Intermountain Health Chooses PowerScribe One for Radiology Reporting Advancement

Facing rising imaging volumes, staffing shortages, and increasing complexity in radiology reporting, Intermountain Health sought technologies that streamline workflows while enhancing quality and operational efficiency. The health system has been working to modernize its reporting environment with the adoption of PowerScribe One, a platform designed to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for improved reporting efficiency.

Intermountain’s decision to adopt PowerScribe One was driven by both immediate operational benefits and long-term strategic goals. By implementing this technology, Intermountain aims to scale AI and cloud capabilities while building a foundation for future innovations like Dragon Copilot for radiology.

The health system is navigating growing workloads and increasing complexity in radiology reporting due to rising imaging volumes, expanding clinical information available through electronic medical records and medical literature, ongoing staffing shortages, and increasing expectations around quality and service. According to Kenneth Nowers, MD, Medical Director of Imaging Operations at Intermountain Health, ‘Really our ability to keep up in this environment is hinged on the technology that we have access to.’

Dr. Nowers emphasizes that technology modernization for Intermountain is not just a software upgrade initiative but a strategic effort to create sustainable workflows that improve efficiency while preserving clinical quality in an increasingly demanding environment. The health system has been working with Microsoft to support clinicians and deliver more patient-centered care.

At Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging (SDMI), an outpatient imaging provider recently acquired by Intermountain Health, the move from PowerScribe 360 to PowerScribe One was a natural next step for modernizing their radiology reporting environment. Josh Staples, IT Director at SDMI, notes that ‘We’ve worked closely with Microsoft throughout our move from PowerScribe 360 to PowerScribe One, including participating in preview programs that gave our team an opportunity to provide feedback along the way.’

The partnership between Intermountain and Microsoft has been valuable as they adopted capabilities like Smart Impression. SDMI’s experience with PowerScribe One has also made collaboration between Intermountain sites and SDMI more efficient. Dr. Nowers shares, ‘Smart Impression really decreases cognitive burden of these tasks, and it improves the report quality.’

Among the AI-enabled capabilities available to many Intermountain radiologists is Smart Impression, which generates draft impressions for radiologists to review. Rather than adding another interface or workflow step, Smart Impression operates entirely within PowerScribe, creating a seamless integration into existing workflows.

The success of Smart Impression can be seen in its adoption rate among Intermountain’s radiology enterprise. Approximately 75 percent of radiologists are actively using the capability, with some subspecialty areas showing even higher utilization. Radiologists have also provided enthusiastic feedback about the tool, sharing that they don’t think they could go back to working without Smart Impression.

Dr. Nowers notes that radiologists tend to be highly skeptical of AI solutions but emphasizes that technologies must be accurate and efficiently integrated into existing workflows for adoption. The lack of negative feedback from radiologists following deployment is a strong indicator of Smart Impression’s success, particularly in reducing the cognitive burden associated with generating concise and accurate impressions.

The impact of Smart Impression has been substantial, with most of Intermountain’s radiology enterprise having access to it for approximately six months. Dr. Nowers reported that some subspecialty areas have shown even higher utilization rates than the overall average. Radiologists’ enthusiastic feedback about the tool highlights its value in improving report quality and reducing unnecessary work.

As Intermountain Health migrates its different sites to PowerScribe One, it anticipates deeper integration of AI capabilities, enhanced workflow efficiencies, and access to future innovations like Dragon Copilot for radiology. Dr. Nowers shares that ‘What’s going to be the most immediately impactful for a radiologist will be the prior report summarization.’

Intermountain has already seen the positive impact of Dragon Copilot in other areas of the health system through its use to support physician documentation during patient encounters, which helped reduce documentation effort and demonstrated the value of AI integrated into clinical workflows.

The experience with PowerScribe One is expected to deliver improved login experiences, enhanced cloud-based speech recognition, expanded medical dictionaries, and a more streamlined reporting workflow. These improvements are anticipated to enhance reporting efficiency by reducing friction for radiologists while integrating AI capabilities.

Dr. Nowers emphasizes that the objective of modernization through adopting PowerScribe One remains centered on helping radiologists manage growing complexity while maintaining excellence in patient care. By combining modern reporting with integrated AI capabilities and a strategic partnership with Microsoft, Intermountain is creating an environment to empower radiologists today and help them thrive in the future.

Looking ahead, Dr. Nowers highlights interest in contextual clinical chat, report optimization capabilities, and future extensibility that could support organizational quality and compliance workflows. The vision for Intermountain Health’s modernization effort remains focused on reducing unnecessary work, simplifying access to information, and allowing radiologists to remain focused on their interpretation and the clinical judgment and problem-solving that make their work rewarding.

The health system is creating an environment where radiologists can thrive in the future by combining modern reporting with integrated AI capabilities. By leveraging technology like PowerScribe One and its associated innovations, Intermountain Health aims to empower radiologists today while addressing the growing complexity in radiology reporting.