Oncology Adopts Ambient Scribes

The US Oncology Network says more than 1,000 providers used DeepScribe’s ambient artificial intelligence note-taking tools in 2025. (usoncology.com) Ambient scribes work like an always-listening assistant in the exam room: they capture the conversation and draft a clinical note for the doctor to review and sign. (usoncology.com) In its 2025 year-in-review post, the network said those providers saved an average of 2 to 3 hours a week with DeepScribe, a concrete target for a tool sold on reducing clerical work. (usoncology.com) The US Oncology Network is one of the country’s biggest community cancer groups, supported by McKesson, and its 2024 annual report said it had grown to more than 2,700 providers. (usoncology.com 1) (usoncology.com 2) That scale matters because oncology visits are documentation-heavy: treatment plans, biomarker results, prior authorizations, and medication changes all have to be recorded while clinics try to keep patients close to home. (usoncology.com 1) (usoncology.com 2) The network’s own technology pitch is not about replacing oncologists. It emphasizes integrated tools inside oncology workflows, including its electronic health record, biomarker ordering guides, and revenue-cycle support. (usoncology.com 1) (usoncology.com 2) That helps explain why ambient scribes are getting traction first. They attack a narrow problem — writing the note — and the result can be measured in hours saved, not vague promises about artificial intelligence transforming care. (usoncology.com) (usoncology.com) The same 2025 update tied technology changes to operations, saying patient access improved enough to cut wait times across network practices by 70%. It did not break out how much of that change came from ambient notes alone. (usoncology.com) For cancer clinics, that is the current shape of artificial intelligence adoption: fewer moonshots, more software that writes the chart faster and fits the systems doctors already use. (usoncology.com) (usoncology.com)