While physicians choose a medical career because they want to help people and work closely with patients, the fact is that many doctors now find themselves burdened with paperwork, which can take a lot of time away from direct patient care. In fact, one study in the Annals of Family Medicine claims that doctors spend nearly six hours every day on Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and desk work. This heavy documentation burden can not only take away from time spent with patients, but it can also quickly give way to physician burnout.
The good news is that doctors no longer need to be burdened with paperwork, as the latest advancements in artificial intelligence make it possible for software to handle clinical documentation. AI scribes can handle time-consuming tasks for doctors by transcribing patient interactions, creating appointment summaries, completing progress notes, and performing other administrative tasks. This technology has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine by saving physicians time, improving job satisfaction, and allowing them to spend more time with each patient. It should then come as no surprise that in a recent Sermo survey, nearly 20% of doctors stated that they already use an AI or virtual scribe. If you haven’t explored AI scribe software yet, keep reading to learn what it does and why many physicians are finding it valuable for improving documentation and efficiency.
What is an AI scribe
If you’re unfamiliar, the first question you may find yourself asking is “What is an AI scribe, and what does it do?” An AI scribe is a type of digital assistant that records patient-doctor conversations and transcribes them into structured session notes. It can also use this data to create concise appointment summaries and automatically fill out medical forms, such as EHRs. Traditionally, most doctors have had to take notes by hand during and/or immediately after a patient session, or they’ve had to hire an in-person scribe to do this for them, as one GP on Sermo shared, “At the moment I write everything myself, but having a transcription service would help us go faster and not waste time writing.”
However, hiring a dedicated medical scribe is often cost-prohibitive for physicians, and taking notes during a session can distract doctors and take time away from patient-physician interactions. This software can be valuable in both inpatient and outpatient settings, as a Sermo poll of doctors who see patients in both settings saw AI scribes as a powerful tool that could reduce turnarounds and improve patient interaction by removing extra people from the room. AI scribe software has the potential to transform the medical landscape by reducing the burden of clinical documentation, which can help reduce physician burnout and enhance patient care.
5 Benefits of AI scribes for doctors
Utilizing AI scribe software can provide numerous benefits to physicians, with one of the biggest benefits being the amount of time it can save. In fact, in one study referenced by the American Medical Association (AMA), AI scribes saved physicians an estimated 15,791 hours of documentation time, which helped enhance doctor satisfaction as well as patient-physician interactions. When asked about the effect of AI scribes in the medical industry, one doctor on Sermo stated:
“I believe AI scribes have the potential to be truly transformative in healthcare, as they enable physicians and other professionals in the care chain to focus more on the patient and clinical needs. By reducing administrative burden, they can significantly enhance both efficiency and quality of care – making them game-changing.”
If you’re debating whether investing in AI scribe software is right for your practice, here’s a look at just a few of the benefits.
Lower costs and increase revenue
While adopting AI scribe technology may require an initial or ongoing investment, the long-term savings associated with this technology typically makes this a worthwhile endeavor. This is because AI scribe software can help save practices money on operating costs by eliminating the need for in-person scribes. That being said, the true cost-effectiveness of these tools depends on several factors, including how well the software is implemented within a specific clinical workflow, the level of physician engagement and adoption, and the ongoing advancement of AI accuracy and EHR integration. Until these variables are better understood across different practice settings, the return on investment for AI scribe technology may vary significantly.
Additionally, by reducing the documentation burden physicians face, doctors will have more time to see patients, which can increase revenue. AI scribes can even provide coding recommendations and fill out insurance forms based on patient-provider conversations, which can further save money by reducing administrative hours. An enthusiastic dermatologist on Sermo had the opinion, “Doctors will have time to focus on their core medical duties again, not constantly busy with documentation and bureaucracy! I hope this will soon become standard in all practices”
Increased accuracy and efficiency
AI scribes could improve accuracy as they utilize natural language processing (NLP) and other advanced technologies to generate accurate and comprehensive clinical notes, reducing the number of notation errors. This technology can also greatly improve efficiency, as AI transcription software can capture more detailed information that the doctor and patient can refer back to later.
