Physicians are increasingly getting used to AI tools, with 66% of physicians currently use artificial intelligence in their practice, nearly doubling the 38% who said the same in 2023. When it comes to voice technology, 44% of healthcare organizations are already using it, with 65% of physicians saying voice AI can improve their workflow efficiency, helping to alleviate burnout. By this year, the global market for virtual assistants in healthcare was expected to reach $5.8 billion.
Microsoft has been making moves in the space for years, having acquired Nuance Communications, provider of conversational AI and cloud-based ambient clinical intelligence for healthcare provider, for nearly $20 billion in 2021. Now the company has unveiled a new AI assistant for clinical workflow called Microsoft Dragon Copilot.
Dragon Copilot combines the natural language voice dictation capabilities of DMO, which has helped clinicians document billions of patient records, with the ambient listening capabilities of DAX, which has assisted over 3 million ambient patient conversations across 600 healthcare organizations in just the past month.
The product will allow clinicians and other care providers to streamline documentation through ambient note creation, automated tasks and multilanguage support. It also allows for personalized style and formatting, natural language dictation capabilities, speech memos, editing, customized texts, templates, and AI prompts, in one singular user interface. It also has embedded AI assistant functionality that allows clinicians to conduct general-purpose medical information searches.
Finally, it will allow clinicians to automate tasks such as conversational orders, note and clinical evidence summaries, referral letters, and after-visit summaries, in a single centralized workspace.
So far, Dragon Copilot has resulted in clinicians reporting five minutes saved per encounter, while 70% of clinicians reporting reduced feelings of burnout and fatigue, 62% said they are less likely to leave their organization, and 93% of patients report a better overall experience.
Dragon Copilot will be generally available in the U.S. and Canada in May, followed by the U.K., Germany, France and the Netherlands.
“At Microsoft, we have long believed that AI has the incredible potential to free clinicians from much of the administrative burden in healthcare and enable them to refocus on taking care of patients,” Joe Petro, corporate vice president of Microsoft Health and Life Sciences Solutions and Platforms, said in a statement.
“With the launch of our new Dragon Copilot, we are introducing the first unified voice AI experience to the market, drawing on our trusted, decades-long expertise that has consistently enhanced provider wellness and improved clinical and financial outcomes for provider organizations and the patients they serve.”
(Image source: microsoft.com)
