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Ambient Speech 2024
In a High-Energy Market, EHR Integration Drives Purchasing Decisions
Author
Mac Boyter
Author
Ciera Walker
Author
Braden Taylor
With the rapid expansion of generative AI, ambient speech technology has been top of mind for healthcare organizations as they seek increased efficiency, improved note quality, and improved provider well-being. While ambient speech vendors previously had to provide QA specialists to review created notes, generative AI has enabled ambient speech technology to become more fully automated and do more than just transcribe medical notes. Many organizations are currently making or have made ambient speech purchase decisions in the last year; while some are beginning to move past the pilot stage, broad adoption of this technology is not yet common. To help healthcare organizations understand why certain vendors are being considered and selected, this report—KLAS’ first to focus on only ambient speech technology—examines feedback from 80 organizations that are making or have recently made decisions between January 2024 and August 2024. (This report does not represent a comprehensive census or win/loss market share study.)
Note: This report uses the term “ambient speech” to refer to this area of AI clinical documentation technology. While “ambient speech” is the most frequently used term in the market, other common terms include “ambient AI,” “AI scribing,” and “AI clinical scribe.”
A Note about the Data Sample & Collection Methods
For this report’s data sample, KLAS used three different research methods: (1) targeted outreach to healthcare leaders across the US, (2) organic conversations initiated by organizations looking to share and learn about the market, and (3) outreach to organizations based on vendor-provided client lists. Of the 80 US-based organizations surveyed for this report, 14 had not decided on a vendor at the time of interview.
Nuance Most Considered Due to Existing Relationships & Reputation, Abridge Highlighted for Affordability & Physician-Led Leadership; Both Benefit from Epic Workshop Partnership
The most considered and selected vendors in this data sample, Nuance and Abridge are particularly highlighted for their Epic Workshop partnerships, which enable them to develop deep integration by embedding their ambient speech technology into Epic workflows. Interviewed Epic organizations (who make up 56% of this report’s data sample) say the ability to use ambient speech technology within Epic’s products is highly valuable.
Considered in nearly 80% of validated purchase decisions, Nuance (a Microsoft company) is a well-established vendor in the CDI and dictation markets with products such as Dragon Medical One. 21 interviewed organizations cite their existing relationship with the vendor as a primary reason for considering the ambient speech product, with 14 of these organizations ultimately selecting it. Microsoft’s acquisition and backing of Nuance is also a major consideration factor for organizations; several respondents express confidence in the product’s future thanks to Microsoft’s reputation and resources. Organizations that considered but didn’t select Nuance most often point to the cost, noting that other vendors have more affordable pricing models.
Epic organizations who selected the Abridge product highlight its maturity and capabilities, such as the unique auditing features and number of translatable languages. Additionally, several respondents point to the competitive pricing as a reason for selection. Organizations appreciate that Abridge is a physician-led company, which helps the vendor better understand physicians’ needs; additionally, a few respondents see Abridge as highly flexible and accommodating because they are a newer company. Two non-Epic organizations considered but did not select Abridge as they felt other ambient speech products would integrate better with their EHR.
Suki Seen as a Viable Option across EHRs; Oracle Health Customers Cautiously Optimistic about Clinical Digital Assistant Thanks to Native EHR Integration
Healthcare organizations considering Suki view the solution as a cost-effective option that can integrate with various EHRs. Two respondents selected Suki because they are a MEDITECH Alliance partner, which enables strong EHR integration; two other organizations using athenahealth also cited integration as a key differentiator for Suki. Augmedix (recently acquired by Commure) is similarly considered for integration with MEDITECH, who recommends the ambient speech solution to their EHR customers. Two respondents considered Augmedix Go because of the vendor’s hybrid offering, Augmedix Assist, which includes a QA specialist who reviews the AI-generated notes prior to submission. Several healthcare organizations using Oracle Health’s EHR considered the vendor’s new Clinical Digital Assistant product for the embedded EHR integration, which allows for easy connection between the ambient speech and clinical documentation workflows. Two respondents said that because the product is newer than others in the market, they will wait to see how well Oracle Health delivers the promised functionality before selecting.
