Microsoft's Dragon Copilot to aid nurses with patient care documentation

New: Ahead of #HLTH2025, Microsoft comes out swinging by announcing new capabilities for nurses in Dragon and a boatload of partnerships (honestly too many to name) across #RCM, patient engagement and other areas. They also noted this is separate from the Epic partnership that was announced at UGM. Important since many people wondered what the future of Microsoft in healthcare was if they were going to white label a gen AI product for Epic. I got a chance to talk with Mercy Health's Cheryl Denison BSN, RN, NI-BC about why they jumped at the chance to develop the ambient AI tool for nurses. https://lnkd.in/evJ_uugK via Modern Healthcare

𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐧-𝐀𝐈 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 (𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭) 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 Microsoft is extending its generative AI clinical assistant, Dragon Copilot, to nurses—marking a pivotal expansion of ambient AI technology beyond physicians. The new tool, debuting in December, lets nurses document care via audio-captured ambient conversations, with AI automatically summarizing interactions into the embedded EHR. Crucially, it’s EHR-vendor neutral and fine-tuned to the distinct workflows of nurses, not physicians. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭 To build the product, Microsoft partnered with Mercy, Advocate Health, and eight other providers. Mercy’s clinical integration director, Cheryl Denison, said her team helped train the AI to understand nursing language and adapt to flow-sheet-based documentation: 🗣️ “There’s nothing out of limits for a nurse… Although doctors and nurses are both caring for patients, our workflows are definitely different.” 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 This move widens ambient AI’s reach—after rapid uptake among physicians, nurses are next. Nursing AI tools from Epic (launched April) and now Microsoft underscore the race to digitize frontline workflows and alleviate documentation fatigue across the care team. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐬 Beyond ambient documentation, the AI tool integrates with: • Clinical content sources (e.g., OpenEvidence, Elsevier, Wolters Kluwer Health, UpToDate, Atropos Health) • RCM tools and applications (e.g., Cohere Health, Humata Health, Regard, Ensemble Health Partners, Rhyme, RhythmX AI) • Virtual care and smart-room technologies (e.g., hellocare.ai, Artisight) • Patient-experience data (Press Ganey) 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭-𝐆𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 Clinical leaders hope future versions can quantify time spent on patient education and even predict potential violence—a capability Teladoc Health announced Tuesday for its own AI platform. 📍Microsoft will be showcasing the new nursing tool and broader Copilot integrations at HLTH USA this week (for anyone in my network that is planning to attend). This signals that gen-AI is no longer just a doctor’s assistant—it’s becoming a full-team clinical partner. Full article: https://lnkd.in/g_t7NdCV

“…Microsoft is expanding its artificial intelligence-backed clinical assistant to include functionality geared towards nurses, the technology giant said Thursday. Dragon Copilot, Microsoft’s upgraded AI assistant tool launched this spring, will be able to record nurses’ interactions with patients and help document their care, as well as access medical content or health system protocols, the company said. Microsoft collaborated with multiple health systems to build the update focused on nurses’ documentation workflow. “Physicians document very differently,” said Mary Varghese Presti, corporate vice president and chief operating officer at Microsoft Health and Life Sciences. “What we built here for nurses is not a rinse and repeat of that.”…”

When a Nurse Meets AI: From What Is This? to Wow, This Works! I still remember the first time I heard someone say, AI is changing healthcare.
My reaction? Abeg, are we talking about robots giving injections or what? It sounded so far-fetched like something that belonged in a sci-fi movie, not the hospital ward. But the more I’ve learned and observed, the more I’ve realized that AI isn’t coming to replace us it’s coming to make us better. Let’s be honest: nursing is beautiful but demanding. 
Long shifts, endless documentation, alarms everywhere, patients calling, emergencies happening back-to-back and somehow, we’re still expected to smile through it all! Now imagine if we had tech that could actually make our work easier.
💡 AI that predicts early warning signs before we even notice them.
💡 Systems that alert us when a patient’s vitals start to go off track.
💡 Automated charting tools that save hours of documentation time. Sounds like a dream, right? But it’s already happening slowly, but surely. Still, here’s the part I love most ⤵️
No matter how advanced technology gets, nothing can replace empathy, compassion, and that special connection nurses have with patients. 
A robot can check vitals but it can’t hold a mother’s hand during labor.
AI can generate care plans but it can’t understand the quiet fear behind a patient’s eyes. That’s what makes us irreplaceable. 🩵 For me, technology is a partner not a competitor. 
It brings precision, speed, and data.
We bring heart, intuition, and care.
Together, we create healthcare that’s not only smarter, but also kinder. So yes, I’m all in for the future of Nursing + Tech because imagine a world where nurses spend less time documenting and more time connecting, healing, and teaching that’s the kind of innovation we need. Now tell me if AI could take one nursing task off your plate forever, what would it be? 👀
Documentation? Vital signs? Maybe those endless night shifts? 😅 Drop your thoughts below I’d love to hear how you feel about AI in healthcare. #Day19 #NursingAndTech #AIinHealthcare #NurseLife #Innovation #FutureOfNursing #HealthcareTransformation #CompassionInCare

