At a Glance

Q: How does AI ambient listening work, and is it safe for patients?
A: It records your visit with consent and securely turns it into structured notes for better care.

• Helps doctors focus on you, not the keyboard.
• Has built-in privacy and HIPAA-compliant safeguards.
• Learn how this improves care and physician well-being.

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Every detail you share with your physician matters. It helps build connection and creates an accurate record of your health, so your care team can understand your medical history and decisions—and so you can access what was discussed.

But here’s the challenge: Writing detailed notes during visits can distract both patients and physicians. Physicians often need to type notes during appointments, which can feel distracting for both sides. In fact, research shows that doctors spend significant portions of office visits on the computer, and patients often notice. Yet those notes are essential for safe, coordinated care.

A new tool many Kettering Health providers are using to help create detailed accurate notes but stay present with patients is an AI tool called Abridge. This tool uses what’s called “ambient listening” to record then accurately format recordings into patient notes that help physicians stay present with patients while still creating accurate documentation. This keeps the focus where it belongs: on the patient, not the keyboard.

How Abridge works

Abridge using what’s called “ambient listening” to record conversations through a smart phone and quickly creates accurate, structured notes—so your physician can stay present while still capturing important details.

Abridge functions like a secure, virtual scribe. Using a mobile app, physicians record conversations with patients, and the program produces an organized summary that shows up directly into the patient’s chart in Epic. Physicians then review the note, ensuring its accuracy. 

Before any recording happens, though, consent is a must. And it’s built seamlessly into the rooming process. During a primary care visit, a nurse typically introduces the tool before the provider enters. Patients can easily allow or decline any recording Once the provider hits record, no sounds or indications of recording disrupt the conversation. 

The technology filters out small talk to capture only medically relevant details, then prepares a structured note within minutes of the interaction.

Why it matters

By reducing the time and attention required to document, this allows clinicians to stay focused on the patient. Physicians who’ve used it have more sustained eye contact and smoother conversations with patients. 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.

What AI ambient-listening means for your physician and you

The benefits of ambient listening extend beyond documentation. Chief Medical Information Officer Dr. Albert Bonnema sees it as a turning point in how data is captured and connected in healthcare. 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, which is a key factor in the quality of a patient’s visit and care. “This will help our professionals be happy, engaged, and to have a nice, long career,” he says. 

For patients, this means appointments where your doctor is fully focused on you, leading to clearer communication and a more personal experience.

The effect of AI ambient-listening at Kettering Health

Many physicians using Abridge quickly saw benefits. One physician told Dr. Blair, “I just finished 25 patients, and I’m going to my kid’s event tonight.”

These moments reflect a broader shift: physicians are reclaiming time, presence, and peace of mind. A study found clinicians using ambient AI tools were five times more likely to finish notes before the next visit and 73% less likely to do after-hours documentation. Feedback from Kettering Health mirrors those findings. Dr. Blair calls the response “overwhelmingly positive,” adding that once physicians experience the time savings, “it’s hard to imagine going back.”

In hospital 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. 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.

Keeping the human at the center of care

As ambient-listening tools become part of everyday practice, the promise is a calmer, more connected experience for clinicians and patients.

And it’s just one more way Kettering Health is safely using AI to improve patient care and patients’ experiences.  

In a world where screens often come between doctors and patients, this technology helps restore balance: keeping the focus on the conversation, the care, and the connection between you and your physician.

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