Chi Arthritis & Rheumatology able to see more patients and support new E/M coding using mobile AI voice assistant from Saykara

Having used a multitude of traditional modalities for clinical charting, including transcription services and in-person scribes, Dr. Jasen Chi was determined to find the “holy grail” he envisioned. Chi wanted to enter the exam room, confer with a patient in-depth, and exit knowing the SOAP note would be quickly and accurately generated based on what was said, with structured and narrative data populated directly to the electronic health record (EHR). He recently discovered that very solution with Saykara and is now seeing more patients and enjoying better, more robust documentation as a result.

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Using the Saykara mobile AI voice assistant has allowed Dr. Jasen Chi to completely eliminate after-hours charting, dramatically reduce the overall amount of time spent charting and see approximately 15% more new patients a week. (Photo: Business Wire)

Saykara is a Seattle-based health tech startup using artificial intelligence (AI) to free physicians from administrative burdens. The company’s proprietary platform applies deep machine learning and long-form natural language understanding to write notes, orders, referrals and more by ambiently listening to conversations between physicians and patients.

“One of the most important things the healthcare community can do to improve access to care and drive costs down is make sure physicians are consistently performing at the top of their license,” says Shawn Studdard, CEO and practice director of Chi Arthritis & Rheumatology. “Saddling physicians with tasks like documentation creates barriers and time constraints that our nation’s healthcare system needs to overcome. Adopting technology like the Saykara mobile AI voice assistant is a big step forward toward resolving this problem.”

Chi Arthritis & Rheumatology is known for diagnosing difficult autoimmune conditions, protecting joints from long-term erosions and deformities, and offering aggressive treatments and plans for improved quality of life. Founder, Dr. Jasen Chi, considers the exam room a sacred space for patients and family members, and refuses to allow computer data entry during visits. “I want patients to feel like they are receiving our undivided attention with no distractions,” says Chi. “We don’t want anything standing in the way of our ability to connect with patients and earn their trust.”

By using the Saykara mobile AI voice assistant, Chi is now able to see approximately 15% more new patients a week. He has completely eliminated after-hours charting and dramatically reduced the overall amount of time spent charting. SOAP notes are populated directly to the EHR, requiring only his review and signoff.

Like all physician practices, Chi Arthritis & Rheumatology is faced with conforming to the 2021 evaluation and management (E/M) coding changes. Studdard feels that by using the Saykara mobile AI voice assistant, they are aptly positioned to support the updated medical decision making (MDM) criteria. “Using the Saykara mobile AI voice assistant has increased the quality and comprehensiveness of our SOAP notes, which I believe will allow us to more than adequately satisfy the level of documentation needed for new E/M coding,” says Studdard. “I also believe that having audio files of everything said during physician-patient visits is ideal for addressing claims-related matters that may arise, such as audits, denials or downcoding.”

Access to audio files captured by Saykara also aids the orientation and education of Chi Arthritis & Rheumatology’s advanced practice nurses. “Having our advanced practice nurses listen to visits with complex patients is a very useful teaching tool,” says Studdard. “The Saykara mobile AI voice assistant is definitely helping us maximize productivity and efficiency, and with our fifth location opening soon, this is more important than ever.”

About Saykara

Saykara has developed a platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret conversations between physicians and patients, transform salient content into clinical notes, orders, referrals and more, then populate both structured and narrative data directly to electronic health record systems. This is accomplished through a voice-enabled assistant named Kara that physicians access via a mobile app. The platform is specialty agnostic, scalable across any size enterprise and available with a software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription. It has been proven to completely eliminate after-hours charting, reduce overall time spent charting by up to 70%, and enhance documentation quality and completeness by an average of 20%. Plus, with no need for computer data entry during visits, it gives physicians more face time with their patients and fosters more personalized interactions. For additional information, visit www.saykara.com.

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