DRH Health to apply Ambient AI for clinical documentation across hospitals and clinics
DRH Health in Duncan, Oklahoma is rolling out artificial intelligence to streamline clinical documentation across its hospitals and 20 specialty clinics. Through a new partnership with Commure, the system will integrate Ambient AI with MEDITECH Expanse to improve documentation accuracy, reduce administrative workload, and free up more time for patient care.
As a 128-bed nonprofit regional system, DRH Health is targeting measurable productivity gains across both inpatient and outpatient settings. The aim is clear: remove friction from documentation so clinicians can focus on direct care without sacrificing data quality.
What's changing
Ambient AI will capture clinical encounters and generate structured notes within the MEDITECH Expanse EHR. The organizations said early adopters have cut documentation time by up to 90 minutes per provider per day, with chart completion consistently within 24 hours of each encounter.
"Across our hospitals and clinics, we see how documentation demands can limit the time clinicians have to connect with their patients," said Roger Neal, vice president and chief operating officer at DRH Health. "For a regional system like ours, it's an important investment in both our people and the patients we serve."
Why this matters for finance and operations
- Labor efficiency: Reducing 60-90 minutes of documentation per provider per day can lower overtime, stabilize staffing, and reduce burnout-related turnover costs.
- Faster revenue cycle: Same-day or next-day chart completion supports quicker coding, fewer delays, and stronger cash flow.
- Quality and risk: More consistent, complete notes can improve coding accuracy, reduce denials, and support quality reporting.
- Capacity gains: Time saved may translate into more patient slots or better on-time starts, improving throughput without adding FTEs.
ROI snapshot: how to model it
- Time savings: Minutes saved per provider per day × providers × clinical days per year.
- Dollar value: Time savings (hours) × fully loaded hourly rate.
- Revenue lift: If capacity expands, estimate incremental visits × net revenue per visit.
- Offset costs: Software subscription, implementation, integration, change management, and ongoing support.
- Payback period: Total investment ÷ monthly net benefit (labor + revenue + avoided costs).
Governance and risk controls to have in place
AI adoption is widespread, but mature governance is still rare. Many health systems report active pilots, yet only a fraction have fully formed policies that cover privacy, security, and clinical oversight.
- Human-in-the-loop: Clinicians must review and sign every note.
- PHI safeguards: Confirm encryption, data residency, and vendor BAAs.
- Bias and accuracy: Track error rates by specialty and visit type; set correction thresholds.
- Audit trail: Preserve version history for legal, compliance, and quality review.
- Change management: Provide role-based training; define escalation paths for issues.
Implementation checklist
- Baseline metrics: Time-to-close charts, average documentation time, denials tied to documentation, coder queries, clinician satisfaction.
- Pilot scope: Start with 1-2 service lines; choose high-documentation areas (e.g., primary care, cardiology).
- EHR integration: Validate MEDITECH Expanse workflows, templates, and note routing before scaling.
- KPIs and cadence: Weekly dashboards during pilot, monthly reviews post-go-live.
- Compliance review: Legal, privacy, and clinical leadership sign-offs; update policies and training.
- Vendor due diligence: Clarify uptime SLAs, support model, and total cost of ownership.
Market context
Analysts expect a large shift in healthcare spending toward more consumer-centric, digital-first care models. At the same time, most systems report using AI internally, but few have mature governance-highlighting the need for strong oversight as adoption scales.
Bottom line
Ambient AI for documentation is a practical bet: less admin, faster charts, and better throughput. With disciplined governance and a tight ROI model, regional systems like DRH Health can capture real operational savings while giving clinicians more time with patients.
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