Summary
Join us as we sit down with Colorado-based allergist and immunologist Dr. Robert McDermott, who has seen first-hand what an AI-powered solution can do for care providers at facilities of all scales. Dr. McDermott offers his unique perspective as someone who has integrated DAX Copilot as a documentation assistant at both a small clinic as well as a hospital. He delves into why and how, at each scale, he has seen the investment pay off for the providers, patients, and facility alike. For Dr. McDermott, the ability to give physicians on his staff hours of their day back, on top of the ease of integrating the new-age technology, swiftly quashed any early skepticism regarding his investment. Listen in to hear why!
Visit aka.ms/ddx-podcast to view a DAX Copilot demo today.
Dr. Robert McDermott , M.D.
Dr. Robert McDermott, MD, stands at the forefront of promoting physician health and combating professional burnout. As the founder of the Healing Intelligence Network™, he is dedicated to advancing medical care by integrating the art and science of medicine with wellness strategies. A respected national news contributor and a vocal expert on physician wellness, Dr. McDermott has personally mentored a significant cohort of medical professionals and is recognized as an influential speaker both nationally and internationally.
Dr. McDermott’s professional journey encompasses leadership roles such as CEO and founder of the Healing Intelligence Network, LLC, founder of Allergy Asthma & Immunology of the Rockies PC, and CEO and founder of Allergy Intellect LLC. He also continues to practice full time as a specialist in allergy and immunology. In addition, his public speaking engagements address physician wellness, and burnout, and the application of artificial intelligence to responsibly improve physician efficiency and wellness with improved patient care.
His contributions to the field are also evident in his published works, ranging from patents in medical science to insightful articles in immunology and allergy. Each publication underscores his dedication to advancing medical knowledge and improving patient outcomes. Dr. McDermott is in the process of authoring a book titled “Healing Intelligently.” This anticipated publication explores the transformative power embedded within the doctor-patient relationship, advocating for its enduring relevance across a spectrum of personal interactions, undiminished by the rise of advanced artificial intelligence technologies.
Transcript
DDx SEASON 11, EPISODE 4
From Clinic to Hospital
Raj: This season of DDx is produced in partnership with and sponsored by Microsoft.
DISCLAIMER: In this episode, we feature a conversation with Dr. Robert McDermott. Dr. McDermott is an unpaid user of DAX. He has received no compensation for participating in this episode, and the views expressed are his own.
HOOK
Dr. McDermott: I was tired of documenting into the late hours of the night with time away from my family, I also knew my other providers in my clinic were feeling the same struggles. All of us were spending two to two and a half hours every evening documenting into the EHR. I was very aware of my own burnout and the challenges that we were facing as a clinic. I knew we needed to do something different. They presented DAX as a solution for documentation. And when I first saw it, I was like, this is a moonshot. There’s no way that this is going to work, because it was too good to be true.
SHOW OPENING
Raj: This is DDX, a podcast from Figure 1 about how doctors think.
I’m Dr. Raj Bhardwaj.
This season, we’re looking at a new AI solution for doctors.
It’s called DAX Copilot.
The idea is simple: you walk into the exam room and start talking with your patient.
No typing.
No notepad.
Just a conversation.
While you’re focused on the patient, DAX listens. 2
It records the visit, drafts the medical note, and promises to save you hours of charting.
That’s the pitch.
But does it work?
We’re asking doctors what it’s really like to use this technology.
Does it help?
Does it get in the way?
And what does it mean for the doctor-patient relationship when DAX is in the room too?
Today, we’re asking a big question: Can DAX perform just as well in a busy hospital as it does in a small clinic?
The environments? Drastically different.
The stakes? Both high.
Dr. Robert McDermott knows both landscapes well.
As a specialist in rural Colorado, he’s implemented DAX in his own clinic.
But he’s also stepped into the complex world of hospital administration, consulting with leadership integrating this technology.
Dr. Robert McDermott is an allergist and immunologist serving Colorado’s Roaring Fork and Eagle Valley communities.
He’s also the founder of the Healing Intelligence Network, a healthcare consulting firm which aims to improve patient care and provider well-being.
CHAPTER 1: The Small Clinic Experience
Dr. McDermott: I did a survey, it turned out that all of us were spending two to two and a half hours every evening documenting into the EHR. 3
Raj: Two to two and a half hours—every night.
That’s how much time Dr. McDermott and his team were losing to charting.
For a small clinic, those hours add up fast, pulling time away from patients, from family, and from any chance at balance.
It’s a weight that leaves physicians drained and questioning how long they can keep going.
Dr. McDermott: I was incredibly burned out with the burden of documentation. I also knew my other providers in my clinic were feeling the same struggles. some of them were considering quitting.
Raj: He first heard about DAX Copilot in an unexpected way—through a podcast.
Dr. McDermott: This podcast about new technologies that can help doctors and hospitals, they presented DAX as a solution for documentation. And when I first saw it, I was like, this is a moonshot. There’s no way that this is going to work, but if it does, this will transform my clinic.
Raj: For Dr. McDermott, it wasn’t just curiosity.
It was a necessity.
His clinic was drowning in documentation.
But still, he was skeptical.
Dr. McDermott: Like, how could you go into a room, have natural conversation with your patient, And have it documented for you where you walk out of the room or have it posted later that day where all that documentation time is gone. I felt like there’s no way that there’s a technology that could capture all that data and that natural conversation and translate it to meaningful text into an electronic health record.
Raj: Dr. McDermott figured he’d give it a try.
