The news: Epic rolled out new genAI tools for clinicians, including an AI scribe solution that transcribes doctors’ notes during patient visits. Epic will incorporate ambient technology from Microsoft to power its medical documentation technology.
Why it matters: Epic’s electronic health record (EHR) system is used by nearly half of US hospitals, making it the dominant player in the space.
Now, doctors on Epic will be able to use the company’s AI scribe capabilities as opposed to transcription tools from another company. For context, Epic has previously allowed outside genAI scribe tools to be integrated into its EHR, including from leading players in the space such as Microsoft-owned Nuance, Abridge, and Ambience. But it hasn’t unveiled rival medical scribe tools until now.
Our first take: Epic’s AI scribe solution with Microsoft/Nuance as its development partner delivers a major blow to startups like Abridge and Ambience.
These two companies are part of a booming ambient AI scribe space that has totaled nearly $1 billion in investment funding so far this year, per a July analysis from STAT. But Epic’s presence will make it much tougher for smaller players to stand out in the category, since doctors will be drawn in by the efficiency of using scribe tools from their EHR system.
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