Samaritan Brings Technology to Forefront of Patient Care March 13, 2025 Technology is an integral part of modern medicine, bringing many advantages to patients and providers alike. Here are a few ways technology is being used at Samaritan Health Services. Digital Assistants in the Clinics The use of computers for electronic charting in recent years has changed the patient/provider interaction. Now, the newest technology will provide an experience that is closer to what patients and physicians had before computers. In essence, this technology will allow Samaritan providers to focus more on the patient and the human side of giving care. “If you put a screen in front of a provider, medicine can become a frustrating experience,” said Roheet Kakaday, MD. “With digital assistants, suddenly medicine becomes a lot more fun again.” Dr. Kakaday is the associate medical director of Clinical Informatics for Samaritan Health Services. He said a technology known as voice-activated ambient artificial intelligence was rolled out this past summer and is now being used by two dozen primary care and urgent care providers. Ambient AI software acts as a digital stenographer. It listens to the conversation between a patient and provider then writes their notes in a secure, HIPAA-compliant method that respects patients’ privacy. Providers spend much of their appointment time taking notes on a keyboard, writing down the patient’s history and ensuring the right information gets into their appointment notes. Ambient AI can automate these tasks and have notes ready for physician review and signature by the time the patient visit is over. Providers have full editing capability over the notes produced. Initial tests showed the device worked extremely well, filtering out extra verbiage even in noisy environments. “I think it will have a wonderful impact on the quality of life for providers. They can be a clinician and not a clerk,” said Dr. Kakaday. “And I think the patient will feel better being seen by a provider whose focus is all on them.” The Rover at Good Samaritan Another piece of technology, the Rover, is currently in use at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis. Rovers are handheld devices about the size of a cell phone that are connected to patients’ electronic medical records. More portable than a laptop and less cumbersome than a workstation, a Rover can be used at the bedside to securely input patient data, scan patient and medical staff barcode identification and document new information. John Blenkinsopp, vice president of Patient Care Services, said a chat feature was added this year to allow bedside staff to communicate with providers or each other within the electronic medical record. By fall, the goal is to have a pilot project in at least two of the high-intensity critical care units where the Rovers will print specimen lab labels. The plan is to make the units “a one-stop access device to promote safe, reliable patient care,” he said. Robotic‑assisted Surgery in Newport In early 2024, Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport joined Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center and Samaritan Albany General Hospital in offering robotic-assisted surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System. The system replicates the real-time movements of a surgeon’s hands, with the surgeon controlling each movement of the tiny instruments. Patients and surgeons both benefit from using the system. Patients receive smaller incisions that reduce blood loss, scarring and risk of infection. This leads to shorter hospital stays and faster recovery times. Surgeons have more precise control and enhanced, three-dimensional surgical views which enable them to take on more complex procedures. Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital is Oregon’s first critical access hospital to use the system as an alternative to both traditional surgery and conventional laparoscopy. “Integrating the da Vinci system represents a major advancement in patient care, offering superior outcomes, enhanced safety and greater overall satisfaction for both patients and health care providers, while also ensuring we attract and retain the best surgical talent,” said hospital Chief Operating Officer Jane Russell. Learn more about robotic-assisted surgery at Samaritan Health Services.
