Revolutionizing Healthcare: How BayCare is Empowering Nurses in Central Florida with AI-Assisted Voice Technology

BayCare Health System is testing a new voice technology to help nurses with clinical documentation. This initiative aims to make things easier for nurses at the bedside.

Started at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, this project focuses on how nurses collect clinical assessments and access vital patient information.

This pilot program uses Aiva Health’s Nurse Assistant. It reflects BayCare’s push for innovation to enhance patient care and support its hard-working staff. Other projects with different vendors are also underway to refine voice technology and improve workflow.

Stephanie Conners, BayCare’s president and CEO, shared her excitement about technology’s role in improving healthcare. “Better support for clinical documentation benefits everyone and gives nurses more time to focus on patients,” she said.

AI-assisted software is already in use for physicians at BayCare. However, nursing in hospitals involves more complex challenges. Many providers interact with each patient, relying on shared, precise assessments to guarantee high-quality care.

Nicole Gitney, BayCare’s VP of nursing informatics, stated, “Voice-enabled AI at the bedside can save time and enhance patient care. This technology aims to decrease documentation hassle and boost nurse satisfaction, allowing a stronger focus on patient outcomes.”

The pilot at St. Anthony’s started in December with a group trained to use the Aiva Health app on BayCare-issued iPhones. They can access electronic records and speak clinical updates directly into secure software. They can see and confirm what they have said on-screen before it goes into the patient’s chart.

By collaborating with developers, BayCare offers its team a chance to suggest upgrades and showcase how voice-enabled AI can simplify documentation and improve care. So far, the pilot has cut down the need for moving computers between patient rooms.

Liza Redmond, a nurse manager in the cardiac unit at St. Anthony’s, highlighted the benefit of real-time charting. “Using voice technology is a game changer for everyone in healthcare,” she said.

BayCare operates as a not-for-profit health system, providing a wide range of services across 16 hospitals and many other locations in the Tampa Bay and Central Florida areas.

Aiva’s AI Nurse Assistant allows nurses to chart in real-time, using their voice or text, which saves time and ensures immediate data availability for clinical decisions.

PHOTO: A BayCare nurse at St. Anthony’s Hospital demonstrates the new AI-assisted voice technology to a patient in bed.