8 Reasons why AI medical transcription is here to stay

Medical transcription tools are helping clinicians get their time back.

According to the latest survey from the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), 77% of healthcare professionals work late or after hours to catch up on their notes. AI medical transcription offers a way to reclaim your hours (and your pajama time), by taking over administrative tasks.

But how does it work? And why should you consider making the switch?

Let's review how AI medical transcription is improving clinical documentation for practitioners—and breathe a collective sigh of relief!

Quick summary: A closer look at AI medical transcription software

• AI medical transcription converts spoken dictations into written text using advanced speech recognition and NLP.
• It saves time by providing real-time and accurate medical documentation.
• AI transcription is HIPAA-compliant, adaptable across specialties, and easily copy/pastes into EHR systems.
• It reduces errors, saves costs, and streamlines the documentation process for healthcare professionals.
• Freed offers a personalized, real-time, secure, and affordable solution for medical documentation.

What is AI medical transcription?

AI medical transcription is a technology that turns your patient encounters into written text for you.

It does this by using advanced speech recognition and natural language processing (NLP) to capture (and understand) medical terms and patient information during consultations or dictation sessions.

As clinicians know: traditional transcription methods require a lot of back and forth, whether you're transcribing word-for-word or waiting to hear the most important information.

AI medical transcription works in real time, creating immediate and accurate medical documentation based off of your visit.

And there's more! By copy/pasting into your EHR, you can easily update your patient record and speed up your entire workflow.

To see how far this technology has come, let's take a brief look at the history of medical transcription.

Medical transcription: from manual to AI-powered solutions

Medical transcription has come a long way. In the 1900s, physicians dictated their notes to a secretary, who then typed them out using a typewriter.

With the invention and widespread use of the cassette recorder in the late 1950s and '60s, healthcare providers dictated their notes into a tape recorder, and then a transcriptionist typed everything out.

As the medical transcriptionist field grew, The Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) was established in 1978, focusing on educating medical professionals about the role of medical transcriptionists and how their work impacts healthcare quality.

In the 1980s and 1990s, digital dictation systems replaced cassette tapes with digital files. In the late '90s, with the invention of Dragon NaturallySpeaking (a continuous speech and voice recognition program), voice recognition technology began to enter the medical field.

Although this was a big step forward, the early versions of the technology were less efficient and accurate, especially when it came to complicated medical terms and making sure that patient records were correct.

Unlike earlier systems, modern artificial intelligence transcription technology is trained on medical language, making it more reliable and efficient.

It's a secure healthcare management tool that understands medical terminology.

AI medical transcription: a better way to document

Medical documentation is more than just a time sink; it's a major roadblock to effective patient care.

According to a 2024 survey by the AMIA, 74% of healthcare professionals say documentation gets in the way of patient care.

The good news? AI medical transcription is here to help you address these issues. Let's break down the benefits of this technology:

1. Time-saving efficiency

It's no secret that documenting patient visits can be time-consuming: Manually typing notes takes time and often leads to delays in updating patient records.

Artificial intelligence transcribes in real time, so you get your medical documentation done fast, without the wait. With AI transcription, what used to take hours can now be done in minutes, freeing up your time and reducing your backlog.

Here's a real-world example: In October 2023, The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) implemented ambient AI technology for 10,000 physicians and staff to alleviate the increasing data entry burden. After just ten weeks, the early results found:

• Physicians reported more personal and effective patient interactions.
• Early patient feedback was positive, with many reporting improved interactions with their physicians.
• "Statistically significant (P < 0.05) associations" between the use of the ambient AI scribe and decreased time spent in EHR outside working hours.

2. Accuracy you can trust

Manual clinical documentation often leads to errors, which can have serious consequences.

Accuracy depends on the transcriptionist's skill, especially with complex medical terms. Studies have shown that manual transcription errors occur at a rate of about 3.7%, with significant discrepancies in some cases.

AI medical transcription software is trained to recognize medical speech and terms, which means fewer errors and more accurate documentation. AI medical scribe technology reduces errors by accurately capturing every word for complete and reliable patient records.

Compliance and security

AI medical transcription software is HIPAA-compliant and designed to keep patient data secure and confidential.

3. Adaptable across specialties

Manual transcriptionists may have difficulties with different accents, speech patterns, or specialized terminology.

AI-powered transcription, on the other hand, works effectively across multiple specialties, capturing medical terms and details specific to your practice.

The AI learns as it goes, adapting to your voice, style, and even the specific needs of your specialty.

It's also designed to adjust to any environment, whether it's a noisy ER, quiet office or virtual visit.

AI voice recognition software like Freed can also easily identify multiple participants in a conversation, including patients, family members, and healthcare providers.

Technologies like Freed also provide medical documentation support to healthcare providers and patients in multiple languages. The SOAP note software supports multiple languages, automatically generating your final note in English.

4. Copy/paste with EHRs

Easily copy/paste your notes into your EHR. Notes will be automatically organized so that you can quickly plug and play.

No need to reinvent the wheel—add AI tools into your note-taking process and start making healthcare management easier.

5. Easy to use

AI transcription tools are surprisingly easy to use. Most have a straightforward setup and user-friendly interface, so you can start using them right away. Many offer ongoing support to help you get the most out of the technology.

6. Save on costs

Hiring and training transcriptionists isn't cheap, especially if your practice is busy.

By reducing the need for human transcriptionists, AI can save time and money in the long run while still delivering high-quality results. Plus, a more efficient practice means happier patients—and happier you.

7. Reduce administrative burden

If you're concerned that documentation takes too much time away from patient care, you're not alone.

The administrative burden is a leading cause of burnout among healthcare professionals. That's a huge issue, especially when the latest AMA survey found that in 2021, 63% of physicians presented at least one symptom of burnout, a 38% increase from 2020.

Using AI for medical notes reduces the time and effort required for documentation, so you get your time back.

8. For clinicians, by clinicians (and their partners)

Freed is an AI medical transcription tool and SOAP note generator that's set apart from the rest. That's because Freed was created with one goal in mind: to make clinicians happier.

“Freed was built for (and with the help of) my wife after watching her chart at night for too many years. The only purpose of Freed is to make clinicians happier.”
—
Erez Druk, Dr. Meckler’s husband & Freed CEO

Because of this, we've made it our mission to always put clinicians first— in how we build the product, respond to users, and grow alongside you.

How AI medical transcription works

Are you curious about how to add AI medical transcription to your workflow? Here's a quick breakdown of how it works:

1. Speech recognition

‎It all starts with speech recognition. Using intelligent speech technology, the AI captures your spoken words during a patient visit or when dictating notes, converting them into a transcript.

This voice recognition process recognizes medical terminology and understands the context of your medical dictation.

2. Transcription in real-time

‎As you speak, the AI uses voice recognition to capture your transcript in real time. When your patient visit is complete, the AI generates a completed SOAP note.

3. Customize to fit your style

‎Every healthcare professional has a unique way of documenting.

AI transcription software learns your preferred format and medical speech patterns. The AI learns your preferences, delivering notes that require minimal editing.

4. Final review and approval

After the AI completes the transcription, you can review the document, make any necessary edits, and approve it.

The AI learns and adapts when you edit notes so that the final clinical documentation will match your style. Fewer corrections means you can finalize your documentation quickly and move on to your next task.

5. Copy/paste into EHR systems

Once the transcription is complete, you can add accurate patient information to your Electronic Health Records (EHR) system using the copy/paste function, reducing the need for manual data entry.

Want to see AI medical transcription in action? Check out this demo featuring Erica D. from The Nurse Practitioner Charting School and Dr. Jack Jeng, showing how Freed's voice recognition software works.

‎It's easy to see why healthcare providers are adopting AI medical transcription: The AMA Association found that AI-powered scribes save most physicians an average of one hour every day.

Why spend hours typing up notes when AI can handle it in minutes?

Why Freed is the right choice for your practice

With AI-powered medical transcription software, you can streamline your medical documentation process, precisely capturing every detail.

Whether you're a clinician, nurse, or healthcare administrator, the benefits of AI transcription are clear: fewer errors, less burnout, and more time for better things.

When it comes to AI medical transcription, Freed stands out for all the right reasons. Here's why:

• Designed with clinicians in mind: Our #1 goal is always to make clinicians happier. We're committed to being the most responsive product in healthcare today— in how we communicate, build, and grow!
• Real-time documentation: Freed's AI scribe captures and processes conversations in near real-time, turning dialogue into structured clinical documentation in minutes: progress notes, patient instruction letters, detailed summaries, and full verbatim transcripts.
• Security and compliance: Freed follows strict security protocols, including two-factor authentication and compliance with HIPAA, HITECH, and SOC 2 Type I certification.
• EHR compatible: No need to change your workflow—Freed fits right in, just copy and paste notes into your EHR. AI makes clinical documentation simple and improves your practice's efficiency.
• Personalized to you: Freed learns your style with every edit, so your clinical notes are always generated the way you want. Whether you need detailed SOAP notes or quick patient summaries, Freed's got you covered.
• Works everywhere: In the office, at home, or on the go—Freed adapts to your environment, capturing every detail no matter where you are, or what you're using (whether that's a phone, laptop, or other touch screen). It's reliable, accurate, and ready to help you stay on top of your documentation.
• Affordable excellence: High quality doesn't have to mean high cost. Our base plan starts at just $99 per month, so you can create unlimited patient charts.
• Designed to make clinicians happy: We've designed our AI medical scribe with clinicians in mind, to lighten your documentation burden, save time and make your clinical documentation process fast and simple.

Try AI medical transcription with an AI scribe

AI medical transcription is making healthcare management easier, and tools like Freed combine medical transcription with an AI scribe that writes your notes for you.

AI-powered transcription tools take the hassle out of documentation, from accurate, customized notes to copy/pasting into your EHR, giving you more time for better things.

Why spend another day overwhelmed by charting? Join the 12,000+ clinicians and healthcare providers saving 2 hours daily with Freed's HIPAA-compliant clinical notes.

Ready to make the switch? Sign up today for 10 free notes—no credit card required. (Warning: May cause happiness).Time—it's something every healthcare professional deserves more of.

‍