A growing body of research shows that documentation-related stress is driving staggering rates of physician burnout and disengagement—posing a serious threat to clinician well-being and patient care. Physicians who spend more than six hours per week on electronic health record (EHR) tasks outside clinic hours are nearly three times more likely to report burnout. A 2025 study found that 26% of physicians met burnout criteria, with 61% attributing it to EHR use.
Against this backdrop, AI-powered ambient listening technology is transforming the clinical experience. These tools capture and transcribe physician–patient conversations in real time, using the data to populate EHR with precise, accurate notes. By automating documentation, they offer the promise of reducing administrative burden, restoring physicians’ focus on patient care, and enhancing overall well-being.
At Kettering Health, this promise is taking shape through Abridge, an ambient AI documentation tool now being deployed across outpatient and inpatient settings. As healthcare leaders and clinicians explore how voice-based technologies can relieve the administrative burden, they’re also asking a deeper question:
Can AI truly fulfill its promise—not simply to streamline documentation, but to liberate clinical experts to focus their full attention and energy on the nuanced, human complexities of patient care?
How Abridge works
Abridge functions like a secure, virtual scribe. Using a mobile app compatible with iOS and Android, physicians record conversations with patients, and the program produces an organized summary that integrates directly into the patient’s chart in Epic.
The technology filters out small talk to capture only medically relevant details, then prepares a structured note within minutes of the interaction.
By reducing the time and cognitive load required to document, Abridge allows clinicians to stay focused on the patient. Early adopters describe less screen time, more sustained eye contact, and smoother conversations. In short, the technology fades into the background, freeing physicians to be engaged in the moment.
For physicians like Dr. Nicholas Hirth, a family physician at Springboro Health Center, that efficiency has been nothing short of transformative. Instead of finishing charts at night, he reviews and finalizes his notes as he moves through the day. The shift, he says, allows him to be “fully present” with each patient rather than trying to divide his attention between patient and computer during appointments.
Why it matters
The benefits of ambient listening extend beyond documentation. By creating accurate, structured notes, it strengthens the entire digital ecosystem of care. Chief Medical Information Officer Dr. Albert Bonnema sees it as a turning point in how healthcare captures and connects data. He notes that the quality of a physician’s note underpins everything from billing and safety to quality metrics and interoperability. When AI improves the accuracy and structure of those notes, the entire system benefits.
Executive Medical Director of Primary Care Dr. F. Ward Blair, a primary care provider for nearly four decades, emphasized what it means for physician well-being and retention. “This will help our professionals be happy, engaged, and to have a nice, long career,” he says. “This will absolutely help.”
What it means for physicians
Many users of Abridge quickly saw benefits. Dr. Blair points to stories of clinicians who, for the first time in years, are going home with no charts open. One physician told him, “I just finished 25 patients, and I’m going to my kid’s event tonight.” Another said their spouse asked them to “Please tell them at work, ‘Thank you.’”
These moments reflect a broader shift: physicians are reclaiming time, presence, and peace of mind. A JAMIA Open study found clinicians using ambient AI tools were five times more likely to finish notes before the next visit and 73% less likely to report after-hours documentation. Feedback from Kettering Health mirrors those findings.
In inpatient settings, where the technology is slowly being rolled out, its application is still evolving. Dr. Claire Godsey, an internal medicine specialist, notes that it’s “in a Beta phase,” requiring refinement for the nuances of acute care, but the long-term potential is clear.
Every physician involved, though, stresses the same point: Abridge is a support tool, not a substitute for judgment or empathy. It can document what was said, but it can’t interpret tone, nuance, or trust. In Dr. Blair’s words, it “helps restore the personal interaction” rather than replace it.
What it means for patients
Consent is built seamlessly into the rooming process. In outpatient settings, a nurse typically introduces the tool before the provider enters. Most patients—particularly those of older age—welcome the technology once they understand its purpose: to help the physician focus more fully on them. Younger patients, Dr. Blair notes, are sometimes cautious. This may be due to a greater functional AI literacy in younger generations, which makes them more cautious.
Dr. Bonnema even shared how the response has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing that when patients feel seen and heard, they embrace tools that enhance the experience.
Where we stand
Kettering Health has invested in 400 enterprise licenses, one of the more expansive adoptions regionally. While many systems started with just 20 or 30 licenses, Kettering Health has committed to a full-scale rollout. As of September 2025, 388 users are signed up for training, 236 are actively using the tool, and more than 19,000 notes have been transcribed.
According to Dr. Bonnema, Kettering Health is roughly 12 to 18 months behind the earliest adopters nationwide, yet ahead in scale and readiness. The rollout began with outpatient ambulatory visits and will expand into
- Outpatient physical therapy
- Interventional radiology and inpatient modules
- Nursing workflows
Dr. Blair calls the response “overwhelmingly positive,” adding that once physicians experience the time savings, “it’s hard to imagine going back.”
Looking ahead: AI that elevates the human expert
As ambient-listening tools become more integrated into daily practice, Kettering Health is building toward a larger vision: a data environment that learns and supports clinicians in real time. Dr. Bonnema anticipates that connecting Abridge’s structured notes to broader language models will one day enable predictive insights: automatically suggesting orders, codes, or quality indicators based on context.
That future is closer than it seems, but the heart of this story remains human. Abridge is returning attention, presence, and calm to the clinical experience. Dr. Blair hopes it will “ease the time pressure” physicians feel moving from room to room.
For Dr. Hirth, the outcome is simpler: he’s no longer distracted or behind. He’s just with the patient.
In an era where digital demands have distanced clinicians from bedside care, this adoption of AI at Kettering Health marks a shift back toward balance. One that honors both the science and soul of medicine.
Note: For physicians, a version of this article has been emailed to you and will also be delivered to lounges and offices soon with a form link for anyone interested in learning more about Abridge.
