This rapidly developing technology is being deployed in all sectors of American society, including the healthcare industry. The question is: can AI make a real difference in delivering quality care, as well as making life a bit easier for care providers? Well, in one coastal state, the AI ship has pulled safely into port.
Taking on the Cargo
Our story begins with MaineGeneral Health (MGH), one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the State of Maine. According to a recent article in Becker’s Hospital Review, certain tensions prompted the system to embark on a focused search for technology-based solutions that could “convey a measurable, positive impact for clinicians, without disrupting existing workflows.”
In 2024, MGH began evaluating AI medical scribe solutions with a clear goal: “improve physician workflows and reduce documentation burden, particularly for medical staff.” While several options were initially recommended through CIO networks, one option entered the evaluation through clinician advocacy. A physician, who’d been using it since March 2024, strongly recommended that leadership take a closer look. That recommendation proved pivotal, according to Becker’s.
MGH’s CIO, Mark St. John, recalls that the platform stood out not because of marketing visibility, but because of adoption and engagement outcomes observed at peer organizations. “[It] was a platform that could deliver higher engagement and adoption,” he noted, adding that, after speaking with another large health system already using it, MGH decided to move forward.
Setting Sail
The initial phase of MGH’s AI implementation was in June 2025. The rollout was intentionally limited at the outset, being offered to only 38 medical staff members. Due to increasing demand, however, that number rose to 51 participants. Of those, 98% became active users—a level of adoption that is notable not just for its scale, but for its speed.
Within this initial phase, “clinicians generated 5,928 recording sessions and 11,812 clinical notes and documents, demonstrating early and sustained engagement with the technology.” It is important to note that this adoption occurred without changes to existing EHR workflows. The IT team at MGH reported that onboarding and implementation proceeded smoothly, “reinforcing the value of a light-lift deployment model in complex clinical environments.”
Becker’s notes that feedback from both clinicians and operational leaders during this phase was uniformly positive. “Clinicians reported meaningful relief from documentation burden, with 82% agreeing the solution reduced mental load, supporting greater presence with patients and dependable note quality, even in busy or noisy settings.” Project Manager Gwendolyn Blue said, “It is not often that people in IT get to be part of a project that so positively impacts people’s lives.”
Full Speed Ahead
Based on the success of the first phase, MGH initiated its second phase of the project on September 1, 2025. The expansion involved an additional 225 medical staff members and emphasized “structured onboarding, live clinician education, ongoing Q&A, specialty-aware templates and hands-on support.”
The result of the project at MGH aligns with outcomes observed in similar organizations, according to Becker’s. The AI vendor “reports an average of five minutes saved per provider visit, translating to nearly two hours saved per provider per day, or the equivalent of two to four additional appointments daily.” While the project’s outcomes are still being assessed, the health system has recognized that “even modest per-visit efficiencies can meaningfully increase system-wide capacity and directly impact financial sustainability.”
Setting the Right Course
As MGH looks ahead, they are viewing AI, not as a short-term fix, but as infrastructure for resilience. The CIO of MGH stated “We see this AI system as a partner helping us deliver measurable transformation to our organization, making us more resilient as we face the many challenges in our industry.”
For health systems navigating similar pressures, the early experience of MGH with their AI platform offers a nautical notable: traversing the waves of uncertainty requires better instruments that meet the new challenges ahead. As the writers at Becker’s put it, “meaningful transformation begins with clinician trust, thoughtful implementation and technology that quietly earns its place in the care experience, one visit at a time.”