Google Glass with Augmedix to help patients on the Central Coast

Putting in patient information into a computer may become a thing of the past as doctors at several Pacific Central Coast Health Center locations start shifting to a newer, and easier high tech way.

“What we want to do is we want to take our doctors away from being highly paid data entry specialists and to really be sitting back down with the patients and listening to that story and really having that one on one conversation and so using a service like Augmedix, which uses the Google Glass technology can help us do that,” explains Dr. Scott Robertson, Chief Physician Executive.

The service works by providing a real time audio and video recording of a patient’s time with a doctor. A scribe in an undisclosed location then helps write down everything necessary for the patient’s medical records.

“The physician can then talk to the scribe and say “Can you bring up the last set of lab results?” – the patient’s last cholesterol reading for example – and that data will come up immediately right there, right at the hands of the physician without interrupting anything during the patient visit,” says Dr. Robertson.

The patients aren’t the only ones who benefit from this seamless interface, doctors say it cuts down on documentation time for them too.

“We’re saving physicians up to two hours a day of documentation time and so what they can do is they can spend that time to see more patients, spend time with more patients and in some cases they can even go home a little earlier at night so when you add that up two hours every day, it really makes a meaningful impact on their lives,” Dr. Robertson tells us.

All of the audio and video recorded from the Google Glass is securely encrypted so hackers cannot gain access to the information that is transmitted. Patients can opt out of the service if they feel uncomfortable as well.