Member Update – May 2024
(The article below, emailed to Yale Health members on 5/14/24, has been updated to include additional information on the consent to participate process.)
Yale Health Integrates AI into Patient Visits
Yale Health is excited to share that several primary care providers (PCPs) are ‘early adopters’ of Abridge’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) documentation system. Participating providers can use this HIPAA-compliant and secure system during patient visits to document the visit and provide patient notes in the Epic electronic health record, which is the back end of MyChart.
As the application continues to be updated and enhanced through these ‘early adopters,’ including hundreds of providers in the Yale New Haven Health System and Yale Medicine, it will expand to more providers here at Yale Health.
Our ultimate goals for the use are to improve both the quality of care and the provider-patient relationship. This can be achieved by significantly reducing or eliminating the need for burdensome clerical work, empowering our providers to focus more on connecting with their patients during the visit.
Abridge's application can play a crucial role in patient visits. It swiftly pulls details from these encounters, enabling providers to ‘draft’ comprehensive clinical documentation within seconds. The provider then reviews and accepts the note, which is loaded into Epic. The note is then viewable by the patient in MyChart. The provider also has the flexibility to revise the note as needed. The application does not suggest medical advice to the provider, it only captures and provides suggested notes for their use.
Multiple speakers per patient visit
The Abridge app is adept at predicting the speaker, whether a patient or a provider. It also excels in managing interactions with multiple attendees, such as interpreters and outside caregivers who may be present during the visit. Regardless of the speaker, all information captured in the visit contributes to the Abridge-generated clinical note, ensuring a comprehensive and accurate record.
“Using the platform will help providers spend more time engaging with patients, rather than being tied to computers,” notes Madeline Wilson, MD, FACP, Yale Health’s Chief Quality Officer. “The platform will also allow our clinicians to complete their notes more quickly, allowing them to focus on other work and—we hope—get home to have dinner with their families.”
“We’re already hearing anecdotal evidence of patients talking more during their visits,” notes Dorothea Snead, MSN, RN, Clinical Integration Analyst supporting Yale Health’s use of Epic. “There seems to be better engagement, more back and forth between provider and patient, without worrying about the documentation aspect of the visit.”
Participation consent
If your provider has this application and intends to use it during your visit, they will first explain the app's purpose and ask for your consent. If you do not wish to take part, you can decline. Consent is discussed at every visit intending to use Abridge, even if a patient consented at a previous visit. Patients can decline the use of Abridge at any visit.
As part of our commitment to transparency, we ensure that the consent for Abridge recording is clearly explained to patients before its use and documented in a patient's note. This documentation records their understanding and agreement, providing a sense of security about handling your personal information. Please refer to the sample below for a clear illustration of this process.
[I provided a concise overview of the ambient note-generation solution. (Patient name) or their legally authorized representative verbally consented to a temporary audio recording of their visit to assist with completing the visit documentation. This note was completed using an AI-powered solution and reviewed by (Provider Name) for accuracy.]
If you have any questions or concerns about the Abridge application, we encourage you to discuss them with your provider during your next visit if they are participating in this program. Your understanding and comfort with this service are important to us, and we are here to address any queries you may have.
Patient Hardship Raffle
Thank you to everyone who participated in our fundraising efforts for the Patient Hardship Fund in honor of National Nurses Week (May 6 - 10, 2024).
Numerous departments and clinics at Yale Health created and donated 18 unique and creative gift baskets, with 100% of the proceeds donated to our Yale Health Patient Hardship Fund. This fund provides financial support and assistance to eligible Yale Health members experiencing financial hardship and unable to adhere to a care plan that Yale Health clinical staff ordered.
We raised more than $9,000 from this raffle for the fund and plan to surpass this number next year. Thank you!
Masking Guidance updated
You’ll be pleased to know that respiratory conditions finally allow us to move to the lowest (“blue”) masking level—optional for staff and patients but still required for those with respiratory symptoms.
All respiratory viral indicators are currently low:
- Influenza-like illness in Connecticut is well below the threshold defined for flu season.
- Test positive levels at Yale Health have been declining for the past six weeks.
- COVID-19 Emergency Department visits, hospitalizations, and wastewater levels are declining.
As always, our healthcare team will follow the latest CDC guidance.
Requesting & Accessing Your Medical Records
Accessing or requesting a copy of your medical records is relatively easy at Yale Health. Our Health Information Management department created a few easy steps, which are available on their web page. Yale Health members can view much of their medical records on MyChart (see graphic below) and easily make a request for release of their medical records (to themselves or another provider) on MyChart.
