transitioning to healthcare technology. “Somehow I found a way to go to an even more complex industry from the airlines into healthcare,” Wiley said. His transition was driven by a project in business school that led to the creation of a healthcare company that focuses on patient scheduling.
Wiley explained, “I started [my company] with a couple of my colleagues… one of whom is a doctor, and he said, ‘Look, I’m working more, making less money, and the patients who need care the most are not getting in to see me.’ So, he asked, ‘Is there a way to apply the predictive analytics and AI from the airline industry into healthcare scheduling?’” That idea sparked a new direction in his career.
Focusing on the Customer and Solving Real Problems
Throughout the conversation, Wiley emphasizes the importance of focusing on customer needs in healthcare technology. "The customer is who matters the most," he said. “You could build the coolest product or feature in any industry, but if it's not easy to deploy or use, then no one's going to use it.”
Wiley stressed the need to design AI tools that integrate seamlessly into existing healthcare workflows, allowing providers to adopt them without disrupting their daily tasks. "Change management is hard when it’s in the workflow—it’s almost impossible when it’s outside of it," he explained.
Nsight: AvodahMed's Ambient Clinical Assistant
AvodahMed's AI solution, Nsight, improves operational efficiency by automating various administrative tasks, including documentation, billing and coding. By eliminating the need for physicians to input notes manually, the technology allows doctors to focus on patient care while reducing administrative burdens. “Our goal, our vision and mission is to get rid of the keyboard,” Wiley said. He added, “We’re seeing, on average, an hour saved every day for a provider to do documentation.”
Wiley explained that Nsight can distinguish between relevant and irrelevant details during a patient encounter, noting, “All those types of things get pulled out,” ensuring that only essential clinical information remains in the notes.
This time-saving benefit significantly reduces physician burnout, a widespread issue in the industry. Many providers end up completing documentation at home after hours, often on the couch with their families. “If we had to go home and just plan on doing an extra hour of work every night, we would get frustrated as well,” he said.
AI and Ambient Technology Integration
One of the most exciting advancements in healthcare is the integration of ambient AI, where AI works in the background to enhance efficiency without interrupting the interaction between doctor and patient. “Ambient AI really focuses on being in the background, which is where, in my opinion, that’s where AI belongs in healthcare,” Wiley said.
Ambient AI tools, like those from AvodahMed, automatically transcribe doctor-patient conversations and handle the documentation process without interfering with patient care. Wiley explains, “You want all of the noise in the background so the patient and the doctor can focus on what’s most important.”
When discussing how AvodahMed integrates with electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs), Wiley shares that AvodahMed currently integrates with platforms such as Athena and Veradigm. “We’re adding more by the month,” he says, noting that integrating with EMRs is crucial to making AI effective. "If the provider has to go copy and paste it into the EMR, then we're really not solving their problem," he said.
Choosing the Right AI Solution for Your Practice
Wiley offers advice to healthcare leaders looking to adopt AI-based solutions, suggesting they focus on four key areas:
- solving real problems
- ensuring strong ethical and security controls
- integrating seamlessly into workflows
- and partnering with a trusted vendor.
By focusing on these criteria, medical practices can ensure they select AI tools that truly meet their needs and improve their operations. As Wiley noted, “You don’t want a point solution. You want an integrated, end-to-end solution.”
Looking Forward
AI’s potential to improve healthcare operations and reduce burnout is becoming increasingly clear as it continues to evolve. By focusing on ambient AI and workflow integration, AvodahMed aims to be at the forefront of AI-driven healthcare innovation to fulfill its mission of streamlining processes and giving providers more time to focus on patient care.
Resources:
- For more information on AvodahMed and its AI solutions, visit avodahmed.com.
- In the YouTube video below, check out additional information about AvodahMed Nsight.
MGMA Resources:
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