While interviewed organizations using Epic and Oracle Health EHRs consider multiple vendors, most of these respondents ultimately select an Epic Workshop partner or Oracle Health’s homegrown solution in order to access strong native integration.
Organizations Select Nabla for Streamlined User Experience & Cost; Strong Demo & Positive Sales Experience Are Key Contributors to Ambience Healthcare Selections
Nabla’s ambient speech product is highlighted for its ease of use. Four organizations that selected the product report that it was easy to trial and onboard and that their physicians find it to be intuitive and flexible to their needs. Other organizations that selected Nabla cite the system’s price point, configurability, and strong performance. Most organizations that selected Ambience Healthcare attribute their choice partly to the positive sales experience and impressive product demo; these respondents also report that the product meets their expectations regarding note quality, turnaround speed, language capabilities, and EHR integration.
DeepScribe started out in the virtual scribing market before launching their fully automated ambient speech product, and a few interviewed organizations cite familiarity with the vendor’s virtual scribing offering as a reason for consideration. These organizations also find DeepScribe’s clinical documentation experience and extensive AI database appealing. Recently spun off from 3M, Solventum has history in the documentation space that contributes to their considerations. The vendor’s ambient speech solution, Solventum Fluency Align, is complementary to their dictation solution, Solventum Fluency Direct, and respondents cite this as either a reason for consideration or for not selecting the vendor. One organization considered the ambient speech tool due to their existing vendor relationship; other respondents already had a dictation solution and didn’t want to switch to Solventum Fluency Direct if they chose Solventum’s ambient speech solution, so they opted to move forward with other vendors.
Additional KLAS Insights on Ambient Speech Technology
To share early data on customer experiences with ambient speech vendors, KLAS has published Emerging Insights reports on several of the vendors included in this report (see list to the right). These reports are available on KLAS’ website, and additional reports on other vendors will be released in the future. Additionally, performance data for ambient speech vendors is now available on KLAS’ website, and KLAS will publish a market segment performance report in early 2025.
In addition to vendor performance data and reports, the KLAS Arch Collaborative is partnering with healthcare organizations and ambient speech vendors to measure outcomes and end-user experiences with these AI-powered documentation solutions. The Arch Collaborative is a clinician-led, KLAS-supported effort to improve the EHR experience through the use of standard end-user surveying and benchmarking. Through an ambient speech–specific survey administered by KLAS, healthcare organizations can examine their clinicians’ satisfaction and the impact of ambient speech solutions within their organizations. For more information on how to measure your clinicians’ EHR and ambient speech experiences, visit our website.
Ambient Speech Vendor Partners†
- Abridge
- Ambience Healthcare
- DeepScribe
- Nabla
- Nuance (a Microsoft Company)
- Onpoint Healthcare Partners
- Solventum
- Suki
† Healthcare organizations are not limited to the listed vendors and can measure their clinician experience with any ambient speech vendor.
About This Report
KLAS Decision Insights Data
All references in this report to organizations’ purchasing motivations come from KLAS’ Decision Insights data. Since 2017, KLAS has been gathering information as to which vendors are being replaced, considered, and purchased and what factors drive these decisions. KLAS Decision Insights data does not represent a comprehensive census or win/loss market share study. Rather, it is intended to help provider organizations understand which vendors have market energy and why. The data set in this report comes from 80 organizations that are making or have recently made an ambient speech purchase decision validated by KLAS between January 2024 and August 2024.
Writer
Natalie Hopkins
Designer
Nikki Christensen
Project Manager
Sydney Toomer
This material is copyrighted. Any organization gaining unauthorized access to this report will be liable to compensate KLAS for the full retail price. Please see the KLAS DATA USE POLICY for information regarding use of this report. © 2026 KLAS Research, LLC. All Rights Reserved. NOTE: Performance scores may change significantly when including newly interviewed provider organizations, especially when added to a smaller sample size like in emerging markets with a small number of live clients. The findings presented are not meant to be conclusive data for an entire client base.