AI To The Rescue - Easing Physicians’ Administrative Workload
One of the most exhausting yet least rewarding parts of a physician’s workday is the time spent on administrative tasks, especially documenting patient visits. This administrative overload often spills into after-hours, known as “pajama time,” leaving many physicians feeling frustrated, burned out, and dissatisfied. This is where AI steps in to the rescue. Among its most impactful tools are AI scribes. By significantly cutting the administrative burden that adds hours to a physician’s workday AI scribes are changing their workplace dynamics for the better. These AI-powered documentation tools can reduce physician workload by automating the tedious task of note- taking, freeing up valuable time and improving the overall efficiency of healthcare delivery.
The Top Use Of AI
A recent AMA survey reveals that physicians are most optimistic about AI’s ability to reduce the day-to-day burdens that cut into their time with patients. When asked about the biggest opportunities for AI in healthcare, 57% of physicians pointed to reducing administrative tasks - a critical need as workforce shortages grow and burnout remains a pressing concern. That’s more than three times the number who said AI’s ability to expand physician capacity (18%) was the top benefit. This clear preference highlights just how heavily documentation, billing, and inbox overload are weighing on physicians’ daily routines.
Changing Attitudes – From Concerns To Optimism
The AMA did another survey between August 2023 and November 2024 to understand how physicians feel about using AI in healthcare. They asked around 1,200 physicians from different specialties and work settings. They found that more physicians are feeling increasingly positive and hopeful about AI. Nearly 35% said they’re more excited than worried about it, which is up from 30% the year before. The AMA is working to make sure that implementation of technologies like AI and electronic health records (EHRs) actually help physicians in their daily work, rather than adding to their stress or workload.
Where AI Can Help the Most
Many physicians believe that AI could help ease the pressures that lead to burnout especially the stress caused by documentation and other non-clinical tasks. In a recent survey, physicians were asked to rate how useful they believe AI tools could be across various tasks. From 2023 to 2024, more physicians felt AI could make a positive difference in these three areas.
Improving work efficiency - 75% said that AI could be helpful here, a noticeable jump from 69% in the year 2023.
Easing stress and burnout - 54% saw potential benefits, up from 44% the previous year.
Reducing cognitive overload - 48% believed AI could assist, compared to 40% in the year 2023.
These numbers reflect a growing belief that AI can actually make a difference in the areas that matter most to physicians’ well-being. Other areas, like improving diagnoses, care coordination, and patient safety, didn’t change much—but over half of the physicians still felt AI could be useful in these areas. Regardless of how much physicians currently use or understand AI, they agree the most valuable help AI can offer is in assisting with documentation.
What Physicians Want The Most
Physicians identified several specific ways AI could directly support their work. The most relevant uses included
- 80% said AI can assist with generating billing codes or documenting visit notes.
- 72% see AI as useful for creating discharge summaries, care plans, or progress notes.
- 57% believe AI can help in drafting replies to messages patients send through online portals.
Other areas where physicians saw AI’s potential included automating insurance prior authorizations (71%), providing translation services (69%), and generating chart summaries (69%). Additionally, 65% of physicians valued AI’s ability to summarize medical research and care guidelines to support faster decision-making.
Real-World Results
Some hospitals and clinics are already using AI tools to reduce the administrative load on their medical teams.
Geisinger Health System has introduced over 110 automations that manage tasks like appointment cancellations and admission notifications. These time-savers have freed up physicians and staff to spend more time with patients.
Ochsner Health in New Orleans uses AI to review messages and flag crucial details. This helps physicians respond to patients more efficiently and ensures that nothing critical gets missed.
The Permanente Medical Group has rolled out AI scribes—tools that listen to conversations (via a secure microphone) and create visit notes using speech-to-text and natural language processing. On average, this saves physicians about an hour per day at the keyboard.
At Hattiesburg Clinic in Mississippi physicians where given the option to use AI scribes in the exam room. During the pilot period results were impressive - stress levels went down, after-hours charting was reduced, and job satisfaction improved by up to 17% and 13% respectively based on the vendor they used.
AMA - Making AI Work for Physicians
The American Medical Association is working on several key fronts to make sure AI truly helps physicians—not hinders them. From actively pushing for better EHR usability to creating robust AI governance policies, the AMA’s focus is on making sure technology consistently and efficiently serves physicians. Their advocacy efforts emphasize responsible use, transparency, fairness, data privacy, physician liability, and proper oversight. They also focus on rules for generative AI, and careful monitoring of how insurers use AI - all to ensure AI is an asset to physicians and not a burden.
Concluding Thoughts
Regardless of technological advancements, human connection will always be what makes healthcare truly meaningful. But, with smart tools like AI, physicians may finally be able to put more of their time and energy where it counts the most - with their patients. As AI continues to evolve, its greatest impact might not be in making major diagnoses or treatments, but in making sure physicians no longer feel overwhelmed by administrative tasks like documentation and charting. For many physicians, that’s exactly the change they’ve been waiting for.
Take back your time and reclaim the joy in patient care — let Scribe4Me AI handle your documentation so you can focus where it matters most. Start a free trial today!