Pittsburgh-based Highmark Health announced it was launching an enterprise-wise collaboration with Abridge to deploy Abridge’s AI technology across Highmark’s systems.
Highmark’s organization includes a multi-state insurance services division and Allegheny Health Network, a 14-hospital care provider. Abridge is also Pittsburgh based and is a pioneer in developing AI technologies that improve patient outcomes and reduce clinician burdens, the company said. The collaboration between the companies will initially involve integrating Abridge’s clinical intelligence platform at AHN office locations and hospitals. The AI technology will assist in clinical documentation so providers can focus on patients instead of note taking, the companies said.
“Providing patients with exceptional, personalized care is our highest priority, and that starts with empowering clinicians to be their best,” Mark Sevco, president of AHN, said. “Abridge’s technology allows clinicians to spend more time listening to and engaging with their patients, leading to a much better overall experience for both parties.”
The technology will take patient-clinician conversations and turn them into clinical notes. Recorded through secure smartphone apps or through a web recording, the note is presented in real-time within the clinician’s existing workflow and provides the clinician with the opportunity to review and edit the notes. Once reviewed, they are submitted to the patients’ electronic health record.
“Limiting documentation burden can help to solve for burnout and workforce shortages in the health care industry,” Bethany Casagranda, DO, MBA, president of AHN’s physician organization and Chief Medical Officer for AHN, said. “Many of our physicians have described the technology as ‘life-changing’ because they are able to leave work with an empty inbox, and spend more evenings and weekend time with family, friends, and other activities that contribute to their wellbeing.”
Once implemented at the outpatient locations, the technology will be deployed across the entire health system footprint.
The solution will also be used for real-time prior authorization. Combining Abridge’s AI technologies and Highmark’s prior authorization programs and documentation technologies, the collaboration will provide approvals at the point of submission.
“Prior authorization is one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare today, and the costs of waiting for approval can be enormously significant for patients,” Dr. Shiv Rao, Abridge CEO and Co-Founder, said. “Our technology opens a powerful path to dramatically reduce the burden of this process at the point of conversation — by helping clinicians ask the right questions and automatically generate documentation that’s both complete and compliant. That transforms a traditionally weeks-long process into one that can take just minutes. We’re excited to refine this new solution with the experts at Highmark Health, who see the real-world impact of these delays every day. Ultimately, it’s about giving clinicians back their time and ensuring patients get the timely care and focus they deserve.”