KUMC — University of Kansas Medical Center
What KUMC Is
The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) is the clinical and research arm of the University of Kansas health system, based in Kansas City, Kansas. It includes the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and School of Health Professions, and operates one of the largest academic medical centers in the Midwest.
KUMC has published some of the most rigorous real-world evidence on ambient AI scribes in clinical practice, making it a landmark institution in this literature.
Why It Appears in the Research
KUMC was one of the earliest Abridge adopters in the US and has produced two peer-reviewed studies on Abridge’s impact:
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Tierney et al., JAMIA Open (Feb 2025) — a quality improvement survey of 181 clinicians across 30 specialties who used Abridge for at least 5 encounters. This is the study cited for the 81% / 77% / 73% / 67% / 64% satisfaction figures.
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The median note generation time improvement (76 sec → 38 sec) was also documented at KUMC during their implementation period (July 2023 → April 2024).
Study Design Note (Important)
The Tierney et al. study was conducted as a quality improvement initiative, not a randomized controlled trial. The pre- and post-implementation surveys had different questions — only 2 items were directly comparable. The 81%, 77%, 73%, 67%, and 64% figures are from the post-implementation survey only (respondents who agreed/strongly agreed after using Abridge), not statistically computed pre/post changes. This is a meaningful methodological caveat: these are satisfaction rates, not measured reductions.
The authors note this as a study limitation.
Key Numbers from KUMC Studies
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Clinicians offered Abridge | 181 | Tierney et al., JAMIA Open |
| Post-implementation survey respondents | 99 | Tierney et al., JAMIA Open |
| Median days using Abridge before post-survey | 92 days (IQR: 66–172) | Tierney et al. |
| Clinicians who found documentation workflow easier | 81% | Tierney et al. |
| Clinicians who said Abridge improved patient care | 77% | Tierney et al. |
| Clinicians who spent less time documenting after hours | 73% | Tierney et al. |
| Clinicians at risk for burnout pre-implementation | 75% | Tierney et al. |
| Note generation time improvement | 76s → 38s | KUMC internal data |
| Specialties covered | 30 | Tierney et al. |
Why KUMC Matters for the Research
KUMC is a credible academic source with no financial relationship with Abridge beyond being a customer. Their studies are among the few that assess multi-specialty impact (30 specialties, not just primary care). The JAMIA Open paper is published in a peer-reviewed journal, adding methodological credibility.
However, the quality-improvement design means results should be interpreted as observational and directional, not causal.
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