According to a recent report from the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) on the adoption of artificial intelligence in healthcare, for every hour spent with patients, clinicians spend two additional hours on electronic health records (EHR) input and management. That means doctors are spending twice as much time on documentation as they are on actual patient care.

As documentation demands increase and healthcare staffing shortages persist, physicians are being asked to pick up the slack—leading to rising healthcare costs, worsening physician burnout, and declining quality of care. The most effective solution? Ambient AI scribe technology like Playback Pro, which automates documentation in real-time, giving clinicians their time—and their focus—back.

Problem #1: Rising healthcare costs driven by administrative overhead

Healthcare costs are climbing faster than inflation, wages, and the broader economy—and a major driver is the inefficiency of clinical documentation and billing workflows. In fact, administrative complexity alone leads to $250 billion in wasteful spending each year, with minimal relief for the overburdened clinicians and administrators managing these systems.

✅ Solution: Smarter clinical documentation with ambient scribes

Ambient scribes, like Playback Pro, automate tedious EHR tasks, reducing the need to expand staffing and allowing providers to spend more time on patient care—not paperwork.

By implementing AI-powered medical scribes, providers can:

• Increase patient throughput
  
• Improve documentation accuracy and completeness
  
• Capture more revenue per visit
  

📌 Example: Northwell Health physician Dr. Sanjeev J. Suratwala uses Playback Pro to increase his daily patient volume while significantly reducing his documentation burden.

Problem #2: Physician shortage and burnout

Along with financial strain, healthcare is facing a growing labor crisis. The PHTI report projects a shortage of 190,000 physicians by 2025. At the same time, administrative burdens continue to grow, pushing clinicians to the brink.

More than 40% of doctors report symptoms of burnout—a condition directly linked to lower-quality care, increased medical errors, and premature workforce exits.

✅ Solution: Give patients their doctor back

Ambient scribes help clinicians return to what they love: caring for patients.

• Up to 3 hours of documentation daily can be offloaded via ambient technology.
  
• Clinicians benefit from improved morale, more meaningful patient interactions, and longer, more fulfilling careers.
  

📌 Example: Playback Health Co-founder and neurosurgeon Dr. David Langer credits streamlined documentation with helping him reconnect to the joy of practicing medicine.

Why ambient scribes work

Ambient scribe technology is one of the fastest-growing solutions in healthcare, with clinical adoption happening at an unprecedented rate.

Key benefits:

• Reduced EHR documentation time and burnout
  
• Increased capacity for more patient visits
  
• Enhanced revenue capture per encounter
  
• Lower overhead costs with higher-quality outcomes
  

Ideal use cases:

• Clinicians with long-form or conversational visits
  
• Providers who regularly fall behind on note-taking
  
• Healthcare systems seeking low-risk, high-impact solutions
  

Evidence of impact

Numerous studies have shown that ambient scribes directly reduce documentation time. As onboarding processes improve, the ROI of AI scribes is expected to increase significantly.

Looking ahead, AI in revenue cycle management is projected to be the next major opportunity—enhancing everything from coding accuracy to billing performance.

Driving adoption at scale

According to PHTI, more than 60 ambient scribe solutions are currently in use, with Playback Pro among the most widely adopted. By the end of 2025, an estimated 30% of the healthcare market is expected to use some form of ambient scribe technology.

To scale effectively, health systems should:

• Make tools like Playback Pro widely available across departments
  
• Measure impact through real-world feedback loops
  
• Invest in training and onboarding improvements for faster adoption
  

Conclusion: The future of healthcare documentation is ambient

Healthcare is at a turning point. Rising costs, shrinking staff, and worsening burnout have created an urgent need for smarter, tech-driven solutions. Ambient AI scribes like Playback Pro are already proving their value—boosting efficiency, reclaiming time, and improving the care experience for both patients and providers.

If the healthcare system is to thrive, not just survive, it’s time to adopt tools that let clinicians focus on what matters most: caring for people.