Highmark Health has announced a collaboration with Abridge to implement artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across its payer-provider ecosystem, including Allegheny Health Network (AHN). The partnership aims to use Abridge’s ambient clinical intelligence platform to improve patient-clinician interactions and streamline administrative processes such as prior authorization.
The first phase will see the deployment of Abridge’s AI-powered documentation tool at AHN offices and hospitals. This technology records patient-clinician conversations, with patient consent, through secure devices and generates real-time clinical notes that are integrated into electronic health records. Clinicians can review and edit these notes before final submission.
Mark Sevco, president of AHN, stated, “Providing patients with exceptional, personalized care is our highest priority, and that starts with empowering clinicians to be their best. Abridge’s technology allows clinicians to spend more time listening to and engaging with their patients, leading to a much better overall experience for both parties.”
According to internal tests conducted by AHN over the past year, 92% of patients felt providers were more attentive during visits when using ambient scribe technology. The platform also reduces after-hours work—often referred to as “pajama time”—by automating documentation tasks.
Bethany Casagranda, DO, MBA, president of AHN’s physician organization and Chief Medical Officer for AHN, commented on the impact: “Limiting documentation burden can help to solve for burnout and workforce shortages in the health care industry. Many of our physicians have described the technology as ‘life-changing’ because they are able to leave work with an empty inbox, and spend more evenings and weekend time with family, friends, and other activities that contribute to their wellbeing.”
The rollout will begin in outpatient locations but is expected to expand throughout all hospital settings within AHN. Dr. Casagranda added: “Abridge’s platform will help us close care gaps by generating clinically useful and compliant documentation at various interaction points. Our roadmap includes utilization in our emergency departments, hospitalist programs, home care environments, and any other area where we believe it can make a difference.”
In addition to documentation improvements, Highmark Health is working with Abridge on a new prior-authorization system designed for near-instant approvals at the point of conversation between patient and clinician. Prior authorization is often cited as a source of delays in care due to missing documentation rather than coverage issues.
Tony Farah, MD, EVP, Chief Medical and Clinical Transformation Officer for Highmark Health said: “Highmark Health has long been focused on simplifying the prior authorization process, and recently we joined many other U.S. health plans in redoubling our commitment to connecting patients more quickly to the care they need while also reducing administrative burdens on the clinicians who provide that care. This collaboration with Abridge marks another important milestone in our journey to bring prior-auth decision-making to the point of care, building upon Highmark Health’s unique Gold Carding program, and ensuring that there are no unnecessary delays in covered treatments and that our members receive care that is timely and evidence-based.”
Currently, Highmark processes many authorizations electronically through its Gold Carding program—which pre-approves doctors based on historical practice patterns—and other digital systems. The integration with Abridge aims to further speed up this process by prompting physicians during visits if additional documentation is needed.
Dr. Shiv Rao, CEO and Co-Founder of Abridge stated: “Prior authorization is one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare today, and the costs of waiting for approval can be enormously significant for patients. Our technology opens a powerful path to dramatically reduce the burden of this process at the point of conversation — by helping clinicians ask the right questions and automatically generate documentation that’s both complete and compliant. That transforms a traditionally weeks-long process into one that can take just minutes. We’re excited to refine this new solution with the experts at Highmark Health, who see the real-world impact of these delays every day. Ultimately, it’s about giving clinicians back their time and ensuring patients get the timely care and focus they deserve.”
The companies say this collaboration highlights their commitment to positioning Western Pennsylvania as a center for technological advancement in healthcare delivery. Teams from Highmark Health—including its healthtech subsidiary enGen—are involved in enabling these developments.
Richard Clarke, PhD., SVP & Chief Analytics Officer at Highmark Health added: “AI innovation is a critical component of our organization’s Living Health model and its focus on transforming health and wellness through more effective, efficient, and affordable solutions for the diverse health needs of those we serve. By leveraging next-frontier technologies and Abridge’s powerful AI platforms, we have a unique opportunity at Highmark Health and AHN to help redefine the patient, member, and clinician experience in our industry.”
