When Dr. David Wallace graduated from medical school in 1995, every visit note, prescription and lab request had to be written by hand. Now, artificial intelligence writes visit notes for him before he can walk the 20 feet from an exam room to his office.
“AI is actually bringing back the human component,” Wallace said. “Now, I can actually put the phone down and, getting the history, I can look at you. I don’t have to sit here and type and try to keep up.
” Wallace is one of about 200 Sentara primary care physicians testing DAX Copilot, a generative AI program that can filter through conversations with patients to compose a narrative summary of their visits. Health system administrators hope the technology can help address problems from provider burnout to a massive physician shortage. “It’s the ‘pajama time,’ as they say,” Wallace said.
“If my notes aren’t finished, I either stay after work and finish up my notes, or now I’ve got to go home and take time away from my family to finish up my notes or I come back into work on the weekends. I think that can increase burnout for providers.” An app on providers’ phones records the session, then automatically writes the visit note.
Doctors who are part of the pilot program disclose the technology’s use to patients, who are able to opt out, said Stephen Payne, Sentara’s regional director of operations. In over 20,000 visits, only one patient has objected, he said. Payne has been looking for ways to .