Microsoft is advancing clinical intelligence and workflow automation in healthcare! The latest Dragon Copilot AI capabilities empower nurses and partners to drive better patient care and financial outcomes. Discover how ambient AI is streamlining documentation, reducing burnout, and transforming care delivery for clinicians everywhere. Read our press release: https://msft.it/6049sfOoN #DragonCopilot #HealthcareAI #HLTH25

AI 'nurses' are entering hospitals. Efficiency is rising—but so are questions about patient experience. What’s actually happening in 2025: - Virtual nursing teams and AI assistants handle monitoring, routine questions, patient education, and discharge follow-up. - Automation helps with documentation, scheduling, and triage so clinicians can focus on complex care. - Image analysis and decision support are improving consistency in diagnostics and treatment planning. The pushback from nurses and unions is real—and reasonable: - Risk of deskilling and overreliance on prompts - Shifts in workload, not true workload reduction - Patient trust, privacy, and safety concerns A practical path forward blends efficiency with empathy: - Nurse-led design and governance of AI tools - Human-in-the-loop for decisions and exceptions - Measure what matters: safety events, response times, satisfaction—not just cost - Tell patients when they’re interacting with AI and why - Invest in training and new roles (virtual nurse, AI super-user), not replacement Zooming out, AI is reshaping: - Operations: capacity, staffing, prior auth, claims - Education: simulation and just-in-time learning - Public health: early signals and outreach around social drivers of health Your turn: - Nurses/clinicians: What task would you hand to AI today? What must stay human? - Patients: Where would AI make care feel better—or worse? - Leaders: What’s the first guardrail you’ll implement? #AIinHealthcare #Nursing #DigitalHealth #PatientExperience #HealthIT #MedTech #PatientSafety

Microsoft is advancing clinical intelligence and workflow automation in healthcare! The latest Dragon Copilot AI capabilities empower nurses and partners to drive better patient care and financial outcomes. Discover how ambient AI is streamlining documentation, reducing burnout, and transforming care delivery for clinicians everywhere. Read our press release: https://msft.it/6047sfOVL #DragonCopilot #HealthcareAI #HLTH25

Microsoft is advancing clinical intelligence and workflow automation in healthcare! The latest Dragon Copilot AI capabilities empower nurses and partners to drive better patient care and financial outcomes. Discover how ambient AI is streamlining documentation, reducing burnout, and transforming care delivery for clinicians everywhere. Read our press release: https://msft.it/6049sfkU9 #DragonCopilot #HealthcareAI #HLTH25

Microsoft is advancing clinical intelligence and workflow automation in healthcare! The latest Dragon Copilot AI capabilities empower nurses and partners to drive better patient care and financial outcomes. Discover how ambient AI is streamlining documentation, reducing burnout, and transforming care delivery for clinicians everywhere. Read our press release: https://msft.it/6040sfn0I #DragonCopilot #HealthcareAI #HLTH25

Microsoft is advancing clinical intelligence and workflow automation in healthcare! The latest Dragon Copilot AI capabilities empower nurses and partners to drive better patient care and financial outcomes. Discover how ambient AI is streamlining documentation, reducing burnout, and transforming care delivery for clinicians everywhere. Read our press release: https://msft.it/6049sfX93 #DragonCopilot #HealthcareAI #HLTH25