Physicians should be aware, however, that while this technology is still in its infancy it may produce errors such as misgendering of speakers or missing critical details in speech as a result of speaker accents, clinical context and background noise, or the inability to identify medical terms or brand names. It has also been reported that AI can “hallucinate” details or add information that they think would fit the context of the actual conversation. Next-generation scribe technology can address these challenges through medical-specific training data, real-time error detection, and compatibility with EHR systems which may allow for broader applicability to clinical practices. Although currently available software may require editing or corrections by the physician, it often remains a more efficient alternative to manual note-taking.
Additionally, since this software can assist with coding and billing processes, AI scribes can further streamline workflows and data management. Increased accuracy and efficiency are some of the biggest reasons doctors choose AI scribes. One physician on Sermo stated that: “I’m currently not using AI scribes, but I believe that I will be soon implementing its use to save time and increase efficiency.”
No need for extra people in the room
Another significant advantage of choosing AI scribe software is that this eliminates the need for having anyone other than the doctor and patient in the exam room. A psychiatrist on Sermo shared, “More personal time vs cost is a consideration. As a psychiatrist, I think that extra person would be a violation of the relationship and likely unwelcome.” The fact is that some patients may feel uneasy having a scribe in the room while talking about their medical history. Using AI scribe software can then remove these privacy concerns while still allowing the doctor to focus all of their attention on the patient.
As AI scribes can reduce the privacy concerns associated with physical scribes, they do introduce new considerations for physicians and practices to be aware of. These include ensuring the software is HIPAA-compliant, managing data storage and access protocols, and understanding how patient data is processed, transmitted, and protected by the AI vendor.
Quicker turnaround
32% of doctors surveyed by Sermo indicated that the biggest advantage of using AI scribing was that it results in quicker turnaround. The fact is that taking notes is time-consuming, and the time it takes doctors to fill out paperwork at the end of the day also slows down other administrative tasks like billing. A family medicine physician described their experience on Sermo, “I love that I can be away from a computer and dictate a note for a patient seen earlier. [It’s] easier to be up to date with my notes, instead of charting a few hours later with all mistakes possible.”
With AI taking notes and filling out important paperwork for you, this significantly reduces turnaround time for critical paperwork, streamlining document workflows. Quicker access to finalized notes allows physicians to review, edit, and submit documentation sooner, which can speed up patient follow-ups and referrals.
Elevated patient experience
Of course, the benefits of AI scribing extend beyond efficiency and time savings, as this software can also help improve the patient experience. This is because allowing AI to transcribe patient sessions frees up time for the physician to truly focus on the patient. This can have a profound effect on the patient-doctor relationship, as 56% of patients surveyed in this study reported a positive impact on the quality of their visit when their doctor started using AI scribing.
6 Key features you should look out for in transcription software tools
By now, you may be sold on the advantages of adopting AI scribe software in your practice and are ready to start researching transcription tools. Here are the top features you should look out for in quality AI transcription software:
- Real-time transcription: the most important feature for any healthcare AI scribe service to have is real-time transcription. The software should be able to record and transcribe your conversations with your patients as they’re taking place, allowing for immediate documentation of patient encounters.
- Multi-speaker differentiation: in order for these real-time transcriptions to be useful, your scribe software should also have multi-speaker differentiation. This feature is critical to ensure that you can tell who is speaking when reading back through the transcript.
- Medical terminology recognition: while there are many AI transcription programs out there, you’ll want to choose one with medical terminology recognition. If the AI software is not trained in medical terminology, it will have a hard time recognizing certain words, which will reduce the accuracy of transcriptions.
- Integration with Electronic Health Records (EHR): in order to ensure you get the most out of your AI scribe software, you should ensure that it integrates seamlessly with your existing EHR system, as this will help ensure efficient data transfer and workflows.
