How Much Time Can AI Scribes Save You?
Psychiatrists have one of the most documentation-heavy specialties in medicine. Between mental status exams, risk assessments, therapy notes, and medication management, it’s not unusual for notes to spill into evenings and weekends. That “pajama time” is not just exhausting—it’s unprofitable.
That’s why so much attention is being paid to AI scribes. They promise to take session transcripts and turn them into draft notes, freeing psychiatrists to focus on the patient, not the keyboard. But the real question is: how much time do they actually save?
What the Companies Claim
Here’s what leading AI scribe vendors say you can save—and what that means if you see 15 patients a day, 5 days a week (≈ 75 visits/week).
What Independent Studies Show
Independent research tells a more modest story—but still confirms the core value: AI scribes save time.
A 2025 Penn Medicine study found a 20% drop in time spent writing notes and 30% less after-hours charting across specialties, psychiatry included.
A UCLA randomized trial showed one scribe tool cut charting time by ~10%, while another showed no change—proof that workflow fit and training matter.
Observational pilots in health systems like Intermountain and UVM report anywhere from 2.5 hours/week saved to 3 hours/day saved depending on configuration.
The takeaway? Marketing numbers may be high, but even conservative studies confirm real, measurable savings. I think the number in somewhere in between and how you configure your AI scribe and train it makes a huge difference.
Why This Matters for Psychiatrists
In psychiatry, each visit is billed at a fixed price. The only lever you control is how much time it takes to deliver that service. If an AI scribe shaves even a few minutes per note, the impact compounds:
Per week: reclaim several hours of time
Per month: add back multiple full workdays
Per year: win back weeks of your life
That time can be used in three ways:
Boost profit margins by seeing more patients without working longer hours.
Reinvest in growth by working on your practice instead of just in it.
Reclaim your life—family, hobbies, or simply rest.
What’s Still Missing
Not every claim has independent validation yet. Psychiatry-specific randomized trials are rare, and many vendor reports reflect best-case scenarios. But across the board—whether it’s Freed’s 2 hours/day, Mentalyc’s 20 minutes per session, or Upheal’s 14 minutes per note—the direction is clear: time saved is real and it’s growing.
Final Word
Every psychiatrist I know wants two things: a more profitable practice and a better work–life balance. AI scribes offer a rare opportunity to achieve both.
The numbers will vary depending on the vendor, your visit mix, and how you configure the tool—but whether you save 4 hours a month or 60 hours a month, it’s time you get back.
Time to invest in your practice. Time to spend with your family. Time to finally start that hobby you’ve been “too busy” for.
Because at the end of the day, that’s the real promise of AI scribes: not just faster notes, but the freedom to choose how you spend your time.
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