Epic’s AI Charting reflects a shift in how AI is being introduced into clinical workflows. Early ambient tools were designed to capture conversations and draft notes, whereas AI Charting is embedded directly into the EHR to support next steps such as orders, follow-ups, and scheduling based on what happens during the visit.
This evolution comes at a time when ambient technology is gaining traction, but adoption remains uneven. As EHR vendors embed AI more deeply into their platforms, these capabilities are becoming part of the core clinical experience rather than separate tools. At the same time, many healthcare organizations are still working through how these technologies fit into existing workflows, team roles, and day-to-day operations.
What stands out about AI Charting is its move beyond passive documentation. Instead of simply recording the encounter, the technology interprets clinical context in real time and helps align documentation with the assessment and plan. In practice, this changes how clinicians interact with the tool by supporting the flow of the visit and helping connect what is discussed to what happens next.
When Epic’s AI Charting is implemented effectively, the impact can be seen across several areas:
- Provider experience: Less time spent documenting during and after visits, fewer after-hours charting sessions, better alignment between notes and orders, and reduced reliance on third-party tools.
- Patient experience: More natural conversations and more focused clinician attention during the visit.
- Quality and safety: Clearer, more structured notes and stronger consistency across documentation, assessment, and plan.
- Revenue cycle: Faster claim submission, improved coding accuracy, and documentation that better supports prior authorizations and denial response.
As with many EHR-enabled capabilities, activating AI Charting is only the first step. Longer-term value depends on how well it fits into real clinical workflows. That often means focusing first on specialties where the benefits are clearest, revisiting documentation standards, and supporting adoption across care teams as the technology becomes part of routine practice.
Establishing a Roadmap for Long Term Value
Activating AI Charting is only the starting point. What follows is the harder work of integrating it into real clinical environments, where workflows, documentation practices, and care team dynamics vary by specialty and setting. Organizations that see the most benefit tend to focus less on the feature itself and more on how it fits into day-to-day clinical practice.
In practice, that often involves a small set of practical priorities:
- Redesigning clinical workflows rather than relying on training alone
- Focusing first on specialties and use cases where the impact is clearest
- Updating documentation standards by specialty
- Putting the right structures in place to support adoption and ongoing use
- Managing change across care teams as the technology becomes routine
- Tracking performance over time to understand what is working and where adjustments are needed
BDO works with provider organizations to help make AI Charting a tool clinicians trust and use. The focus is on reducing documentation burden, supporting the patient experience, and strengthening financial performance as adoption matures.
If you are thinking about how to approach AI Charting adoption, contact BDO’s healthcare team.