Artificial intelligence is quietly transforming how doctors interact with patients — and it might already be in use during your next visit to the doctor’s office.
Thousands of physicians across the country are using a form of AI called ambient listening, surveys show. This technology listens to conversations between doctors and patients, creates real-time transcriptions, and then compiles detailed clinical notes — all without disrupting the flow of the appointment.
Dr. Daniel Kortsch, associate chief of artificial intelligence and digital health at Denver Health, said that ambient listening technology has made a big difference since his practice began using it in fall 2024.
"It really shifts the doctor-patient interaction, so they can actually just talk and be humans," Kortsch told Fox News.
At Denver Health, the physicians used an AI tool called Nabla. With just one click, it begins transcribing the doctor’s conversation with a patient — even supporting multiple languages, according to Kortsch. After the visit, it generates a summary that can be added to the patient’s medical record.
This healthcare innovation comes at a critical time. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. is facing a projected shortage of 57,000 to 72,000 physicians this year, which increases workloads and contributes to provider burnout.
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"We saw that our providers who used Nabla were working less at home. They had less ‘pajama time,’" said Kortsch, referring to the time doctors spend at home in their pajamas, typing on their computers.
For patients who may be skeptical of AI, tech companies are emphasizing that doctors remain fully in control, and that there is a system of checks and balances between physicians and the AI devices writing up patient summaries.
"Ultimately, the physician is still 100% in control of what happens and making sure … it is indeed the right thing that should be happening for the patient," Kenneth Harper, the Massachusetts-based head of Dragon Copilot at Microsoft, a provider of medical AI, told Fox News.
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There are currently 600 healthcare organizations — in Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas and Pennsylvania — using Dragon Copilot, Microsoft's ambient listening technology, according to a company spokesperson.
The tool "promotes clinician well-being, increases efficiency, and improves both provider and patient outcomes through its fast, accurate, secure and intuitive speech and ambient capabilities," according to Microsoft.
While AI is easing the workload for providers, Kortsch said patients are also benefiting from more direct engagement during visits.
Looking ahead, Kortsch said Denver Health plans to continue expanding the use of this technology beyond doctors. Training is underway for nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and physical therapists, bringing the benefits of ambient AI to even more parts of the healthcare system.
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"People become doctors not because they want to write notes and fill out paperwork," he said. "It’s because they want that interaction — and ambient AI gives it to them."
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The United States is projected to face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to an estimate from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
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