Suki

Published by Daniel at May 1, 2022

Suki AI Inc. has developed Suki, an AI-driven voice-controlled digital assistant for doctors designed to relieve most of the administrative burden of healthcare professionals. This corporation was founded in 2017 in Redwood, California, US. It was founded by Punit Singh Soni, a well-known general manager and consumer-technology expert who consolidated the project after presenting it to a group of investors.

Soni has been involved in mobile technology and software development since 2000, with a relevant background as an advisor, product developer, manager, and chief product officer for companies like Google and Motorola. Soni also played an essential role in Flipkart (the second biggest company in India for e-commerce). However, he aspired to create something novel rather than perfecting and expanding something that already existed.(1,2,3,4)

Pursuing an ambitious goal

Soni had noticed that AI has not yet ventured enough into the Health Information Technology sector. He identified physician burnout as one of the biggest problems AI applications can potentially solve. Physician burnout is a large-scale problem primarily seen in systems where high efficiency, performance metrics, and performance-based care are the norm. It is widely attributed to Electronic Health Records implementation, elevated documentation time, and fast-paced healthcare systems. On average, two hours of administrative paperwork per hour of patient care are estimated to overburden physicians.(5,6)

Mr. Soni came up with an enticing solution to the problem: an AI-driven assistant. He presented it in a series of meetings. His endeavor was initially supported by Venrock and then by other companies such as First Round, Flare Capital Partners, and Breyer Capital Joined.(1,2)

It is widely attributed to Electronic Health Records implementation, elevated documentation time, and fast-paced healthcare systems. On average, two hours of administrative paperwork per hour of patient care are estimated to overburden physicians.(5,6) Mr. Soni came up with an enticing solution to the problem: an AI-driven assistant. He presented it in a series of meetings. His endeavor was initially supported by Venrock and then by other companies such as First Round, Flare Capital Partners, and Breyer Capital Joined.(1,2)

The aftermath of the unspoken

In a perceptive article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June 2020, the authors explained the psychological repercussions of the current healthcare system changes. Current trends in healthcare have unintentionally worn down physicians’ motivation. The trend toward prioritizing cost-efficient practices has left many physicians feeling isolated and frustrated.

A significant number of practitioners feel that their profession is drifting away from being a patient-centered one to an efficiency-driven one. This compromises the intrinsic reward of the job and affects professionals regardless of their age.(6,7)

It is not as straightforward as it may seem

In an attempt to address the problem, most of the interventions applied to decrease burnout have been physician-centered. Increasing monetary compensations to physicians compliant with EHR specifications and documentation and providing relaxation techniques are examples of such measures. Nevertheless, most evidence supports that organization-centered strategies to decrease physician burnout have been associated with better outcomes and increased physician satisfaction than their staff-centered counterparts.

Supporting these findings, nearly half of the responders of the Medscape National Physician Burnout & Suicide Report 2020 stated that they would take a salary reduction in exchange for more free time. Measures like schedule flexibility and more patient interactions have caused a significant decline in burnout from day-to-day activities.(6,7,8)

Targeted, simple, and effective

The intention behind Suki’s development is simple, “let doctors focus on what matters.” Suki’s has had incredible results by targeting the most crucial components of physicians’ burnout. Their organization-centered device decreases physicians’ screen time, administrative burden, and EHR filing time while preserving the notes’ accuracy and reliability.

Testing the device has resulted in a reduction of documenting time by 76% on average and more time to devote to patient interactions. Users also report reduction and even elimination of after-office hours to catch up with paperwork.(1)

Self-tailored for each clients' style

Suki’s software uses machine learning and natural language processing to become a comprehensive, convenient, and dynamic tool. These AI properties allow the program to adapt its behavior and filing format to the physician’s style and preferences. It is also important to note that not only does Suki benefit physicians, but it is also cost-efficient. This service costs significantly less than hiring a human medical scribe, saving around $60.000 per year.

Distinctive features of Suki include context analysis, the ability to retrieve specific information from the EHR at the physician’s will, and complete handling of sub-divisions of the clinical history. Context analysis decreases the mistyping associated with sound-alike terms, a standard limitation for using speech-to-text technology. Managing sub-divisions reduces the physician’s back and forth scrolling to analyze the patient’s chart. This accelerates the filing into the EHR; for example, the physician can say, “Suki, add a normal physical examination and change abdominal findings to ‘normal healing surgical wound’ for Mrs. Doe”.(1,2,9)

Partners in tackling burnout

Suki is currently used in approximately 85 healthcare sites around the country. The company recognizes the importance of teamwork to conquer healthcare problems, and thus it has partnered with organizations like Google Cloud, Unified Physician Management, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.(9,10,11,12)

Fruitful outcomes of these partnerships include implementing the tool in Unified Physician Management’s national network of women’s health care providers. This was announced in 2019, with the implementation and pilot study succeeding so far. It was also used in primary care practices conducted by the AAFP. In 2019 it was awarded the Google Cloud Technology Partner of the Year for AI & ML award.(10,11,12)

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