Meditech and Nuance Partner to Deliver AI-Powered Virtual Assistants

A new partnership between Meditech and Nuance Communications could lead to an increase in physician efficiency and improved patient experiences through artificial-intelligence (AI)-powered virtual assistants.

Both Massachusetts-based companies, Meditech is an electronic health record (EHR) vendor and Nuance Communications uses AI-powered solutions for more than 10,000 global healthcare organizations.

READ: What Is Being Done About Healthcare's Lack of Interoperability?

Meditech will integrate Nuance’s Dragon Medical Virtual Assistant — a platform that delivers accurate speech recognition, text-to-speech, voice biometrics and natural language understanding — into Meditech Expanse. Nuance’s platform is used by more than 500,000 clinicians worldwide to create and communicate more than 300 million patient stories a year.

According to Meditech, Meditech Expanse is a fully interoperable EHR that helps bridge gaps in care and effectively treat patients.

“… This integration will complement common clinician workflows by automating high value clinical and administrative tasks that will allow physicians to spend more time focused on, and improving, the patient experience,” the announcement said.

The assistant will conversationally retrieve patient lists, search patient charts for lab results, vital signs and medications using natural dialogue and queue orders through intuitive voice-driven workflows.

For example, if a physician needs to quickly access information in the chart and submit orders, the physician can just ask the virtual assistant for the information, such as the last electrocardiogram or colonoscopy report, and order tests and medications without interrupting patient interaction, said Meditech’s physician consultant, Howard LeWine, M.D.

“Using this seamless integration, providers can more efficiently and conveniently engage with the EHR using a conversational user interface,” said Hoda Sayed-Friel, executive vice president at Meditech.

While the lack of interoperability is still a major issue throughout health systems, this partnership could help improve workflows and give physicians more one-on-one time with their patients.

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