ChipSoft strikes a blow with introduction of AI assistant

Under the name Dragon Copilot, Microsoft has launched a new healthcare AI platform. According to the software giant, it is the first integrated voice AI assistant that brings together healthcare-specific speech recognition, generative AI and security. Dutch ChipSoft is one of three EHR vendors that may act as launching partner internationally.

Dragon Copilot is to assist healthcare providers in streamlining documentation, finding medical information and automating administrative tasks. The new AI assistant can be integrated directly into the Electronic Patient Record (EHR). In the Netherlands, Microsoft has partnered with market leader ChipSoft for this purpose. The other two preferred suppliers are MEDITECH, which operates mainly in the U.S., and Dedalus, which serves several European countries from Italy. For the speech part, Canary Speech has joined in, while the French Softway Medical Group is working on connecting to ERP systems.

Reduce administrative burdens

"Through these important collaborations, Dragon Copilot supports healthcare professionals at every stage of their work process, increases productivity and helps reduce administrative burdens," stated Kees Hertogh, Vice President, Global Health and Life Science at Microsoft. "At the same time, it contributes to the well-being of healthcare professionals and an improved patient experience - essential in today's healthcare industry."

Accelerating digital progress

ChipSoft CEO Hans Mulder says he is proud that his company has been selected for "this exclusive global program." "With the availability of AI in HiX, we are taking an important step in supporting healthcare professionals with reducing their administrative burden. This helps to keep healthcare accessible despite increasing demand and persistent staff shortages. By working together and embracing innovation, we are helping to accelerate digital progress in the healthcare sector."

Cut administration in half

In the Netherlands, healthcare professionals spend an average of 40 percent of their working time on administration. This puts pressure on direct patient care. With a rapidly aging population and a global shortage of medical personnel, many see AI as the most effective solution to relieve the burden of care. Strong supporter of this approach is Health Minister Agema. She thinks she can halve the administrative burden in the coming years with the help of ai.

Testing ground?

The arrival of the Dragon Copilot fits into these plans. Yet the introduction of raises questions. Won't healthcare providers become even more dependent on IT suppliers than they already are, if the major vendors seek each other out so emphatically? ChipSoft serves about 80 percent of Dutch hospitals. This no doubt makes the company interesting to Microsoft as a launching partner, but doesn't this turn Dutch hospital care -intentionally or unintentionally- into a testing ground for Microsoft's latest AI tool?

Cost

The financial implications for end users are also not yet clear. In recent years, Dutch hospitals have been confronted with sky-high surcharges on their software subscriptions. Large IT companies regularly used the argument that the possibilities for use had grown enormously with the addition of ai. Microsoft itself leaves little doubt in which direction the company is thinking: "Users can develop even stronger healthcare solutions by leveraging our end-to-end tool chain, including Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft Azure AI Foundry."

The actual deployment of the Dragon Copilot is still some time away. The ai assistant will be launched in May in the United States and Canada, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands.