Chaos, Hidden Tax, and the Power of NEVER Forgetting: Note Assist Actions

A day in primary care is often a study in barely managed chaos. I think we all start each day with the best intentions: to carefully attend to the needs of our patients, develop thoughtful care plans, and always deliver the highest quality care possible. Yet the reality is a relentless tide of complex medical decision-making with too many cognitive distractions peppered by numerous interruptions, and an absolutely endless list of to-dos. 

The battle-rhythm of each encounter is roughly the same. After spending time with my patient discussing diagnoses, treatment options, self-management strategies, and a care plan, my remaining mental checklist is fairly routine: possibly ordering labs, adjusting medications, referring for sub-specialty care, and scheduling a follow-up visit. The visit ends, the patient thanks me, and I move on, immediately swept into the next patient encounter, and then the next, and the next. 

A phone call or two, some text messages, various staff questions, and several patients later, my busy brain has replaced that original to-do list with multiple new ones. While it sounds like the simple part, this checklist is where I allocate a good portion of my mental time and focus. It’s important to get the details right and think through medication alternatives, test options, and subspecialty choices with care. But I’m human, and inevitably I forget something. And although I may have done everything else well during the visit, my patients will most remember the ball that I dropped. How quickly the simple execution of a list turns into an emotionally burdened bad experience.

The Hidden Tax in My Practice

Sometimes it takes hours, sometimes it happens days later, but a pharmacy calls or a patient reaches out in frustration, and I realize I missed something. A prescription never sent. Labs never ordered. A referral never generated. The patient, left waiting, bristles at the inconvenience. My team scrambles to cover for me, and I find myself circling back to complete work I thought was finished. This can happen multiple times a day, and the downstream effects are disruptive and cumulative:  dropping what I’m doing to fix my mistakes, frequently apologizing, and sensing that I keep letting my patients down.

This burden of forgotten care plan items is an insidious tax on both my patients and me - one that I don’t like to admit. And it’s not just about inefficiency—it’s about the subtle erosion of the doctor-patient relationship, the missed opportunities to deliver on promises, and the harried exhaustion at the end of a chaotic day. And this is where AI holds the power to change.

The Power of Never Forgetting with AI

When Elation first introduced its Note Assist AI Ambient Scribe to me in 2024, it changed the way I work—not just by helping me finish my notes more efficiently, but by freeing me to focus on my patient instead of my keyboard during each visit. When the product team introduced the idea for their latest enhancement, called “Actions”, I was a bit skeptical about its value, but was soon won over because of its intelligent design and the hidden solution that I didn’t see coming to a problem I hadn’t even admitted to myself that I had.

With Actions, every care plan item I discuss with my patient—every order, referral, follow-up, and task—is captured and itemized in a list, ready for “action”. The AI scribe listens in the background, accurately captures my plan, and ensures that each action item is teed up and ready to launch, right from the list.

This list of action items has quickly become my memory’s safety net. No more scribbling reminders to myself, no more “oops, I forgot” adding to the day’s chaos, no more friction for my patients that takes away from an otherwise meaningful appointment. Instead, I have a comprehensive to-do list, ready-made as if by magic, and I never have to worry about forgetting anything again.

Erasing the Chaos

The impact has been immediate and profound. The actions feature has erased a significant source of hassle in my practice. Erased it. Patients no longer leave the pharmacy empty-handed or call in frustration about missing orders. My team spends less time chasing down what should have already happened, and I spend more time moving forward, not circling back in regret. Most importantly, my patients experience care as it was promised.

In the whirlwind of primary care, where the best intentions often collide with the chaos of endless to-do’s and cognitive overload, Elation's "Actions" feature has become my reliable partner that ensures no care plan item is left behind. This isn’t just an efficiency story. It’s about restoring trust, getting things right the first time, and calming the chaos. The result is happier patients, a more focused team, and the confidence that I am delivering on my promises.

Take the first step toward a more efficient, stress-free practice.

Learn more about Elation’s Note Assist and Actions features and see how AI can help you deliver on every care plan—without the chaos.