SC’s McLeod Health Turns to Nuance Surgical Documentation Solution Ahead of Post-COVID Surge

Nuance Communications, Inc. has announced that McLeod Health is the latest organization to deploy its Surgical Computer-Assisted Physician Documentation (CAPD) solution, adding it to its existing Nuance deployment, the Dragon Medical One platform.

The CAPD is a tool that uses Nuance’s vast experience with artificial intelligence (AI) to allow physicians to eliminate the need for physical paperwork.

The solution — when combined with Nuance’s Dragon Medical One platform, which McLeod adopted two years ago — is able to aid the diagnostic process by providing relevant clinical information, while also organizing patient records and providing critical information to physicians when they need it. The idea is to give medical professionals everything they need for each patient in one place, reducing the time they have to spend on clerical work in order to increase one-on-one time with the patients themselves.

McLeod is a healthcare network in Florence, South Carolina that has turned to innovative technologies to help relieve the strains created by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the viral outbreak forced the cancellation and delay of many surgeries earlier in the year, administrators looked for a system to help hospitals manage stability for a future influx when surgeries recommence.

“Elective surgeries are high-volume procedures that account for a significant amount of revenue for our organization which is critical to enabling us to care for our community,” said Bryon K. Frost, MD, VP, and CMIO, McLeod Health. “When documentation isn’t accurate and complete, it can result in billing delays, financial losses, and additional costs.”

“Surgeons and the organization don’t get reimbursed for the services provided unless the documentation reflects the appropriate detail of the procedures performed,” said Diana Nole, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Healthcare at Nuance. “We are excited to partner with McLeod Health to deliver surgical note completeness for improved accuracy of coding and billing to help them sustain financial viability.”