AI tools are helping specialty care providers improve patient access, elevate care quality, and streamline operations.
Specialty care plays a critical role in a patient’s overall healthcare journey and depends on strong collaboration among providers. In the U.S., over one-third of patients are referred to a specialist each year. As a leader in electronic health records (EHR) and health IT, eClinicalWorks equips specialty care providers with AI-driven tools to streamline workflows and enhance patient engagement.
Supporting the distinct workflows of specialty practices
Unlike primary care or family medicine, which often integrate more easily with new EHR technologies, specialty care involves more complex and customized workflows. For instance, behavioral health providers must handle diverse documentation needs—ranging from third-party screening forms and treatment task tracking to care plan reviews and signatures from both patients and care teams.
To support seamless health data collection and interoperability across the EHR landscape, eClinicalWorks has focused on delivering tailored solutions for specialty providers in fields such as pediatrics, dermatology, neurology, cardiology, and more. The company has recently expanded its offerings with new modules for oncology, nephrology, and physiotherapy—and additional specialties are on the way. With these integrated tools, specialty care providers can now meet their EHR needs without relying on third-party systems.
In addition to enhancing operational efficiency, AI tools are also elevating the quality of care in specialty practices. For example, Health Opportunities for the People of East Texas (HOPE) reported that using the Sunoh.ai medical scribe—which captures real-time notes during behavioral health visits—enables providers to maintain eye contact and observe body language, fostering deeper trust and connection with patients. Similarly, the eClinicalWorks AI Assistant for PRISMA improves documentation review and interoperability by summarizing a patient’s complete medical history across trusted health system sources.
Delivering Consistent, High-Quality Care Amid Staffing Challenges
Specialty care practices are facing growing difficulty in managing patient volumes due to ongoing workforce shortages. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, there could be shortages of over 82,000 allied health professionals and more than 404,000 behavioral health workers by 2037. To address these gaps, specialty providers must turn to AI-powered solutions to maintain care quality and manage increasing patient demand.
At Community Health Alliance—a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Nevada offering a range of services including dental care—maintaining adequate staffing to ensure a dental assistant is available for charting during every appointment has been a significant challenge. By implementing the Sunoh.ai medical scribe, dentists can now perform exams independently using voice commands, allowing dental assistants to focus on other critical responsibilities. With AI-powered solutions tailored to the needs of community health centers, eClinicalWorks and healow are trusted by over 850 health centers across the country.
Women’s health is another specialty benefiting from Sunoh.ai to improve patient engagement and simplify clinical documentation. At Rocky Mountain Women’s Clinic, providers report saving up to two hours per day by using the AI-powered medical scribe, allowing them to dedicate more time to patient care. Across various specialties, AI medical scribes are closing documentation gaps and enhancing the overall patient experience.
