What You Should Know
- The Win: After a year-long, head-to-head evaluation of three leading AI vendors, MultiCare Health System has selected Ambience Healthcare for an enterprise-wide deployment to 1,500 clinicians.
- The Data: The evaluation was massive (550 clinicians across 20 specialties). Ambience emerged as the clear favorite, scoring an NPS 63 points higher than the next best solution and reducing after-hours documentation (“pajama time”) by 38%.
- The ROI: Beyond burnout, the system drove financial results: a 5% increase in wRVUs (revenue productivity) and an 11% increase in documented HCCs (coding accuracy), proving the tool pays for itself.
The “Pajama Time” Killer
For Chief Information Officers (CIOs), the primary metric for ambient AI is usually “time saved.” MultiCare’s data confirms the technology’s promise.
During the evaluation, clinicians using Ambience saw a 33% reduction in time spent on documentation. More importantly, they saw a 38% reduction in after-hours documentation—often referred to as “pajama time.” This is the metric most directly correlated with physician burnout and turnover.
When the tool works, adoption follows. MultiCare reported a 92% clinician adoption rate among trial participants, a staggering figure in an industry where software rollout fatigue is the norm.
The “Coding-Aware” Advantage
While burnout reduction grabs headlines, the financial metrics likely sealed the deal for the C-Suite.
Ambience distinguishes itself by being an “automated scribe” that also understands medical coding. The pilot data showed:
- 5% increase in wRVUs: Clinicians were able to capture the full complexity of the care they provided, leading to higher relative value units (a proxy for revenue).
- 11% increase in HCCs: The AI helped identify and document Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCCs) more accurately, which is critical for value-based care reimbursement.
“We weren’t interested in hype. We wanted proof,” said Dr. Todd Czartoski, Chief Physician Executive at MultiCare. “Ambience didn’t just perform well, it was the clear favorite.”
