SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Faced with the very real prospect of losing physicians to burnout, Nephrology Associates, P.A. turned to cutting-edge technology from Saykara to reduce increasingly burdensome and time-consuming documentation. Use of the company’s mobile AI assistant to automate production of clinical notes means physicians at the Delaware-based provider organization no longer have to spend evening and weekend hours completing their charting, which translates to better work-life balance, better quality of care and better patient relationships.
“The practice of medicine is plagued by onerous documentation requirements that have no benefit to physicians. Most of the data we enter to the electronic health record serves no useful purpose in terms of care delivery, it’s there solely for insurance billing, public reporting and regulatory mandates,” says Dr. Prayus Tailor, an attending nephrologist at Nephrology Associates, P.A. “I am seeing colleagues seriously consider retiring early or quitting and taking a different direction with their careers. We need creative solutions like the AI technology from Saykara to reverse course. I can tell you firsthand, my quality of life is so much better since I starting using Saykara.”
Prior to using the mobile AI assistant from Saykara, physicians at Nephrology Associates, P.A. spent hours every day manually keying data to the electronic health record. Although some physicians were aided by basic speech recognition software, the overall process was labor intensive and point-and-click heavy, involving eyes on the computer screen and resulting in significant cognitive strain. Now, with Saykara, physicians access an iPhone app that listens to their conversations with patients and does most of their charting for them.
Tailor says, “With Saykara, I just talk naturally. I can recap a visit after the fact, which typically takes between 30 seconds and three minutes, or I can have the iPhone app simply capture what’s being said during a visit. I find that patients really like this, especially when I summarize what I’ve heard them say and what I intend to include in the electronic health record, which gives them an opportunity to either confirm that I have it right or correct me if I’ve misstated something. It also helps reinforce what they need to do before their next visit.”
With 29 board-certified nephrologists, 14 advanced practicing clinicians and eight office locations, Nephrology Associates, P.A. is the largest single-specialty provider organization caring for patients with kidney disease and hypertension in the state of Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland. As a recipient of the Renal Physicians Association Exemplary Practice Award, Nephrology Associates, P.A. has earned a reputation for innovation and leadership in the field. This is evidenced by a history of developing, launching and managing the state’s first kidney transplant program in concert with ChristianaCare, introducing a transitional care unit centered around preparing patients for end-stage kidney disease, and offering one of the most robust home dialysis programs on the East Coast. Nephrology Associates, P.A. also has two state-of-the-art vascular access centers accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Centers (AAAHC).
“Our guiding principles have always centered on achieving the very best outcomes for our patients,” says David Fisher, executive director at Nephrology Associates, P.A. “Recent experience has shown us, however, that we also need to steadfastly commit to the well-being of our physicians. Adopting technology that automates charting and reduces administrative work not only gives our physicians much-needed time back for themselves and their loves ones, it also gives them more time with their patients.”
Tailor believes artificial intelligence will have an even bigger impact on the practice of medicine in future years and stands to greatly improve the quality, efficacy and efficiency of care delivery. “We need technology that helps physicians rather than hinders them,” he says. “Technology like Saykara is going to make a huge difference in the lives of physicians and their patients. That is what it’s done for me.”
About Saykara
Saykara is helping combat physician burnout and elevate productivity with a mobile AI assistant that automates clinical documentation. Known as ‘Kara,’ the assistant is proven to reduce time spent charting by up to 70%, eliminate after-hours charting by 100%, and enhance note quality and completeness by an average of 25%. Plus, with no need for computer data entry during visits, Kara helps restore a more personalized and trusting physician-patient relationship. The solution is specialty agnostic, scalable at the enterprise level and available through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription. For additional information, go to https://www.saykara.com/.
