Augmedix Live

So today we’re chatting about Augmedix and how it’s used at your company. Before we jump into that, could you give a brief overview of the company and your role there?

I work as a primary care physician in an internal medicine clinic next to our local hospital.

What was the need that drove your practice to look for a product like Augmedix?

Our parent organization was concerned about burnout among physicians resulting from excessive time spent on charting. The option came to me and I took it. This is a human scribe service, so there’s a person on the other end taking my dictation and adding it to the note.

What was the onboarding process like?

It was pretty good. I was in contact with the Augmedix team, they have a local team here and kept in touch via email. They sent me a device for dictation — it’s basically a cell phone with a magnetic mount. We had some technical issues for the first couple weeks getting it to connect with the scribe, but that was two years ago when we first started.

What is the workflow for using the product?

I start by looking at the chart and reviewing to my scribe what the patient’s history is and what they’re in for. When I go in to see the patient, especially if it’s a patient with a new complaint, I try to get a good history and then dictate it back in front of them. After that, I’ll either dictate the objective, the physical exam, the assessment, and the plan in the room, or if I don’t want the patient to hear it, I’ll do it outside the room. I try to stay on top of the dictation but do fall behind sometimes and have to catch up later.

When we break for lunch, depending how busy the morning was, I may tell the scribe they can catch up on notes now and we’ll do more dictations when they’re caught up. By the end of the day, the morning notes will be available, and they have usually finished the evening notes by the next morning. They chart directly into Cerner, and it comes to me as an incomplete note that I have to review and sign.

How would you characterize the quality of the remote scribes?

The first scribe I worked with was amazing. She then got married and left, which was unfortunate. My next scribe was terrible: he struck me as very lazy. At one point, he hadn’t finished the dictations by the next day, and that was the last straw for me. So I complained to Augmedix and they immediately gave me a new scribe, which is the one I’m with currently. He’s a hard worker and does a good job.

Do you need to train the scribes specifically on your desired charting format and process?

It happened over time. I’ve been with my current one for about 18 months now, and that consistency is helpful. We have a good working relationship. He isn’t the strongest at picking up on the medical history details, though, so I often have to dictate it directly to him.

How would you characterize the strengths of Augmedix?

The strength has been reliability. From a product perspective, the connectivity is good. Every now and then we have some connection issues, but it gets back on the network very quickly. The device itself is a little larger than I’d want, but it’s not the end of the world.

Do you have plans to use their Augmedix Go ambient AI scribe product?

I don’t have any specific plan to transition to that. I’ve used Dragon before though. I’m curious about the accuracy of the AI products, most doctors would be. I’m open to switching though.

How has the customer service and support experience been?

Their customer service has been good, they’re quite responsive and quick.

Are you happy with your decision to use Augmedix, and would you make the same decision again?

Understand, I didn’t do any of the shopping around for different vendors! The decision was binary for me, to use it or not. But yes, looking back, I would have made the same decision. The benefit so far has outweighed the growing pains and hiccups of the last two years. I would be curious, though, to try something else out, to get a sense for the differences.

Are there any areas of improvement or growth for Augmedix?

There are some inconsistencies in the quality of the scribes, but other than that I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for other users for these types of products?

My main advice, which is something I’ve learned through the process of using it, is that patients really appreciate it when you dictate the story back to them. That is something you may lose with an ambient AI. Patients really appreciate that you’ve actually listened to them, and then they can correct you if you’ve misunderstood or misheard.