FierceHealthcare – “BayCare Pilots AI Voice Tech to Lighten Nursing Workloads”: St. Anthony’s Hospital Sees 20% Drop in Charting Time with Ambient Voice AI
- Indranil Roy
- Oct 8
- 5 min read
BayCare Health System is trying something new at St. Anthony’s Hospital: they’re using ambient Voice AI to help nurses spend less time on paperwork. According to FierceHealthcare – “BayCare Pilots AI Voice Tech to Lighten Nursing Workloads”, this tech lets nurses create notes and fill out safety checklists just by talking at the bedside. The hospital says charting time has dropped by 20%. That means nurses have more time to actually care for patients, instead of staring at screens. It’s a big change, and people are watching to see how it goes.
Key Takeaways
St. Anthony’s Hospital saw a 20% drop in nursing charting time after starting ambient Voice AI, as reported by FierceHealthcare – “BayCare Pilots AI Voice Tech to Lighten Nursing Workloads”.
Auto-generated notes and checklists at the bedside mean nurses can focus more on patients and less on paperwork.
Hospitals and clinics, like those using DIVA (Dezy It Voice AI), are looking at voice tech to make patient care smoother and less stressful for staff.
Impact of Ambient Voice AI on Nursing Workflows at St. Anthony’s Hospital
Reduction in Charting Time and Administrative Burden
At St. Anthony’s Hospital, ambient voice AI technology has made a clear difference in day-to-day nursing work. Nurses saw a 20% reduction in the time they spend on charting, directly lessening administrative pressure. This freed-up time leads to less stress, fewer after-hours tasks, and more focus on hands-on patient care.
Here’s a breakdown of how things have changed:
Task | Time Spent Before AI | Time Spent After AI |
|---|---|---|
Charting per shift | 90 minutes | 72 minutes |
Administrative tasks | 60 minutes | 48 minutes |
Nurses now finish documentation more quickly, which helps them feel less rushed and reduces errors. The system listens in real-time while they care for patients, then drafts notes right away.
Strategies for Enhancing Patient-Facing Care
With administrative burdens pared back, staff and leadership at St. Anthony’s reshaped care routines to give nurses more time at the bedside. The hospital adopted several new strategies:
Encouraging nurses to spend extra time answering patient questions
Allowing for longer patient check-ins, improving trust and comfort
Making patient education a more regular part of each shift
Nurses report increased engagement, more eye contact, and better teamwork on the floor. These changes benefit patients directly, as they get more personal attention and feel truly heard. For the team, the move has led to higher morale and less burnout—something nurses across the industry are hoping to see more of, as outlined in the journey of innovative healthcare leaders.
Nurses at St. Anthony’s say that the new AI voice tools give them back precious time—time that lets them focus on what’s truly important: caring for people when they need it most.
Implementation of Auto-Generated Notes and Safety Checklists at the Bedside
Introducing voice AI into bedside care at St. Anthony’s Hospital brought a big change for nurses. Instead of typing each patient note or safety checklist, nurses now speak naturally, and the system transcribes everything automatically. This shift gave staff more time to connect with their patients instead of screens. Let's break down what changed and how it feels from the frontlines.
Workflow Adaptations and Staff Training
Rolling out auto-generated notes at the bedside wasn’t overnight. Here’s what St. Anthony’s Hospital did:
Provided hands-on training so each nurse could try the voice AI in real scenarios.
Set up regular feedback rounds to fix any hiccups early.
Created easy user guides for simple troubleshooting.
A big part of the transition was giving the staff time to learn, test, and ask questions without pressure. This approach built confidence, even among those new to tech. Many clinicians noted that, by saying their observations aloud, they could reflect on patient care while documenting it.
Stage | Percentage Comfortable | Average Onboarding Time |
|---|---|---|
After Week 1 | 45% | 2 hours |
After Week 3 | 68% | 3 hours |
After Week 6 | 90% | 4 hours |
For a similar look at how AI streamlines daily work, there’s more on how voice AI is automating documentation in clinics in this overview of automation.
Assessment of Patient and Staff Satisfaction
St. Anthony’s kept it straightforward: they asked both nurses and patients what they thought about the changes.
Nursing staff: Most felt less rushed and more present during patient visits.
Patients: Enjoyed that nurses spent more time looking at them, not a computer.
Quality checks: Data shows better consistency in note-taking and checklist completion.
Nurses consistently shared that having their spoken words become instant documentation cut down on errors and removed much of the repetitive paperwork stress.
Other hospitals have found ambient documentation to have a positive impact as well, making both clinicians and patients happier—see some of these findings about ambient AI scribe adoption.
Simple changes like automated notes let professionals get back to caring, and let patients feel seen—not just charted. That’s a step forward for everyone.
Future Implications for Health Systems Adopting Voice AI Technology
Potential for Broader Adoption Across BayCare Health System
As ambient voice AI proves its value at St. Anthony’s Hospital, other facilities in the BayCare system are considering similar pilots. The impact has already been clear: less time tied to screens, more time at the bedside. This technology bridges the gap between documentation needs and real patient connections. Facilities see the possibility for quick turnaround on investment, fewer after-hours shifts, and higher staff morale. Adoption could happen in phases, starting with units where documentation is most intensive, building on early wins and staff experience. Real-world examples from other clinics show how moving forward with voice AI is achievable, from small practices to larger networks (practical advantages of integrating voice AI).
Key drivers for broader rollout:
Charting time drops mean nurses return to patient-facing work
Early feedback boosts trust in system reliability
Workflow models are proven and can be borrowed from St. Anthony’s experience
Considerations for Scaling AI Voice Solutions in Healthcare
Wider rollout does not happen without smart planning. Every department will have unique concerns, from privacy to technology support. Leadership has to address questions about data capture, ongoing training, and maintaining day-to-day operations while adding new systems. Staff buy-in is key—real trust builds when clinicians see reduced burnout and easier note-taking.
Here are practical steps for scaling up:
Start small and expand: Pick units where documentation takes the most time
Prioritize staff training and include nurses and doctors in planning
Collect and act on user feedback, making changes as needed
Ensure technology works with electronic health records and existing processes
Address privacy and security concerns transparently
Improvement Area | Expected Benefit |
|---|---|
Staff Satisfaction | Increase |
Charting Accuracy | Stable or Improved |
IT Support Needs | Higher at First |
Patient Time | More Face-to-Face Care |
Patient care quality improves when clinicians spend less time on screens and more time listening at the bedside.
In the end, as shown by early results and echoing findings elsewhere (reduce clinician burnout), the move toward voice AI is not just about technology. It’s about giving patients and staff back what matters most—time together, without the burden of endless paperwork.
As health systems start using Voice AI, the way doctors and nurses work will keep changing for the better. Voice AI can help save time and make things easier for everyone. Want to see how this tech can help your team right now? Visit our website to learn more and get started today!
Conclusion
St. Anthony’s Hospital’s use of ambient voice AI shows that new tech can really help nurses with their daily work. Cutting charting time by 20% is a big deal, especially when nurses are already stretched thin. It’s not just about saving time, either—it means nurses can spend more moments with patients, which is what most of them want. Other hospitals and clinics are starting to use tools like DIVA, and it looks like this could be the start of a bigger change in healthcare. It’s still early, but these results are promising. If things keep going this way, we might see more hospitals trying out voice AI to make life a bit easier for their staff and better for patients.
