EHR Usage and Physician Burnout
Physicians spend a significant portion of their workday on electronic health records (EHRs), contributing to burnout. A study found that for every eight hours of scheduled patient time, ambulatory physicians spend over five hours on EHR tasks, much of which is perceived as clerical burden interfering with patient care.
Additionally, a survey indicated that 41% of healthcare providers spend an estimated four hours a day or more on administrative tasks, including documentation, which is a leading cause of burnout.
AI Integration with Epic Systems
Epic Systems has integrated AI-powered documentation tools into its electronic health record (EHR) systems to alleviate the documentation burden on clinicians. These tools utilize natural language processing to convert clinician-patient conversations into structured clinical notes, reducing the time spent on documentation.
At Covenant HealthCare, clinicians using Epic's AI scribe technology have experienced a reduction in after-hours documentation of up to 75%, enhancing provider satisfaction and aligning with healthcare's push toward automation and efficiency.