Dr. McDermott: I took a leap of faith. Honestly, I knew that this was going to be an investment, but I also knew my providers were really struggling. I was 4
struggling and this was an investment in them. And if I were going to keep my practice alive and healthy and viable and productive, I knew I needed to do something to help them. If I could keep one provider from quitting, the return on investment for me was there. So I decided to just go for it.
Raj: Adopting DAX felt like a gamble—an investment with no guarantee it would pay off.
Dr. McDermott: As a clinic owner, it’s the financial decision, right? This wasn’t free. It was an investment I was going to make into myself and the other providers. And I really had to ask myself, how am I going to afford this? And is it going to pay off?
Raj: The stakes were high.
Time was already in short supply, and introducing a new system risked disrupting his clinic’s already strained workflow.
Dr. McDermott: I was delightfully surprised with working with the implementation team with DAX. It was seamless and the technology was easy to deploy. By day two, I was seeing a full schedule of patients because I loved it so much. Yeah, it was amazing.
Raj: It’s rare to hear a physician talk about a new technology like this.
Dr. McDermott expected hiccups, long training sessions, and troubleshooting.
Instead, the system felt intuitive—almost too simple to be real.
Dr. McDermott: There’s not hundreds of hours of training you need to put into this. Like it’s very simple, it’s just an app on my iPhone where I hit record and talk to my patient and through artificial intelligence, it captures the visit.
It captures me asking the history of present illness. It captures the physical exam by me giving cues of what I’m seeing when I examine the patient, and it translates it to a meaningful medical terminology for the physical exam.
And then I can discuss my assessment and plan and what our treatment plan is. And DAX will interpret that into an assessment and plan. So it listens to that natural conversation and translates that to meaningful data that’s then posted to the electronic health record. 5
Raj: Still, ease of use was only part of the equation.
Did it actually deliver on the promise of saving time?
Dr. McDermott asked his providers.
Dr. McDermott: I did a survey before and asked them: How many minutes or hours are you documenting after clinic? And for our providers, it was between two and a half and three hours a day. And then about three months later, after everybody had implemented DAX, I did the same survey and I said, how much is your documentation time now? And they replied, I’m down to 30 minutes or less.
CHAPTER 2: The Hospital DAX Trial
Raj: Dr. McDermott was also a member of his local hospital’s medical executive committee.
He had a front-row seat to the everyday struggles of physicians.
Dr. McDermott: At the time I was also serving on the med exec committee at my local hospital and decided I wanted to start a consulting business and coaching business for healthcare providers and re-engage healthcare providers on their own wellness, and part of this was also working with hospitals.
Raj: Dr. McDermott saw how DAX changed his clinic and started thinking…
But could it deliver the same results in a hospital?
Dr. McDermott: I mean, I believe in this product because it has dramatically changed my life and I know it can help other doctors. I knew that we could do things different for physicians in hospitals and, and that this would be a win win for everybody.
Raj: When he pitched the idea to Valley View Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, the response was cautiously optimistic.
Dr. McDermott: I had this conversation with the chief medical officer at my local hospital, and introduced it to him. And he’s like, ‘you know, this sounds great. But this is a huge investment for the hospital, and if it doesn’t work, I’m going to lose my job.’ 6
Raj: Scaling DAX to a hospital brought a new set of challenges—larger teams, more bureaucracy, and more complex workflows.
But the hospital’s first question was the bottom line.
Dr. McDermott: Looking at it as an administrator, you know, where am I going to get that return on investment? I said, you know what, if we just save one doctor from quitting because they’re completely fried and burned out, and we introduce a technology that supports them and saves them time and they become more engaged and they become happier and they don’t quit. It’s going to save the hospital between 500,000 and a million dollars, which is the average cost of replacing a provider when they leave.
Raj: The next question was just as critical: Could DAX improve productivity in such a complex and unpredictable setting?
Dr. McDermott: This solution makes doctors more productive. If their documentation is more comprehensive, when a doctor’s documenting a more comprehensive note, if you have more documentation that supports what you’re actually doing, your billing becomes much more accurate.
Raj: Productivity, though, was only part of the equation.
The real question was whether DAX could reshape the experience of care—for both patients and doctors.
Dr. McDermott: They have more time. They’re engaging their patients. Patients are happier when their physicians are engaged with them and talking to them and having natural conversation with them. Happy patients means great reviews, great reputation, great outcomes.
Raj: When doctors have more time to connect, patients feel it.
At Valley View Hospital, they didn’t just rely on anecdotes—they tracked the numbers.
Dr. McDermott: Credit to Valley View Hospital for tracking their success with it and knowing that it has improved objective measures. They have tracked their physician satisfaction scores and implementation, before and after how people are doing. And the providers at Valley View Hospital, the vast majority of them are very happy with the product because it’s capturing that time back for them. 7
Raj: Watching DAX transform both his clinic and local hospital, Dr. McDermott found himself asking a bigger question: if it works here, what could it do for healthcare on a broader scale?
Dr. McDermott: I think doctors need to know about this technology. The return on investment is there and it’s just going to make their lives easier. I believe in the product, and I know it’s going to help transform healthcare in the United States and beyond.
SHOW CLOSING
Raj: Thanks to Dr. McDermott for speaking with us.
This is DDX, a podcast by Figure 1. Figure 1 is an app that lets doctors share clinical images and knowledge about difficult-to-diagnose cases.
I’m Dr. Raj Bhardwaj, host and story editor of DDX.
Head over to figure1.com/ddx where you can find full show notes, speaker bios and photos.
This season of DDX was produced in partnership with and sponsored by Microsoft.
Thanks for listening!