The AI scribe era is here, with Robert Wachter, M.D., and more

Robert Wachter, M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine at UCSF, takes us inside the AI scribe era — what the research shows, where the tools fall short and why this technology is just the beginning.

Ambient artificial intelligence (AI) scribes have become the fastest-adopted physician technology in recent memory. At UCSF, 70% of physicians now use one daily. At Kaiser Permanente, more than 7,000 physicians used them across 2.5 million patient encounters in just over a year. But what does the evidence actually show, and what are practices getting wrong?

In this feature episode of Off the Chart, Medical Economics Associate Editor Austin Littrell goes deeper on the AI scribe era, alongside Medical Economics' March-April 2026 cover story: Take note: The AI scribe era is here.

Robert Wachter, M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine at UCSF and author of "A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future," is our main guide — explaining why documentation was the right entry point for AI in medicine, why the efficiency gains have been overstated, and why he's worried about what happens at note number 50.

We also hear from Shannon Sims, M.D., Ph.D., FAMIA, of Vizient on the case for thinking beyond the 12-month P&L, Marc Succi, M.D., of Mass General Brigham on where AI clinical reasoning actually stands today, and health care attorney Dan Silverboard, J.D., of Holland & Knight on the legal risks practices can't afford to ignore.

Don’t miss our recent episodes on regulatory burden, the legal risks of AI, CMS’ WISeR Model and fraud enforcement trends.

Music Credits:
Silent Tension by AudioAmbi - stock.adobe.com
A Textbook Example by Skip Peck - stock.adobe.com

Editor's note: Episode timestamps and transcript produced using AI tools.

0:00 – 0:24 | Sponsor message Copic Medical Liability Insurance.

0:24 – 1:55 | Cold open and introduction Austin Littrell opens with the story of pajama time, introduces Dr. Robert Wachter and previews the episode.

1:55 – 5:00 | How we got here — and why documentation won Wachter explains what the EHR did to the clinical note, how generative AI scribes are different from older voice-to-text tools, and why documentation — not diagnosis — was the right entry point for AI in medicine. The driverless car analogy.

5:00 – 8:20 | What the research actually shows Adoption numbers at UCSF. Findings from the UCLA randomized trial in NEJM AI and the Mass General Brigham/Emory burnout study. Wachter on why time savings have been overstated — and why the real ROI is in retention, recruitment and joy in practice. Dr. Shannon Sims on thinking beyond the 12-month P&L.

8:20 – 9:19 | P2 Management Minute Keith Reynolds shares practice management tips and invites listeners to submit their own workflow ideas.

9:19 – 11:30 | Where the tools fall short The 70% error rate finding. Wachter on the 50th note problem and the cognitive trade-off of no longer writing your own notes. Dr. Marc Succi on where AI belongs right now — and where it doesn't.

11:30 – 15:45 | The legal picture Dan Silverboard on physician liability, the three questions to ask before signing any vendor contract, HIPAA complications around AI training on patient data, and why 85% of health care AI investment going to startups should give practices pause.

15:45 – 17:47 | What to do right now — and what comes next Practical steps: know your tool, talk to your patients, review your notes, get your governance in order. Wachter on why AI scribes are singles — and what the home run looks like.

17:47 – 18:55 | Outro Littrell thanks the experts, points listeners to the cover story and wraps the episode.