In today’s primary care exam room, it’s not uncommon to find a physician’s eyes fixed on a screen while a patient speaks. With rising documentation demands, primary care providers are forced to divide their attention between the keyboard and the conversation, jeopardizing the very core of compassionate care.
However, a new chapter is unfolding: AI medical scribes are enabling clinicians to re-engage more fully with their patients, streamlining documentation while maintaining accuracy. One standout example of this transformation is VitalCare Family Practice, where a digital solution powered by Sunoh is reshaping the day-to-day experience for providers and patients alike.
The Documentation Dilemma in Family Practice
Time vs. Care
Charting consumes a large portion of a provider’s week; estimates suggest that physicians spend up to 10–15 hours weekly on administrative and non-clinical work. The result? Longer workdays, reduced focus during visits, and delayed documentation that often creeps into personal time, a phenomenon informally called “pajama time.”
Consequences of the Burden
This overload can lead to clinician burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and missed opportunities to establish meaningful connections with patients. Providers face the pressure of notetaking while managing complex clinical cases, multiple care needs, and demanding workflows.
AI Medical Scribes: Rewriting the Narrative
What Are AI Scribes?
AI medical scribes are an ambient computing tool that listens to patient-provider interactions in real-time, using natural language processing to generate structured clinical notes. These systems are often integrated with leading EHR platforms, enabling providers to review, edit, and approve documentation quickly, often before the next patient is seen.
How They Work
During the visit, the medical AI scribe listens in discreetly. Afterward, it compiles a complete note draft that aligns with SOAP formats, reducing the need for manual entry. Providers remain in control of final edits, ensuring accuracy while significantly reducing the time spent on documentation.
A Case Study in Efficiency
At VitalCare Family Practice, a multispecialty clinic serving patients across family medicine, pediatrics, behavioral health, and sleep medicine, AI scribes have redefined provider workflows.
Before adopting Sunoh.ai, clinicians at the practice relied on human scribes. But frequent availability issues and after-hours documentation demands caused strain and burnout. Since integrating AI scribing, the results have been striking.
“Sunoh.ai is highly accurate and life-changing for providers here at VitalCare,” shared Dr. Amar Shah, MD. “It frees us from time-consuming documentation, allowing more face-to-face patient interaction and ensuring all providers complete their notes by the end of the day. Before adopting Sunoh.ai, providers faced burnout and long hours, relying on human scribes who often posed reliability issues due to temporary availability. Now, providers report saving 10-12 hours weekly, enabling them to focus more on key tasks.”
How AI Medical Scribes Recenters Patient Care
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More Face Time with Patients
When documentation is handled ambiently, providers can focus on the conversation, not the keyboard. This leads to richer, more empathetic visits. AI scribes allow them to maintain uninterrupted eye contact for the first time in years.
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Same-Day Charting Completion
With AI-generated notes ready minutes after the visit, providers finalize records before the day’s end. This eliminates documentation backlogs and accelerates clinical workflows, such as referrals and billing.
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Lower Burnout, Higher Job Satisfaction
By alleviating documentation pressure, AI scribes help restore balance to providers’ professional lives. This improves retention, reduces error rates, and supports emotional well-being.
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Enhanced Record Quality
AI for medical charting captures details that may be lost during hurried manual typing. Structured data enables easier tracking of symptoms, diagnoses, and outcomes, improving quality and continuity of care.
Adopting AI Medical Scribes in Your Practice
Define Success Early: Set metrics to evaluate success: hours saved, note completion rates, provider satisfaction, and chart accuracy.
Select a Compatible, Secure Tool: Ensure the AI solution integrates with your existing EHR system, HIPAA-required industry-standard encryption and security protocols, and supports your clinical specialties.
Train Your Team: Like any workflow change, success depends on buy-in. Train providers to evaluate and validate AI output. Pilot programs help build confidence.
Establish Oversight and Consent: AI notes should be reviewed by clinicians. Patients should be informed of ambient listening features, and privacy protocols must be strictly followed.
Track, Evaluate, Evolve: Use dashboards and feedback loops to monitor progress. What’s working? What needs refining? Iterate based on outcomes.
Preparing for the Future of Clinical Documentation
As AI scribes evolve with advanced models and real-world training, their capabilities will expand. Expect a future where AI scribes for doctors don’t just record what happens; they support decision-making, identify care gaps, and predict outcomes.
Bringing Back the Human Touch
AI medical scribes aren’t a shortcut; they’re a tool for transformation. As VitalCare Family Practice has demonstrated, with the right implementation, AI scribes enable clinicians to reclaim their time, reduce burnout, and, most importantly, refocus on what matters most: patient care.
Ready to spend less time documenting and more time connecting?
Explore how Sunoh can help your family practice elevate efficiency and enhance every patient encounter.