From Paperwork to Patient Care: AI in O&P

Katie Janiszewski, MSOP, CPO, didn’t realize how much time she was losing to documentation—until AI gave that time back to her. [caption id="attachment_269274" align="alignright" width="391"] Fidel/stock.adobe.com[/caption] “As clinicians, we’ve accepted paperwork as part of the job,” says Janiszewski, Spectrum O&P, California. “But once I started using AI tools to assist with charting and communication, I realized how much it had been slowing me down.” Now, she uses artificial intelligence (AI) to draft detailed clinical notes in minutes. And while her administrative team handles much of the documentation management, AI has made their process dramatically more efficient as well. When physician notes come in, AI can quickly identify missing information and generate professional addendums on the spot—freeing up even more clinical time. “I hadn’t written a doctor’s letter manually in months,” Janiszewski laughs. “When I finally had to, I thought, ‘Wow, this is such a drag.’” In addition to clinical documentation, Janiszewski uses AI to streamline personal workflows and enhance her business, Align Medical Media, which produces customized wear-and-care videos for O&P practices. AI helps her organize internal content, generate scripts, and optimize her creative process. As an early adopter, she sees transformative potential for the O&P profession. “AI isn’t just about saving time—it’s about scaling our capacity,” she says. “In a field like ours, where we have limited time, staff, and resources, that’s a game-changer. We’re not replacing people—we’re empowering them to do more of what matters most: patient care.” AI can do things that some practitioners have probably never thought of. However, the experts warn, it is also a tool that should be used cautiously. O&P practices should always work to ensure the privacy of patients and their businesses and confirm that what AI creates is an accurate and true reflection of how employees wish to present themselves and their work. What AI Can Do for O&P Early adopters of AI in the profession report that since embracing the technology they have had better documentation and fewer denials, and they get those results in a fraction of the time that the paperwork used to take. In short, they say, using AI has helped with all the parts of the business that draw the attention of staff away from their patients. “AI is the future,” says Curt Bertram, CPO, FAAOP, senior manager of clinical affairs, O&P Insight. “If I had to sum it up in one word, it’s time. AI gives time back to clinicians, administrators, and O&P professionals—so they can focus on what matters most: seeing and caring for more patients.” AI software companies quote a significant amount of time-saving possibilities. Nymbl Systems used AI, among other things, to create a tool that records and transcribes patient evaluations, then summarizes that information in detailed notes. Josh Lau, Nymbl CEO, says the practitioners using it went from taking 40 minutes to write each prosthetic evaluation note to just five minutes. “We have practitioners who stay late or come in early just to make sure the documentation is complete,” Lau says. “We really wanted them to spend more time on their patients and focus on things that really matter.” O&P Assist, another software company that utilizes AI, has seen similar time savings through its product. Along with the transcription capabilities, the software helps office administrators save time reviewing documentation for compliance. For instance, it can read chart notes from a physician, evaluate them for documentation requirements, and if it’s missing items, it will provide suggested addendums to address the gaps that can be sent to the physician for his or her review. O&P Assist cofounder Henry Bennett, CPO, FAAOP, says that the tool has saved administrative staff members an average of eight hours a week. “It just makes their job that much easier,” he says. Utilizing AI for documentation can also help clinicians save time, he says. “All clinicians, and I was guilty of this too, are so busy that they shortcut their notes and don’t put in as much detail as they can,” Bennett says. “And this allows you to get in that additional detail with the same, or less, effort.” Proceed With Caution AI is so powerful because it learns from huge amounts of data. Many times, when users query AI chatbots, they are providing the bots with the additional data of their queries. This is one of the many reasons patients’ personally identifiable information should never be used in queries in software that is not HIPAA-compliant. This might give some people pause as to whether they want any other information fed into the system, the experts say. Scott Williamson, executive director of education and events, OPIE Software, is cautious about how he uses AI. When he uses the technology, he uses a virtual private network to mask his IP address and location, and does not give his company name to the chatbot. “I’m probably super paranoid, but I don’t think many of our customers, or users in the field in general, are paranoid enough,” he says. “And so, in some senses, AI concerns me because there’s a lot we don’t know. But on the other hand, I