Integration Into the Workflow Is Key to Ambient Scribe Success

Why It Matters

Embedding AI directly into the EHR transforms documentation from a burnout driver into a productivity asset, delivering measurable clinical, financial, and patient‑experience gains for rural health networks.

Key Takeaways

• Integration with EHR eliminates copy‑paste and HIPAA risks
• Provider workflow training crucial; role‑play builds confidence for clinicians
• Sunno AI cut documentation time by 2‑3 hours daily
• Primary care adopted first; specialty teams scaled via peer chat
• Faster note closure boosted quality metrics and financial performance

Summary

In a Healthcare IT interview, Liz Massie, executive vice‑president of clinical operations at Central Oklahoma Family Medical Center, explains how the rural network adopted Sunno.ai, an ambient AI scribe integrated directly into their electronic health record. The discussion centers on the organization’s goal to alleviate provider burnout by automating documentation while preserving quality‑metric capture and revenue goals.

Massie highlights that Sunno’s deep EHR integration was the decisive differentiator, removing copy‑paste work and HIPAA concerns. Successful rollout required hands‑on training: role‑playing with test patients, real‑time feedback, and a dedicated Teams channel where early adopters mentored newcomers. The hospital measured success by the percentage of records closed within 24 hours and by the reduction of after‑hours “pajama time.”

“[It] gave her her life back,” Massie recounts of a physician who reclaimed two to three hours each day. Record‑closure volumes jumped from zero to 7,000 in the second year and exceeded 14,000 in 2025, with 2026 on track to surpass the prior year. Patients notice little intrusion, as the tablet captures speech while clinicians maintain eye contact.

The case illustrates that tightly integrated ambient AI can boost efficiency, improve provider satisfaction, and enhance financial performance—especially for small, multi‑site health systems. It also shows how peer‑driven scaling and clear KPI targets turn a technology pilot into an organization‑wide productivity engine.

Original Description

The first year that Central Oklahoma Family Medical Center deployed the Sunoh.ai ambient transcription software, it was getting very little use and therefore wasn't achieving their goals for installing it. To address this lack of adoption, Liz Massey, Executive Vice President of Clinical Operations, was put in charge of integrating it into their practice. In a recent interview with Massey, she explains what her team did and how Sunoh.ai  has transformed the organization. One doctor even said it "gave her back her life."

Central Oklahoma Family Medical Center has 22 locations serving 30,000 patients, mostly offering primary care but also having multiple specialties. The burden of writing clinical notes was leading to burn-out. One key step taken by the center, when choosing Sunoh.ai, was to define their goals: to capture the quality measures needed for regulatory and financial purposes, to increase the percentage of records closed within 24 hours of a visit, to reduce the time spent on documentation after-hours, and to increase the number of patient visits.

Learn more about Central Oklahoma Family Medical Center: https://www.cofmc.com/

Learn more about eCW: https://www.eclinicalworks.com/

Healthcare IT Community: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/https://www.healthcareittoday.com/