Teladoc expands collaboration with Microsoft to integrate AI capabilities

Earlier this week, Teladoc announced that it will be expanding its collaboration with Microsoft to integrate the tech giant’s advanced artificial intelligence capabilities into Teladoc’s virtual care platform. Specifically, the goal of the expanded partnership will be to integrate Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Cognitive Services, and the Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) Service, with an aim to help alleviate administrative and documentation burdens for physicians.

These tools can help automate the clinical documentation process during a physician-patient encounter, providing physicians more time with patients that would otherwise be used to write notes and document the visit. Nuance’s Dragon dictation platform, which transcribes dictation by physicians and providers to written notes that can be saved under patient records, is a common staple already embedded across many hospital systems nationwide, making further integration even easier.

Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nuance in 2021 with the goal of expanding its presence in healthcare delivery: “Nuance’s solutions work seamlessly with core healthcare systems, including longstanding relationships with Electronic Health Records (EHRs), to alleviate the burden of clinical documentation and empower providers to deliver better patient experiences. Nuance solutions are currently used by more than 55% of physicians and 75% of radiologists in the U.S., and used in 77% of U.S. hospitals.”

CEO and leader of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, posted on social media during the original acquisition period: “AI is technology’s most important priority, and healthcare is its most urgent application. Together with [Nuance], we will put advanced AI solutions into the hands of professionals to drive better decision-making and create more meaningful connections.” Forbes