recognize the power that it has and how it can help us do things that we don’t always do well. So I’m a fan, but I’m also really, really cautious.” He is concerned that some people who are excited about AI may inadvertently rely on incorrect information or potentially even break the law by revealing protected health information. “For me, it’s not like a light switch,” Williamson says. “I want to put some fences around it and let it do what it’s really good at but not let it replace the clinical skills of our people.” He warns that AI is only as good as the information fed into it. If a clinician forgets to ask a question while in an AI-recorded patient meeting, AI may make up the details to fill in that missing information in the notes. For example, Williamson says, if a practitioner asked ChatGPT to write a Medicare-compliant SOAP note for a 70-year-old patient who needs a transtibial prosthesis, it will only take a few moments to create an impressively detailed note. But that note will be riddled with falsehoods, Williamson says. “If that’s all I’ve told it, then it will make gender assumptions, it’s going to talk about their A1C level, which I never told it about,” Williamson says. “It will talk about their desire to ambulate in the community and all kinds of things that are Medicare compliant. It’s an absolutely great SOAP note, but I’ve got nothing to back up what’s in my documentation because it isn’t backed by quality data.” Of course, users can go back in and fill in that information, he says, but some don’t because that takes more time and they’re using AI to save time. Lesleigh Sisson, CFo, CFm, vice president and general manager, O&P Insight, says one of her colleagues saw one such submission. “[The clinician was] uploading what they got back from the AI system, and it didn’t make any sense,” says Sisson. “We can’t formulate an appeal because the information in [the documentation] is incorrect. Artificial intelligence is not a substitute for human intelligence. It’s a powerful tool designed to support and enhance human capabilities—not to replace them.” The experts say the best use of AI is to let it help but not take over. “I guess I view it as a tool to assist you,” Bennett says. “It’s not going to replace you or your judgment. It’s not making a diagnosis or inferences on anything. It lets you focus more on your patients and save time in your day; you only have to capture the key details through efficient methods such as voice dictation and compliance-based forms, and the AI handles the busy work of turning those details into a complete narrative note.” Williamson says there are things AI does really well, such as help with office communications, but there are also ways AI can go awry. “It’s kind of hard to compete with this shiny thing, but we have to be careful,” Williamson says. “Yeah, it’s really nice, and there’s a lot of stuff it can do for us. Let’s leverage those things, but let’s be really, really cautious about how we implement it.” Getting Started With AI [caption id="attachment_269273" align="alignright" width="406"] Fernando/stock.adobe.com[/caption] Some industries, such as software development, have leaned heavily into AI since it first started. O&P has only recently begun to make use of the technology. Erin Cammarata, owner and CEO, CBS Medical Billing and Consulting, says she works with about 40 O&P business owners. Of those 40, about two or three have begun to incorporate AI into their practices. “All of the others seem to be waiting for AI to come to them,” which will happen soon, she says. AI is already being used by insurance carriers, hospitals, and in many other parts of the healthcare industry. Sisson says she has met people in the industry who are excited about the changes AI is bringing, and she’s also met people who are hesitant to use it at all. “It’s natural for some people to be hesitant at first—and a healthy dose of skepticism is actually a good thing,” Sisson explains. “But once they give it a try, their perspective often shifts. I haven’t heard anyone say, ‘Yes, I’ve used it—and it was terrible.’ That just hasn’t been the case,” she says. For those who might be cautious, it might help to try out AI in ways that are lower stakes than writing clinical notes or other documentation, the experts say. “If they’re feeling a bit unsure, they can start small,” Bertram says. He acknowledges the hesitation, adding, “The shift from paper charts to electronic medical records was a major change—and now we’re asking them to take the next step forward.” The experts say to think of AI as a beefed-up search engine. For example, if someone was going the search-engine route to find the best price of a certain material, they would probably have to go to several different sites selling the material, write down what they find, and then analyze their information to find out what price is best. AI can do all that work in just moments. Another way to use AI is by letting it help with office communications. It can come up with wording for job descriptions, get examples of interview questions, help develop slides for training purposes, or craft an email response (that of course is reviewed before sending off). If users are nervous about letting AI review