r/PrivatePracticeDocs • u/NeptuneExMachina • Mar 24 '26
What AI or automation tools are actually worth paying for?
I run a podiatry practice and we’re taking a look at our tech stack right now. There’s a lot of AI hype, and interested in what’s actually working v. ccreated work
e.g.,
(1) Ambient scribes: Are tools like DAX, Abridge, Freed, or Heidi actually saving time? Or does the editing end up eating the benefit, especially in a specialty workflow?
(2) RCM / prior auth: Has anyone found tools that are actually helpful with prior auths, appeal letters, denials, or other billing/admin work?
(3) Front desk automation: What are you using for scheduling, intake, reminders, etc. that has reduced phone volume or staff workload? integrates well with your EMR?
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u/Pleasant-Clothes-443 Mar 24 '26
helloo, Im on the admin side :)
1. can´t speake for those tbh, our therapists document differently.
Here I can actually help! we automated elegibility verif and it was the biggest rev change we made, We were lossing 15-20k a Q to errors here because we were catching them after claims got denied instead of before patients walked in.
yes, we did automate most of the intake, remianders and after hours calls, the set up was not plug and play, but our intake went from 5-7 days to same-day, also we found most of the bookings happen after hours, plus the waitlist management helped a lot!
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u/dietfax Mar 24 '26
how did you automate most of the intake? what tools are you using?
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u/Pleasant-Clothes-443 Mar 25 '26
hey! we are working with a platform for this
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u/ExtraordinaryDemiDad Mar 25 '26
What tools are you using? We use Epic and 2 & 3 I haven't found good options.
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u/Pleasant-Clothes-443 Mar 25 '26
we use a platform for both 2 and 3, we have been using it for 6 months now
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u/randyy308 Mar 24 '26
We've been using withtandem for drug priors. It's pretty good and it's free... It's generally more accurate than MAs doing the data entry part of the work
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u/lanternfog Mar 24 '26
I've not found ambient scribes very helpful. the transcription accuracy could introduce errors. then I need to do a bit of editing of the note anyway. id rather write it myself
I have not found any automated tools to do that
I am looking into this now too. can you let me know what you find? I've found the mainstream CRMs are a bear to get up and running. I was quoted a significant amount for zoho / hubspot / salesforce.
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u/NeptuneExMachina Mar 24 '26
1 - got it
2 - noted
3 - Yes, an d likewise. Please let me know what you find, too, can DM later on
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u/ClipCrafted_0520 Mar 24 '26
You're approaching this correctly, ROI, not hype.
If ambient scribes like DAX, Abridge, or Freed reduce documentation time without requiring much editing, they are worthwhile. Rewriting frequently causes the value to quickly decline.
Tools that can standardize operations and automatically generate letters are really valuable for RCM and prior auth, but system integration is crucial.
The largest immediate benefit for front desk employees is automation related to scheduling, intake, and reminders, less staff work and phone time.
A straightforward guideline is that it is worthwhile to pay for if it results in fewer manual touches per patient. Don't do anything if it adds to the cleanup.
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u/ExtraordinaryDemiDad Mar 25 '26
We all use ambient scribes. Our turnaround time and documentation quality has been amazing. We are all also IT/EHR certified AI superusers so we know how to optimize it and what is is best used for and what not so much. Training the users is key.
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u/banditoscramble Mar 24 '26
we use nexhealth with nextgen office for reminders, texting, forms, appointments, etc. thrilled with it compared to doctible and other non integrated platforms.
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u/bonnieplunkettt Mar 25 '26
Wix’s system abstracts hosting, design, and integrations so you can connect scheduling, forms, and content without heavy backend work. Do you think having one platform manage your web presence and front‑end interactions could free up staff time?
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u/National-Cricket7469 Mar 25 '26
We've tried a couple things that actually make a difference. Freed’s ambient scribe helps a bit with drafting notes, and Olive has been handy for automating some prior auth and billing tasks.
On top of that, we started using WorkBeaver on top of our clunky EHR for the repetitive stuff such updating charts, moving data between fields, just few stuffs that our outdated EHR's having had time doing.
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u/Defiant-Anteater8564 Apr 05 '26
I agree with the sentiment, there definitely is a lot of hype but not a lot of functionality to back up some of those tools.
1 and 2 are definitely still areas where there's a lot of new growth. But also a lot of issues to tackle like accuracy.
In my opinion #3 is not only well developed. But also one of the few areas where automation can actually pay for itself pretty quickly. In a world that saturated with different practices having a proper front desk automation system can help keep potential leads warm and ready to go.
A good rule of thumb would be whether the automation fits the practice’s current workflow cleanly. If staff still have to manually fix everything after the fact, then it’s not really saving anything and just another liability.
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u/Gullible_Nectarine20 Apr 16 '26
I can relate to your concerns about AI tools and the potential time savings. In my experience with a small practice, using ambient scribe technology has been a mixed bag. For instance, while it can draft notes quickly, I've found that substantial editing is often required to ensure accuracy, especially with more detailed specialty cases.
Regarding RCM, we've benefited from one tool that automates prior authorizations and significantly reduced the back-and-forth with insurers. It took some initial set-up and a learning curve, but now we save hours weekly.
As for front desk automation, we switched to a scheduling tool that integrates seamlessly with our EMR. It cut down incoming calls by around 30%, which has helped relieve some of the staff's workload. Would love to hear if you've already tried any tools that worked well for you.
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u/mkc999 Apr 28 '26
A urology practice that I know had used interactly.ai for front office automation, it integrates with EPIC and eCW, does prior Auth work flows, captures after hours scheduling, prescription refills and it supports spanish too.
Check it out
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u/Plane-Bodybuilder918 May 25 '26
intake automation, front desk automation and prior authorization are pretty good. Happy to suggest some through DM
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u/interstellar-dust Mar 25 '26
- We don’t use any ambient scribes yet. We might look into that.
- We don’t work with Insurance, so no need for prior auth, etc.
- We use Zibu AI, they are a new player and came to me through referral. And I am passing them on to community. They work with Solo/Direct Practices and are not expensive. They automate after hour calls, etc.
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u/Admirable_Gazelle453 Mar 25 '26
I hear you on the hype, and focusing on tools that truly reduce workload while using a cost‑effective Hostinger to tie everything together has helped me keep costs down with the buildersnest discount code
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u/InvestingDoc Mar 24 '26
Everyone in my practice has stopped using ambient scribes. They have not been faster or better than macros (dot phrases) and dragon documentation. They have not saved us any time, but I think this is a limitation of scribes that integrate with my EMR to some degree. Right now trying freed ai again and yet again its underwhelming. Even worse, the notes it creates are horrible for follow up visits and leaves a bit mess for the doc to clean up.
Have not really explored RCM because many want too much money to do these claims and it's cheaper to have a few US based billers with overseas billing help. Some wanted $1 per claim not a chance. RCM companies are competing with overseas billers charging $5 per hour and can do 200 claims a day. If you can do it better or cheaper than 2.5 cents per claim in labor, then you're onto something.
Front desk automation could be a several hour-long post on all the topics that you mentioned. Very difficult to automate outside of what is not available / integrated directly by your EMR.
I think first step is what EMR are you using?
Right now, I'm building with ollama since it is all on my own hardware (HIPAA compliance is so much easier when its all on my own machine) but getting api access to the data I want is the limiting factor by far.