Docs say this AI tool has finally allowed them to give patients their full attention
Industry Buzz
If someone turned off ambient AI in our offices tomorrow, my team and I would feel the increased friction by midday.
—Mikel Daniels, DPM
Ambient AI tools have been especially helpful. They reduce the cognitive load of charting and allow providers to stay more present with their patients instead of juggling notes in real time.
—Annie DePasquale, MD
For many physicians, EHR represents a daily burden that competes with time, focus, and patient care. From triggering information overload to causing excessive administrative burden, it wouldn’t be a far cry to say most docs simply hate having to deal with it. []
But this doesn’t have to be the case. A 2025 study published in JAMA Network Open found that when Sutter Health providers began using ambient AI, their work lives improved—a lot, especially with regard to working with EHR. [][]
Most docs already know ambient AI—but many don’t yet realize just how far its capabilities extend. Just one example: In practice, this broader potential includes systems that can automatically recognize patient ID badges or flag when someone has been waiting far longer than expected. []
According to the Sutter Health study, employees reported spending less time on after-appointment EHR notes once they began using ambient AI. Before, only 14% reported spending under an hour per week on notes, but after implementing ambient AI, that rose to 54%. [][]
Provider burnout also dropped by almost 10%—a not insignificant amount considering the pervasiveness of burnout in the profession. Plus, 93% of respondents said they were now able to give patients their full attention—a 35% increase pre-adoption.
Less burnout, better collaboration
“I’ve seen firsthand how AI can meaningfully reduce administrative overload—when it’s used thoughtfully,” says Annie DePasquale, MD, a family medicine physician and CEO & Founder of Collaborating Docs. “At our clinics, we integrate AI primarily to streamline documentation and communication. Ambient AI tools have been especially helpful. They reduce the cognitive load of charting and allow providers to stay more present with their patients instead of juggling notes in real time."
“Even small gains, like shaving off a few minutes per encounter or helping clinicians complete their after-visit summaries before they leave for the day, make a real difference. Those minutes add up to less burnout, more energy for complex cases, and frankly, more humanity in clinical interaction,” she adds. “I’ve also found that AI-assisted templates and clinical decision support can help standardize workflows and ensure we’re not reinventing the wheel for routine documentation.”
But that’s not all: “Most importantly, AI is helping our collaborating physicians support NPs and PAs more efficiently," DePasquale says. "By reducing time spent on administrative back-and-forth, they can dedicate more attention to mentorship, reviewing charts with greater clarity, and ensuring safe, high-quality care across teams.”
From background tech to a daily essential
Mikel Daniels, DPM, a board-certified podiatrist and a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgery, says he uses ambient AI every single day.
“It has changed how I practice," he says. "On a typical office day, say, 10 years ago, I spent more time staring at the EHR than at my patients. With ambient AI running in the background, I am able to focus on the patient while the note is being generated during the visit.”
Dr. Daniels says that by the end of every encounter, documentation is basically complete and formatted in a fashion of his choosing.
Dr. Daniels’ practice, WeTreatFeet Podiatry, first introduced ambient AI by having it listen to office visits. Now, it’s rolled out into every aspect of patient care. “The most tangible change for me is the reduction in after-hours work, spending time writing notes and not with my family,” he says. He can’t envision going back to pre-AI days. “If someone turned off ambient AI in our offices tomorrow, my team and I would feel the increased friction by midday. We would have to return to the land of more clicks, more late notes, and suffer from being able to provide less attention for the patient in the chair.”
Related: Best of 2025: The year's biggest AI-driven shifts in medicine