We just returned from the MGMA Leaders Conference 2024 in Denver, where the energy was buzzing, and managers, executives, and aspiring leaders in healthcare gathered to discover how strong leadership can optimize business operations and advance our industry. 

At this year’s conference, we eagerly showcased our booth and shared our mission that EverHealth empowers practices, from urgent care clinics to PCP offices, with solutions that transform businesses from end to end. We revealed our integrated ecosystem of EHR, Communication tools, Practice Management, and Charge Capture solutions to attendees. We were thrilled to demonstrate how our products can help manage and grow your practice, communicate with patients, and increase revenue.   

We saw many inspiring breakout sessions and keynotes, with one presentation really catching our eye, “AI’s Role in Enhancing Healthcare.” This article shares the key takeaways from this forward-thinking presentation, including: 

• Providers’ top challenges and how they affect practices’ financial performance 
• How to leverage artificial intelligence technology in practice management 
• Future of AI in healthcare and a shared vision 

Current State of Healthcare  

During the MGMA “AI’s Role in Enhancing Healthcare” presentation, there was much debate and discussion on the current state of healthcare, particularly around physician burnout. It was revealed that the growing number of patients, amplified documentation requirements, and expanding administrative duties are creating demanding and stressful environments. Below, we list factors affecting providers and how these challenges also affect their practices’ bottom line. 

Administrative Overload  

It’s clear that two major factors affecting today’s healthcare providers are the increase in administrative and documentation tasks. What’s causing these issues? According to one review, factors contributing to excessive workloads include: 

• Medical documentation 
• Staffing shortages 
• Follow-up and chart review 
• EHR inbox management 
• Limited control over work schedules 
• Increase in patient volume 

High administrative burdens can disrupt practice workflows, causing delays in patient appointments, physician burnout, and overall operational inefficiencies. These factors inevitably lead to increased costs and lost revenue. 

Connection Between Burnout and Poor Financial Performance 

The MGMA AI presentation offered sobering statistics demonstrating how excessive administrative tasks and provider burnout can lead to poor financial performance in practices. These facts included: 

Administrative burden: 

• Clinician time spent on documentation is 50% 
• Insufficient documentation results in 3-5% revenue loss 

Burnout and physician shortage:  

• The average number of physicians experiencing burnout is 40-60%, causing the healthcare industry 4.6B a year 
• A 90,000-physician shortage predicted by 2025 

Poor patient experience: 

• It takes 26 days on average for a patient to get an appointment, and 75% wish for a personalized experience 
• If the experience were more personalized, 61% of patients would visit their doctor 

The Role of AI Technology in Healthcare  

A powerful quote from the MGMA artificial intelligence presentation cited, “In today’s healthcare environment, AI has become pivotal in bringing about profound advancements, presenting fresh approaches to overcome deep-seated obstacles.” The presentation revealed the impacts AI tools have in reshaping practice management, such as “mitigating provider burnout, augmenting patient interactions, and improving the precision and efficiency of medical records.” Below, we dive deeper into these benefits and show how they can advance your practice. 

Key Benefits of AI in Practice Management 

Addressing provider burnout and documentation issues involves strategies that streamline administrative processes and reduce unnecessary paperwork. Below, we highlight how AI tools provide these solutions and substantially benefit practice management workflows. 

Streamlining Tasks 

According to BMJ Health Care Informatics, artificial intelligence has great potential to lower the administrative and cognitive burdens that contribute to burnout through solutions such as digital scribes, automated billing, and advanced data management systems.  

For example, one of our products, DrChrono by EverHealth, offers a cloud-based, AI-powered EHR that fully integrates scheduling, clinical workflow, patient engagement, and medical billing in one accessible platform. This integration:  

• Decreases unnecessary paperwork  
• Improves patient management workflows  
• Bridges patient-provider communication gaps  

The EHR runs several time-saving actions, such as sending patients custom text reminders before appointments with a schedule of messages. Patients can then confirm via phone or email, automatically updating their appointment into the EHR. The DrChrono system also offers advanced mobile solutions allowing providers to access their practice management platform anytime, anywhere, including a full-featured EHR on iPhone.  

Reducing Mental Load and Human Error 

AI tools like ambient voice recognition technology can reduce providers’ cognitive load and free them from the distraction of taking notes while talking to patients. For example, DrChrono EHR offers a HIPAA-compliant speech-to-text feature that ensures the quality of medical notes while keeping the personalized care aspect of the patient-provider relationship.  

This AI-powered solution understands medical speech and adapts to a provider’s accent, reducing time spent correcting poor dictation. Manually entering patient post-visit notes also comes with the risk of human mistakes. The speech-to-text feature ensures accuracy in the quality of medical notes. This clarity makes for more reliable records and lowers potential errors. 

Future of AI 

As we wrapped up the MGMA Leaders Conference, our team enjoyed learning, meeting, and reconnecting with attendees, colleagues, and partners. It left us all inspired and excited about what’s next, especially about the future of AI in healthcare. We are in awe of how AI holds great promise for improving critical areas like disease diagnosis, patient-physician communication, and practice management.  

So yes, it’s clear that AI will benefit providers, but it won’t replace them. Technology acts as an advisor and assistant, allowing physicians to spend more time with patients without sacrificing quality of care or burning out. As these technologies evolve, their impact on physician well-being will also grow, contributing to improved job satisfaction and practice management.  

We’re eager to contribute to this future and to continue creating innovative products that help manage and grow your practice, reduce burnout, enhance patient care quality, and increase revenue.