Augmedix: Ambient AI Dictation Service

Happy Hump Day, everyone! First off, we would like to express our gratitude for your support. We have received amazing feedback so far, so please keep it coming! Last week, Maxime Rappaport MD shared his thoughts on Glass.Health and caught the attention of their CEO, Dereck Paul, MD!

Please continue to share our newsletter with any of your colleagues and friends interested in this rapidly growing space. If you have an AI service you would like us to talk about, please email us at [email protected]

Subjective (Origin of Augmedix and their mission):

It all started with a meeting by chance at Stanford University's biodesign program. Imagine this: Ian Shakil and Pelu Tran, two minds hungry for innovation, cooking up ideas for a healthcare revolution. During the summer of 2012, this dynamic duo got their hands on Google Glass for the very first time. Boom! The light bulb moment struck like a lightning bolt. What if, they pondered, they could harness the power of this futuristic device to create a service for doctors? A service that could revolutionize the way health records are recorded, stored, and retrieved. Cue the "aha" chorus! Ian and Pelu weren't content with just any old idea. No, sir! They envisioned a service that would rescue doctors from the charting avalanche they faced daily. And thus, the grand adventure of Augmedix kicked into high gear. 

Without skipping a beat, our duo plunged headfirst into the world of AI. Ian ditched his marketing and business-development gig, and Pelu, a fourth-year med student at the time, boldly put his studies on pause. The result? The birth of Augmedix—it's the superhero of electronic health records. This company provides automated medical documentation and data services to healthcare systems and doctors' offices of all sizes. From cozy clinics to bustling hospitals and even the world of telemedicine, Augmedix has got it covered nationwide.

But what's their secret sauce? It's the Ambient Automation Platform, folks! Imagine doctors and patients engaged in conversations and while that's happening, bam! Augmedix is actively listening and transforming the conversation into comprehensive medical notes faster than you can say "healthcare shenanigans.” How do they pull off this miraculous feat, you ask? With a dash of automatic speech recognition, a sprinkle of natural language processing, and a generous helping of clinical datasets. Voila! The result? A structured medical note extravaganza that's as smooth as a magic carpet ride. And fear not, dear reader, for quality is their middle name. Augmedix ensures that every medical note is a masterpiece by having a team of trained medical documentation specialists keeping a watchful eye. It's like having a squad of healthcare perfectionists making sure everything's shipshape.

As the late Billy Mays would say, “But wait! There’s more!” – Augmedix doesn't stop there. They're not just about notes; they're about making life easier for our healthcare heroes. They've got a whole suite of data services (Go, Live, Notes, Prep). Augmedix is here to give doctors more time to do what they do best – sprinkle some TLC on their patients.

Objective (What the product is):

Augmedix currently have four main products: Go, Live, Notes, Prep

“Go” recently launched in 2023 and is a clinician-controlled mobile app that uses their ambient AI tech automating a draft medical note after each patient visit. The note is available in the EHR for the clinician to review, edit, and sign off.

“Live” puts the clinician-patient relationship front and center by using their AI technology to deliver synchronous medical documentation and point-of-care support in real time. To ensure the highest quality experience, a trained medical documentation specialist is virtually monitoring the documentation during your whole shift. Each specialist is a member of your care team, communicating with you in real time through two-way messaging.

“Notes” uses ambient AI technology to create asynchronous medical notes. The clinician-patient interactions are recorded, and medical notes are uploaded to the EHR following the visit.“ Of note, what separates this from “Live” is that the notes are not created in real-time and you do not have a trained medical documentation specialist virtually monitoring the documentation during your whole shift.

“Prep” uses AI technology to support chart preparation by entering relevant patient information into the EHR prior to the patient visit. All chart preparation is reviewed for quality by medical documentation specialists.”

Live Demo: Augmedix offers an option for clinicians to enroll in a live demo to “test drive” the product during a patient visit. As a resident physician, I am confined under the guidelines and regulations of my program and thus, unable to demo this service with our patient population.

Assessment (My thoughts):

Due to the inability to participate in a live demo and experience the service firsthand, it's challenging to form thoughts on Augmedix. However, the potential benefits the platform offers are evident: increased efficiency, productivity, and an improved work-life balance. Many clinicians, including myself as a resident, often find themselves behind a computer during a patient encounter, attempting to actively listen, communicate effectively with the patient, and type notes all while trying to develop a plan simultaneously. This poses a significant challenge.

I personally struggle during clinic visits, at times missing pieces of patients' history due to the physical limitations of my typing speed. The bits of information I sometimes miss could have been crucial in developing a more in-depth differential diagnosis and seizing opportunities to ask more pertinent questions. As I attempt to multitask during encounters, I realize that having an automated scribe could enhance my ability to be a better active listener and, more importantly, a more engaging clinician by providing undivided attention to the patient.

The services offered by Augmedix address this problem that clinicians worldwide are facing. A recent PubMed article titled "Burnout Related to Electronic Health Record Use in Primary Care" sheds light on the significant issue clinicians encounter daily. The ability to be finished with notes and not taking them home for the night or weekend to complete while eating is bliss.

Dr. Schoof discusses his experience in detail using Augmedix. Of note, he relates to my thoughts above and appreciates the smooth and streamlined workflow that the service facilitates. It allows you to focus on the patient instead of charting or writing things down every two seconds, enabling you to be a more present clinician, addressing the complaint and finding a solution more efficiently.

Some potential cons that may be worth bringing up are integration/compatibility, technical challenges, and cost. Currently, Augmedix is compatible with 50+ EHR systems. Is it compatible with yours? Similar to any software, technology may encounter technical challenges, such as system glitches, connectivity issues, or hardware malfunctions. For instance, have you ever experienced your iPhone or Android glitching/freezing? I bet you have. Imagine completing a clinic visit using the Go app and realizing your phone froze during the encounter, resulting in nothing being recorded or written for the entire visit; this would be devastating, and infuriating at the same time. These challenges can significantly impact the reliability and efficiency of the platform.

Plan (Would I use it?):

I wholeheartedly believe that Augmedix has successfully applied AI in one of its most useful applications: assisting clinicians in addressing a major contributor to physician burnout—note writing. As a resident physician, nothing would bring more joyful tears to my eyes than having the support of Augmedix's ambient dictation service to help me complete my clinic notes. This way, I can direct my time towards caring for the patient and utilize the extra time saved, not for writing notes, but for reading the latest articles and guidelines on acute/chronic conditions as I grow as a healthcare provider.

All in all, Augmedix is the sidekick every healthcare professional dreams of—turning doctor-patient conversations into a symphony of structured medical notes and making healthcare documentation feel like a breeze. That's a win-win for doctors and patients alike!

I’m sold! Are you?

-Raymond Phan, DO