- HIPAA-compliance: in the medical field, patient privacy is paramount, which is why it is essential that you ensure any software you implement in your practice is HIPAA-compliant.
- AI-driven summarization: many AI scribe programs will provide a concise summary of the transcription following the appointment. This can be a useful feature to have as it gives doctors a brief overview of what was discussed in the appointment that they can reference later.
The top AI scribe tools for doctors in 2025
Navigating the rapidly evolving field of AI medical scribe tools can be overwhelming, given the expanding range of solutions coming onto the market. To assist in your decision-making, the following tools represent some of the most advanced, widely adopted options:
1. Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Copilot by Nuance/Microsoft
DAX Copilot integrates seamlessly with Microsoft’s Cloud for Healthcare and major EHRs, offering ambient documentation that generates clinical notes in real-time during patient encounters. The tool is HIPAA-compliant and built for enterprise-level systems. However, it may be cost-prohibitive for smaller practices and primarily benefits those already using Microsoft products. Physicians looking for a robust, enterprise-ready solution with strong support and integrations should consider DAX.
The solution is generally available on May 1, 2025 in the United States and June 1 in Canada. It will be generally available in the United Kingdom and Ireland in September 2025. France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands will follow in the second half of 2025 into 2026.
2. Freed AI
Freed AI offers real-time transcription and medical note generation, with a lightweight interface that’s accessible even for smaller or solo practices. It emphasizes affordability and ease of use, making it a strong contender for private practitioners. The platform is fully compliant with HIPAA regulations and certified for SOC 2 and HITECH. The main limitation is that it may lack some of the advanced EHR integrations and enterprise features of more established competitors. Still, for physicians seeking a nimble, budget-friendly AI scribe, Freed AI is worth exploring.
3. Heidi Health
Heidi Health offers AI-powered tools to streamline workflows, including documentation, inbox triage, and patient communication. It’s particularly well suited for primary care and outpatient clinics. Its strength lies in reducing admin time across tasks, not just note-taking. Heidi is utilized in over 50+ countries, demonstrating its universal applicability. For doctors wanting a broader virtual assistant beyond scribing, Heidi Health provides a more holistic AI solution.
4. DeepScribe
DeepScribe is one of the most established AI scribe tools, known for its intuitive interface and high-quality note output. It uses ambient listening to produce clinical documentation with minimal input. It’s fully HIPAA-compliant and integrates with major EHRs. While it works well for many specialties, some physicians note occasional context errors or the need for light edits. For providers seeking a reliable, out-of-the-box AI scribe, DeepScribe is a trusted and widely used option.
Plus, keep your eyes on Med-Gemini (by Google DeepMind)
Med-Gemini is an experimental large language model fine-tuned on multimodal medical data. It excels at understanding medical images, charts, and complex reasoning tasks. While not yet commercially available, it represents the cutting edge of AI clinical reasoning and could revolutionize documentation and decision support. The primary drawback is its early-stage status and limited clinical deployment. Physicians interested in the future of AI in medicine should watch this space closely.
The takeaway
While AI scribe software can offer clear advantages, it’s important to remember that these tools are designed to support physicians, not replace them. As the technology continues to evolve, physicians who thoughtfully adopt and customize these tools can unlock greater flexibility and focus more fully on delivering quality patient care.
Taking the time to research and choose the right medical AI scribe software can help you improve efficiency, revenue, and patient relationships in your practice. Yet, it can be difficult to know which transcription service will provide the unique features required in a healthcare setting. Per a Psychiatrist on Sermo “I would like to use an AI scribe, but I need to do more research on what options are available, their price, their accuracy, and whether they are completely compliant with medical guidelines and law.”
While this article is a handy guide, Sermo’s physician community allows you to connect directly with other doctors who can provide you with real-world insights about the tools they use and which AI scribe software they’ve found most useful. Join the Sermo community now to start learning from the experiences of your global peers.
