Ambient AI healthcare documentation gains traction as capabilities expand

Editor's Note

Investor interest in ambient AI clinical documentation is surging, with venture funding for AI scribe companies reaching $292 million in 2024—more than triple the $87 million seen in 2023, according to a February 11 article in Modern Healthcare.

Attributing the $292 million figure to a report from research and venture capital firm Rock Health, the article details how and why tools that convert doctor-patient conversations into clinical notes, are gaining popularity for their potential to reduce clinician burnout. Meanwhile, vendors are adding new capabilities and expanding offerings into new clinical areas. The article cites the following examples of recent developments:

• Nuance, a major player acquired by Microsoft in 2022, integrated GPT-4 into its products and formed a co-development partnership with Epic Systems in 2023. In a separate initiative, Microsoft is working on an ambient AI tool tailored for nursing documentation in collaboration with several health systems, including Advocate Health and Duke Health.
• Abridge, founded in 2018, also partnered with Epic in 2023, which helped it secure $150 million in Series C funding. The startup is focused on expanding its technology into nursing and other areas beyond emergency medicine.
• Ambience, launched in 2020 and backed by investors like OpenAI’s Startup Fund, provides a system for note-taking, coding, and referral letters. It has secured partnerships with Epic, Oracle, and athenahealth.
• Commure acquired Augmedix for $139 million this past October. The company is rolling out AI tools for clinical notes, scheduling, and billing support, and is collaborating with HCA Healthcare to deploy an ambient AI platform.
• Suki, another ambient AI vendor, integrates its technology into EHRs to support coding, patient summarization, and clinical queries across various specialties. It recently partnered with Zoom, which plans to incorporate Suki’s tools into its telehealth platform.

The article offers more detail on each of these and other examples.