Houston Methodist has expanded its use of ambient listening technology from outpatient clinics to hospital-based emergency departments and inpatient units.
The health system began piloting the AI-powered tool in hospital settings late in 2024. The software, which integrates with the Epic EHR, records physician-patient conversations, transcribes them and generates clinical notes with coding. Physicians then review the notes before entering them into the system, according to a Sept. 10 news release from Houston Methodist.
Roughly 500 Houston Methodist physicians currently use the tool in outpatient specialties, including primary care, orthopedics, OB-GYN and gastroenterology. The pilot now includes about 30 emergency department clinicians and 10 inpatient clinicians.
According to Houston Methodist, physicians in emergency departments average 4,000 mouse clicks per shift and spend more time entering data than on direct patient care. The health system said ambient listening has helped reduce daily note-taking time by two to four hours and significantly cut down time spent working at home.
Provider satisfaction metrics from the system found 90% of users said they are better able to focus on patients, 92% said the technology saves time charting and 86% reported improved work-life balance.
Houston Methodist plans to expand the technology to its community hospitals later in 2025.
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