Epic, Abridge, and Oracle just gave us a year’s worth of blockbuster AI announcements in three days, and at least one of them was more than speculation and old news.
‘Twas the week before UGM, and the rumor-mill has been overheating with reports that Epic might finally launch its own EHR-native scribe at its upcoming User Group Meeting.
- Over 40% of U.S. hospitals are already on Epic, which means its scribe would have access to one of the biggest distribution channels in healthcare even if its UX and performance aren’t best-in-breed (which they won’t be).
- That means about 100 ambient AI startups could be about to find out why scribing is a feature – not a product – and the race will be on to differentiate through other capabilities like RCM and specialty-specific tuning.
Abridge doesn’t plan on being commoditized. Less than 24 hours after Epic’s scribe leaked, Abridge unveiled the exact type of solution that’ll define who survives the incumbent squeeze: real-time prior authorization at the point of conversation.
- Abridge is co-developing the new solution alongside Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh-based payvidor that operates both a multistate payor division and the 14-hospital system Allegheny Health Network.
- Integrating Abridge’s ambient AI platform across Highmark’s entire organization will allow patients to get approval for necessary treatments before they even leave the office, a perfect example of how “scribes” can be truly transformative beyond just transcripts.
Oracle couldn’t let Epic and Abridge have all the fun. It decided to “usher in a new era of AI-driven health records”… by reintroducing us to the same AI EHR it unveiled last October.
- Although mostly a PR stunt to grab headlines ahead of UGM, the new EHR includes several features that underscore where the AI puck is heading, including a native scribe, voice-first navigation, and agents to support clinical workflows.
- These features are also a good list of use cases where startups might not have a lot of juice left to squeeze after EHRs start bringing them in-house (and prior auths just so happen to be the last thing Oracle wants to get its hands dirty with).
The Takeaway
Native scribing is (very likely) on its way to Epic, Abridge is giving patients the gift of time with instant prior auths, and Oracle is banking on voice for the future of EHR navigation. What a week for digital health.
