Stanford Develops ChatEHR: AI Tool That Enables Clinicians to Interact with Medical Records Via Chat

Stanford Health Care has introduced a groundbreaking AI-powered software called ChatEHR, allowing clinicians to communicate directly with a patient's electronic health records in a conversational manner. Inspired by large language models like GPT-4, this innovative tool is currently in a pilot phase, involving a limited group of 33 healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, and physician assistants. ChatEHR enables users to ask detailed questions about a patient's medical history, generate summaries of complex charts, and streamline information retrieval, all built seamlessly into the existing electronic medical record system.

Developed since 2023 by Stanford researchers led by Nigam Shah, MBBS, Ph.D., the software aims to augment clinical workflows without replacing healthcare professionals' judgment. Shah emphasizes that ChatEHR operates securely by pulling data directly from relevant medical records and is designed for accurate and efficient use in real-world settings.

Clinicians report that ChatEHR reduces the time spent digging through extensive medical records, enabling healthcare providers to focus more on patient interaction and decision-making. For instance, in emergency scenarios or patient transfers, the tool can quickly synthesize critical history, medication details, previous surgeries, and test results, thereby accelerating clinical response time.

Beyond simple queries, the team is working on automations for specific tasks such as evaluating patient transfer suitability or determining eligibility for hospital or hospice care. These automations aim to ease administrative burdens and improve patient access to necessary resources.

Looking ahead, Stanford plans to expand access to ChatEHR, evaluating its performance through frameworks like MedHELM to ensure accuracy. The developers are committed to implementing educational resources and technical support to integrate ChatEHR into the daily workflow of all clinicians, maintaining high standards of security and reliability.

As the technology advances, ChatEHR is poised to revolutionize the way healthcare providers interact with and utilize electronic health records, making clinical tasks faster, easier, and more precise.

source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-clinicians-chat-medical-ai-software.html