Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health’s ambient AI rollout was associated with up to 16.6% less after-hours documentation and up to 39.3% faster chart closure among its most active users, according to a study published Oct. 23 in NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery.
The analysis covered 5,234 clinicians with access to Abridge’s ambient documentation tool, which runs inside Jefferson’s Epic EHR. It also covered 283,028 ambulatory encounters with matched patient experience surveys from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2025. Use was voluntary, and about 34% of clinicians with access actively recorded visits.
Results were reported in two cohorts that reflect the separate EHR instances of Jefferson and Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network, which merged in August 2024. Among 637 clinicians who met the usage thresholds, Epic Signal data comparing 12 weeks before and after adoption showed several declines. Time in notes per appointment fell 10.5% and 17.3%. “Pajama time” fell 8.9% and 16.6%. Time to chart closure fell 25.3% and 39.3%. Weekly progress note volume held steady or rose.
The clinicians with the heaviest documentation loads gained the most. Top-quartile improvers cut pajama time by nearly 17 minutes per scheduled day and closed charts more than 36 hours faster. Advanced practice providers got back 9.9 minutes of daily documentation time, compared with 3.8 minutes for physicians.
Patient experience scores were equal or higher for ambient encounters. That advantage largely disappeared when researchers compared clinicians’ own ambient and nonambient visits, which points to self-selection among adopters. The authors found no evidence of harm to patient experience. Abridge had no role in the study and provided no funding.
Jennifer Stephens, DO, led the research. Jefferson Health President Baligh Yehia, MD, is a co-author.
Jefferson has returned roughly 1 million hours to patient care toward a September 2025 pledge to reclaim 10 million hours, executives said. The milestone is part of a September 2025 pledge to reclaim 10 million hours.
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