1 in 3 Primary Care Physicians Have Already Tried AI Scribe Tools, Outlook Is Cautiously Optimistic, Finds Elation Health Survey

AI Scribe for Doctors: Insights from Elation Health's Latest Findings

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Elation Health, the clinical-first technology company powering innovation in primary care, today announced the results of a survey of 229 primary care physicians focused on the benefits, desired features, and hurdles to adoption of artificial intelligence–powered (AI) medical scribe tools in the EHR. AI scribe tools use speech recognition and natural language processing to capture and transcribe conversations between a physician and a patient during clinical encounters.

Barrier to Adopting AI Scribe Tools for Doctors

According to the survey, 67% of primary care physicians have not yet tried an AI scribe solution and are looking to EHR vendors to guide them to the best option that integrates with their system. Among those surveyed who are holding off, they report a lack of confidence in the accuracy and lack of integration or access through existing tools, along with no time to research options — as key obstacles to adoption.

Physicians Optimism for AI in Healthcare Technology

“Historically, healthcare technologies have been perceived to reduce physicians’ ability to connect with patients, underdeliver on time-saving promises, and distract them from delivering high-quality care,” said Kyna Fong, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Elation Health. “This survey affirms that our clinicians are cautiously optimistic about the potential of AI and its promise. As we continue in our mission to serve primary care physicians with trusted solutions that support high-value patient care, our team is thoughtfully building and applying AI’s powerful capabilities to meaningfully support clinicians that rely on Elation’s modern EHR platform.”

Learn more about Elation's commitment to AI-driven solutions that enhance the clinician experience without sacrificing patient connection.

Key Benefits of AI Scribe for Doctors

When considering how AI would be applied within their practices, independent primary care physicians who have not yet tested AI scribe tools ranked three key areas where they hope to benefit substantially:

• Time savings: 93% anticipate reduced documentation burden, and 84% hope to reduce “pajama time”;
• Clinician care experience: 83% expect higher quality documentation, 81% expect reduced cognitive burden, and 89% hope for improved job satisfaction; and
• Patient care experience: 84% expect these tools will improve patient focus, and 87% anticipate more time for care coordination.

Current User Experience with AI Scribe Solutions

Of those surveyed, 33% reported they are already trialing AI scribe technologies. This group of early adopters reports being relatively dissatisfied with current solutions, expressing the need for more advanced features that better support template personalization, patient education materials, and automation of repetitive processes like lab, imaging, and referral orders. For those who have tried AI scribing and have decided not to purchase yet, they are also looking to EHR vendors to provide a solution.

Interested in advanced AI Scribe tools? Discover Elation's clinical-first AI scribe tool created specifically for primary care. 

Addressing Perceived Risks in AI for Doctors

“While there’s a lot of early interest in AI tools in the clinical setting, it is clear that there are still many perceived risks right now for most physicians,” shared Dr. Steven Waldren, MD, MS, chief medical informatics officer at AAFP. “It is more important than ever for healthcare technology vendors to lean on industry best practices and guidance standards when it comes to integrating AI. Through the AAFP Ethical Application of Artificial Intelligence in Family Medicine guidelines, we are helping protect the sacred relationship between patients and clinicians to preserve and improve high-value care.”

Learn More about Elation Health's AI Scribe Survey

This survey was conducted from 229 independent primary care clinicians who are current Elation Health customers. For more on the full results from Elation’s AI scribe survey, visit here.

About Elation Health

Elation Health is the most trusted technology platform for primary care. Since 2010, the company has delivered clinical-first solutions — built on an award-winning collaborative EHR platform — that help deliver the highest-quality personalized care to patients. Elation Health supports primary care providers in upholding the craft of medicine while thriving in an evolving healthcare landscape. Today, Elation Health serves 32,000 clinicians caring for 15 million Americans. Learn more at elationhealth.com, LinkedIn, and X.