The field of obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) is at a critical inflection point. As a speciality facing considerable unique challenges, including a major physician shortage amidst a steadily growing patient population and an alarming maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, it’s clear that today’s physicians are more than stretched thin.
As navigating these pressures becomes even more demanding, physicians are increasingly turning to technology to enhance practice efficiency and simplify daily operations. From more intuitive EHR systems to AI-backed technology that streamlines clinical workflows, here’s how technological advancements are paving the way for a more innovative future in OBGYN.
Leveraging the right EHR platform
OBGYN is a complex specialty that requires comprehensive documentation of the full pregnancy journey over time, including pre and postpartum. This means that physicians need quick access to a patient’s medical records and care history at any given time, not only during routine visits and checkups, but also in urgent situations. Even more important, however, is the way the information is presented.
Often, physicians have to navigate a complex web of patient data that almost makes them long for the days of physical paper records. Imagine a scenario in which a patient shows up to the emergency room at 3 a.m., 28 weeks pregnant and experiencing premature membrane ruptures. Whether it’s the doctor on call at the hospital or a nurse in the labor and delivery unit, that healthcare provider knows nothing about the patient but is now tasked with understanding that patient’s history fast. However, when critical patient information is buried underneath pages of unformatted data, physicians may overlook important details that could impact patient safety.
Now, we’re beginning to see a shift in the way EHR platforms present data, with a growing emphasis on more intuitive and streamlined interfaces to enhance usability and support better-informed, fast decision-making while lives are on the line. For individual practices, leveraging an all-in-one, specialty-specific EHR platform that presents critical patient information clearly and concisely enables physicians to more easily sort through data and offer a more personalized care plan throughout the patient’s pregnancy and postpartum journeys. When this type of platform can seamlessly connect with the larger healthcare ecosystem, it facilitates the flow of necessary patient information across providers, particularly in urgent situations, and can significantly impact positive health outcomes.
Relieving administrative burden through AI and automation
As medical professionals, we went to medical school to do one thing: take care of our patients. However, due to the fast-paced and demanding nature of our specialty, we often find ourselves spending a significant amount of time managing administrative tasks that could otherwise be spent interacting with patients. Our speciality continues to face unprecedented levels of emotional exhaustion, with 40–75% of OGBYNs experiencing some form of professional burnout. While still in its earlier stages, artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to alleviate these effects by streamlining administrative processes and redirecting physician focus back to one-on-one time with patients.
One critical area where AI is poised to make an outsized impact is documentation. Physicians have long identified the time spent on documentation and navigating poor EHR systems as key factors contributing to burnout, even suggesting these challenges can undermine the quality of care. An effective EHR system powers the physician by “assisting,” rather than adding to the burden. AI-powered speech recognition technology has rapidly advanced in recent years, enabling a new future for standard doctor visits. An EHR that incorporates this technology can efficiently transcribe notes for the physician and even highlight important context, reducing documentation time and enabling them to concentrate fully on the patient.
Another key focus area for AI is prior authorization, which requires physicians to submit supporting documentation to insurers that explains why they are prescribing a certain medication or requesting a specific diagnostic test. However, even with the proper documentation, insurers can deny claims for a variety of reasons, leading to significant care delays and, in some cases, serious adverse events. In fact, a 2023 survey by the American Medical Association found that 94% of physicians reported care delays associated with prior authorization. AI can help pull specific information from enormous amounts of data instantly, flagging areas of concern in advance to prevent delays.
Beyond documentation and prior authorization, AI has the potential to optimize a variety of other tasks, including routing patient requests, faxing, flagging claims with a high risk of denial before submission, expediting the billing process, and streamlining additional paperwork specific to each specialty. OBGYNS, for example, spend a significant amount of time reviewing and verifying disability paperwork. While some practices or larger health systems may have dedicated teams for this, physicians still have to review and verify these documents. AI-backed technology can make the process more efficient by quickly identifying key areas of focus for the physician.
As patient expectations continue to evolve and the pressures on OGBYNs intensify, leveraging the latest advanced technology will be crucial for physicians to effectively combat administrative drudgery, streamline clinical workflows, and, ultimately, enhance quality of care.
Dr. Nigel Spier
Dr. Nigel A. Spier is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologic surgeon and a medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at ModMed®. In this role, he helps design and develop content for the ModMed OBGYN EHR system, drawing on over 25 years of clinical experience.
Dr. Spier is a champion for digital solutions that empower clinicians to reclaim their time so they can focus on patient care and achieve the best possible outcomes. He has extensive experience with integrating EMR workflows and has been featured on Apple’s “Macs in Business” website.
Dr. Spier received his MD from McGill University and completed his residency at George Washington University. He is the Past Chief of OBGYN at Memorial Regional Hospital, in Hollywood, Florida, where he currently serves as Vice Chief of Staff.
Dr. Hung Ecklund
Dr. Ecklund is the medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at ModMed. In this role, she helps design and develop content for the ModMed OBGYN-specific EHR, drawing on two decades of clinical experience. She is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologic surgeon.
Dr. Ecklund obtained her undergraduate degree in biological sciences from the University of Southern California where she graduated summa cum laude. She earned her MD from Yale University School of Medicine and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California in Irvine, serving as the administrative chief in her final year. Dr. Ecklund has remained in her long-time OBGYN practice with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, where she continues to care for patients in the Bay Area. She will be providing gynecological services to low-income and uninsured individuals through her volunteer work with Samaritan House, a highly-respected free clinic in San Mateo County.
