Artesia General Hospital, a rural facility in southeastern New Mexico, has fully integrated Microsoft Dragon Copilot’s ambient documentation into its TruBridge EHR clinical workflow. Physicians there report a 50-75 percent reduction in documentation time. The tool also translates non-English conversations in real time while drafting clinical notes.
The ambient documentation system uses AI to capture the natural dialogue between physician and patient during appointments. It automatically generates structured clinical notes that are stored directly in the TruBridge EHR, eliminating the need for manual typing or post-visit dictation. This real-time note creation, combined with the instant translation capability for non-English conversations, streamlines the entire documentation process and allows physicians to remain fully engaged with the patient throughout the visit.
The doctor can actually look at the patient now
Dr. Peter Jewell, a family medicine physician at the hospital, said the biggest advantage is no longer staring at a screen during appointments. “In the past, patients would complain about not being heard,” he told Healthcare Innovation. With the ambient listening system, he can watch body language and check whether the patient understands what’s being said.
Dr. Jewell explained that before implementing the tool, his attention was divided between the patient and the computer while he typed notes, which sometimes left patients feeling their concerns were not fully addressed. Now, by maintaining eye contact and observing facial expressions, he can confirm comprehension and emotional responses in real time, making the consultation more attentive and therapeutic.
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Charts are finished quicker. “It’s nice to get home and be at home,” Jewell said. The hospital’s team said having the system embedded directly into the EHR has also boosted efficiency.
The seamless integration means notes are saved without additional manual steps, allowing physicians to complete clinical documentation during the visit itself. This reduces the after-hours work that often follows a day of appointments, improving work-life balance — a benefit Dr. Jewell emphasized when noting that he can leave the hospital with charts already done and fully enjoy his time at home.
Jewell noted that for a rural hospital, Artesia General is lucky to have a range of specialists — orthopedic surgeons, a urologist, and an endocrinologist. The AI tool, he said, “weeds through the junk, the small talk. It takes it to the next level.”
For a facility serving a wide geographic area in southeastern New Mexico, access to such specialty care is unusual and valuable. Dr. Jewell considers the hospital’s roster of specialists a significant advantage. The AI’s ability to filter out extraneous conversation and focus on clinically relevant information helps these specialists conduct more efficient consultations, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy and patient throughput.
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The organization is moving away from a fee-for-service model toward a more outcome-based approach. That shift aligns with the kind of attentive care the ambient documentation enables.
Under fee-for-service, revenue is tied to the volume of procedures and visits, which can pressure physicians to rush through appointments. Outcome-based care, by contrast, rewards the quality of interactions and long-term patient health. Ambient documentation supports this transition by freeing physicians from data-entry tasks, allowing them to invest more time in preventive education, shared decision-making, and thorough follow-up — all of which contribute to better health results.
Patients aren’t worried about the AI
So far, no patients have expressed wariness about the system. “I think people are starting to accept that AI is here to stay,” Jewell said. That acceptance may make adoption easier for other rural hospitals considering similar technology.
Dr. Jewell observed that patients appear comfortable with the background operation of the AI, and no concerns about privacy or note accuracy have been raised. This lack of resistance suggests that the technology does not disrupt the patient-physician relationship; rather, it enhances it by allowing the doctor to focus completely on the person in the room. For other rural facilities hesitant to adopt ambient documentation due to fears of negative patient reactions, this experience offers a reassuring example.
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Looking ahead, the team is excited about using the tool to place orders — prescriptions, for example. “If they take it to that next step … I can spend more time doing a physical exam,” Jewell said.
The ability to have the AI generate orders directly from the dictated conversation would further streamline workflows. For instance, if a patient describes symptoms warranting a prescription, the system could create the order during the visit, eliminating the need for post-appointment data entry. Dr. Jewell believes that such an advancement would allow him to dedicate even more time to hands-on examination and direct patient care, rather than to administrative tasks.
Implementing ambient documentation requires a significant upfront investment in software, hardware, and staff training — costs that can be particularly challenging for small, rural facilities with limited budgets. Despite these barriers, the hospital’s experience demonstrates that the long-term gains in physician efficiency and patient satisfaction can justify the initial effort.
Cost and training remain real barriers for smaller facilities, but Jewell’s advice to other healthcare leaders is straightforward: “Honestly, if they were friends of mine: you’ve got to give this a try. It’s going to make life so much easier.”
