Telstra Health launches AI-powered Smart Scribe to reduce clinical admin burden facing GPs
Telstra Health have introduced Smart Scribe, an AI-powered, voice recognition clinical note-taking tool, designed to improve productivity and patient care by easing the administration burden currently facing general practitioners (GPs) across Australia.
Newly integrated within MedicalDirector Clinical and supported by Telstra Health’s industry-leading data protection and cybersecurity capabilities, Smart Scribe uses AI technology to automate the clinical documentation process, reducing the time-intensive manual note taking that often occurs during a patient consult.
Smart Scribe converts patient-doctor conversations into clinical notes, ensuring GPs have more focused patient time. Smart Scribe also uses AI to support the generation of referral letters, patient summaries and medical certificates, which the clinician can review, edit and save into their patient’s file.
According to the 2024 RACGP Health of the Nation report, 70% of general practitioners (GPs) are concerned about their heavy administrative workload, compared to 60% in 2023. This growing concern among GPs demonstrates the urgent need for AI-powered solutions like Smart Scribe to reduce their administrative burden.
A smarter way to work
Dr. Janice Tan, Clinical Director at Telstra Health and a general practitioner, said, “By seamlessly integrating Smart Scribe with MedicalDirector Clinical, we’re adopting a smarter way to work that significantly enhances workflow efficiency. Smart Scribe not only saves time but also improves the accuracy and efficiency of our practice, ultimately allowing us to focus more on delivering quality patient care. This is a game-changer for healthcare delivery, and I’m confident it will greatly benefit my fellow GPs and their patients across the country.”
Accessible via the SmartBar in MedicalDirector Clinical, Smart Scribe is the latest addition to Smart Connected Care, a comprehensive suite of healthcare tools and widgets designed to optimise healthcare delivery for GPs and practice managers.
Powered by AI, designed by GPs for GPs
Powered by multiple AI partner integrators, including Heidi Health and Intellitek Health, Smart Scribe is the first marketplace AI solution to offer GPs a choice of tiered options, providing pricing and feature flexibility tailored to the varying needs of each practice.
Telstra Health Chief Technology Officer, Farhoud Salimi (pictured), said, “When investing in AI scribing solutions, we weren’t just looking to be first in market with any technology, but we wanted to work with partners who are deep experts and deliver real flexibility both in terms of accuracy, cost and scalability – all factors that are hugely important to our MedicalDirector customers.”
“We have partnered with the best and most innovative healthcare AI companies. Heidi Health are Australian-founded and globally recognised and share our passion for solving the workflow challenges Australian clinicians face daily. Intellitek Health stood out because of their deep understanding of how AI transforms workflows across multiple industry sectors including financial services and telcos and have applied this learning for those working in healthcare,” Salimi added.
Based on beta testing with approximately 140 GPs, Smart Scribe saved an average of five minutes per patient consult, which equates to annualised cost savings of up to $40,000 per GP.
Smart Scribe improves GP workflow and productivity while also managing costs, freeing up their time to spend where it matters most: improving patient lives.
“With the flexibility to choose the AI provider that best suits their practice, Smart Scribe levels the playing field by allowing GPs and general practices to optimise their clinical documentation process with AI, without paying for features or functions they don’t need,” said Dr. Tan.
Smart Scribe meets the highest standards of security and compliance, including AHPRA and RACGP guidelines. By securely storing all documentation and patient information in Australian data centres, Smart Scribe ensures that GPs can trust in a system that upholds Telstra Health’s rigorous security and compliance requirements. This commitment to excellence provides peace of mind, allowing GPs to focus on delivering exceptional patient care.
Telstra Health recommends referring to RACGP and AHPRA guidelines to understand the benefits and risks of using AI scribe technology.
