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MARSHFIELD, Wis. – Many medical terms are rooted in Greek or Latin, such as ischemia for lack of blood flow or subcutaneous for under the skin. Others are reduced to acronyms, such as CT scan to describe “computed tomography” imaging of body parts.

Here’s one that’s much easier to translate: “Pajama time.”

That describes the after-hours time many doctors and medical professionals spend writing and editing their notes from patient visits earlier in the day. It’s time away from family, friends and household tasks the rest of us take for granted – and it can contribute to physician “burnout” over time.

Artificial intelligence is dramatically shortening “pajama time” in health systems and clinics where certified note-taking technology is adopted. It’s an example of how AI is helping patients and medical professionals alike, improving efficiency and making it easier for rural health systems to hire and retain quality staff.

“We’re definitely seeing it on the recruitment end,” said Dr. Samantha Klebe, chief medical officer for the Marshfield Clinic Health System, which covers much of northern, central and western Wisconsin and parts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Marshfield is now part of the larger Sanford Health network, also a predominantly rural provider in the upper Midwest.

“It helps us stand out,” Klebe added. “You will actually see recruits who will not go to hospital systems that don’t invest in this.”

That’s a competitive edge when it comes to attracting physicians and other medical talent to rural settings. It’s also important to patients – many of whom are older – who often travel longer distances for care and hope to hold return trips to a minimum.

Here’s how it works: Marshfield uses an Oracle system called Cerner Clinical AI Agent to record and transcribe medical appointments between its 1,200 professionals and patients who give express permission to do so. It meets requirements for patient privacy while making it easier for doctors to focus on patients instead of staring into a computer screen while typing.

A process that usually took between 10 and 20 minutes of “pajama time” to transcribe and edit in the past now takes under a minute to chart in most cases.  Formally called “automated clinical documentation” or “ambient scribing,” it’s more accurate and can better manage how providers use their time while on duty. 

“We see it as providing the right tools (providers) need to help the community. The quality of patient experience goes up … the job satisfaction of the providers goes up,” Klebe said.

It’s one of many evolving uses for AI in Wisconsin healthcare, with many major systems adopting it for patient-facing care. Marshfield will soon open a satellite virtual clinic in Pittsville (population: 2,500) and use AI to expand access. Another close-to-home example involves UW-Stout students, who are using AI to design custom nutrition products for patients on GLP-1 anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic.

Other emerging applications include analyzing medical imaging for more accurate diagnostics and using predictive analytics to identify patient risks, such as sepsis, before they get out of hand. Drugmakers are using it to refine safer, more effective medicines.

Wisconsin has its share of companies that make healthcare products, including diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices, biotechnology products and pharmaceuticals. Artificial intelligence can play a role in each.

As with any new technology, there are those who urge caution. Privacy concerns were highlighted during a recent panel discussion at the Medical College of Wisconsin, hosted by the Wisconsin Technology Council and others. Panelists also voiced concerns about physicians getting assigned more work because ambient scribing is saving time.

For Klebe, it comes back to investing in a certified system, not just using an off-the-shelf ambient scribing function embedded in a smartphone.

“Lean into (AI), find the right partners and always be cautious,” she said.

That’s good advice as AI arrives at an inflection point for many industries, healthcare included. There’s a difference between being cautious and being scared. Rural healthcare delivery has many challenges; carefully adopting AI and other new ways of doing business can help.

Still is past president of the Wisconsin Technology Council and an adviser to Competitive Wisconsin Inc., a non-profit public policy group.