As ASCs strive to remain efficient, competitive and patient-centered, AI is emerging as a vital enabler in transforming workflows, communication and the entire patient experience.
During a session at Becker’s 31st annual meeting on the business & operations of ASCs, Thomas Kelly, MD, founder and CEO of Heidi, shared his vision of how AI can unlock new levels of operational and clinical efficiency for ASCs.
Here are four key takeaways from the session:
1. AI is a critical enabler
AI tools like Heidi streamline clinical documentation, enabling surgeons to focus fully on their patients. Dr. Kelly explained that Heidi transcribes and generates operative notes, visit summaries and post-op tasks, even during procedures.
For patients, the benefit is palpable: more eye contact, less distraction and a customized take-home summary. One pediatric surgeon even used Heidi to generate a post-op explanation in the form of a Taylor Swift song, a simple example of how technology can personalize care.
“I don’t need a desk,” said Dr. Kelly. “I just focus on what I am trained to do, which is figure out what to do for my patients. That’s the kind of brand of medicine that I want to practice.”
2. Transcripts are more than just notes
While many centers adopt AI for note generation, Dr. Kelly emphasized the broader value of transcripts. To him, the transcript is the basis for everything including insurance claims, clinical tasking and patient outreach. It also provides a safeguard through an auditable record for payers and clinical quality initiatives.
AI-generated transcripts can also help predict insurance approval likelihood and suggest documentation improvements during patient intake.
“Anything that happens needs to be documented,” Dr. Kelly said. “Having that transcript is an amazing source of value because if you have any issues, you have the original source.”
3. Implementation must prioritize usability, not just integration
A common pitfall for health systems is choosing tools based solely on EMR integration, rather than user satisfaction. Dr. Kelly cautioned against adopting tools that merely “fill forms” within the EHR.
Heidi sees adoption rates over 80% in large systems like Beth Israel Lahey Health, even without mandatory usage, a sign that user-centered design can drive meaningful change.
“This is a personal productivity tool and the productivity comes from it being useful to you as an individual,” Dr. Kelly said. “The first priority for us is getting the doctors to absolutely love it and give it lots of flexibility. Integration is important, but a user-centric product matters quite a lot.”
4. AI as table stakes
Dr. Kelly argued that AI will soon be essential for ASCs to maintain their edge over hospitals on cost and efficiency. To him, a critical component is AI’s ability to create increased productivity as a key differentiator.
“To keep ASCs vibrant and successful, being productive is the key,” Dr. Kelly said. “It’s going to be my notes and it’s going to be my operative report. It’s really a representation of me.”
Heidi is already automating patient calls, managing administrative follow-up and summarizing complex histories ahead of visits. As the platform evolves, it may handle pre-op research, real-time documentation, task coordination and more without added overhead.
But successful adoption, Dr. Kelly noted, depends on selecting a partner who can support specialty-specific workflows, provide onboarding support and serve as a long-term collaborator.
“This is a long journey for the next five, 10 years. I know it feels fast paced, but healthcare moves slowly and has to be safe and compliant,” Dr. Kelly said. “You want to pick a partner that is thinking about transforming your whole operation, not just part of it.”