documentation for them, then at the very least, AI can serve as a training tool for administrative staff and clinicians, Bennett says. If new staff members don’t start out fully trained, they can use specialized AI tools such as O&P Assist to review their documentation to learn what they are expected to document for compliance with insurance policies, Bennett says. “It’ll teach them what the LCDs and Medicare are looking for,” he says. “It’ll help guide them and take someone with modest skills and then get them up to speed very quickly.” By taking little steps, users can become more comfortable with a technology that is only going to grow in its influence, Cammarata says. “It’s not meant to necessarily replace people; it’s meant to enhance our work and make us more efficient,” she says. The Future of AI in O&P Even the experts who encourage caution with AI acknowledge that it is here to stay and will probably play a bigger role in the industry in the future. They say it’s in the best interest of users to understand it. “I genuinely believe this is a technology that’s here to stay—and it’s only going to keep improving,” Bertram says. “The more user-friendly and intuitive AI becomes, the more widely it will be adopted.” While he’s not sure exactly how AI will develop in the future, he thinks that future is coming fast, and he’s excited about it. “There’s no doubt that how we work—and what we focus on—is going to evolve,” Bertram says. “AI is a tool that can take on some of the heavy lifting, especially in areas that slow us down. The demand for our services isn’t shrinking. Our mission is to reach more patients and deliver exceptional care—and eventually AI is going to help us do exactly that.” Ways to Use AI in Your O&P Practice [caption id="attachment_269272" align="alignright" width="372"] Kalana/stock.adobe.com[/caption] Create chart notes by recording and transcribing patient visits Instead of taking notes during a visit, clinicians can give patients their undivided attention by using AI to record the visit and then create chart notes. First, though, be sure that any software used for this purpose is HIPAA-compliant. Several companies are offering this service for medical providers, says Katie Janiszewski, MSOP, CPO, cofounder, Align Medical Media. She recommends using a software that is familiar with O&P terminology and understands the specific needs of practitioners, including justifications. She uses O&P Assist, which was created by a CPO. Nymbl Systems, which offers this service, and had been tracking customer analytics, saw that after using their software, there was a dramatic drop in the time practitioners had to take to write their notes, says Nymbl CEO Josh Lau. He says the notes aren’t perfect and should always be double-checked, but it will still help save a significant amount of time. “The groups that tested [Nymbl’s chart notes AI software] say it will get you about 90 percent of the way there and captures far more detail than what they would normally write,” Lau says. “From there, it’s just reviewing and a polish.” Analyze physician chart notes for documentation requirements AI can help with the tedious task of analyzing physician chart notes for missing documentation. O&P-specific AI companies can help speed up the process, says Janiszewski. “It will essentially tell you if the chart notes pass or not for documentation requirements and then, if it’s missing x, y, or z, it will write you an addendum to send to the doctor,” she says. Software with this functionality should always be HIPAA-compliant. Gait analysis Want to record, analyze, and communicate information about a patient’s gait? Companies like EXER let practitioners use mobile devices to record and capture gait information and allow patients to track their own range of motion. “Basically, it brings a fancy gait lab to your practice,” says Janiszewski. She says multiple companies provide a similar service. “What it does is it reads all of your joint angles and will give you a printout of that.” Clinicians can record patient data in the office and encourage patients to track their own progress from home. She says that data from these trackers can be used as an outcome measure to verify the effectiveness of the devices. “This can show when we clearly have better biomechanics, and this is coming from a third-party verifier,” she says. Custom patterns for lamination sleeves AI image generators, such as Leonardo AI, allow patients and practitioners to create custom patterns and art that reflect their taste and personality and can be printed on material to create lamination sleeves. The designs can be created in a couple of minutes, but it’s so much fun that people usually take a little longer, Janiszewski says. “It’s a cool way to reflect the patient’s personality and just give them a little more buy-in to the devices as well,” Janiszewski says. “It can help them be prouder of it because they helped design it.” Tailor device instructions to different audiences Often there is only one set of instructions for O&P devices, and it might not be the best fit for certain patients. With the help of AI, clinicians can upload device instructions and tailor them toward different patient groups. “Ask AI to make this for a pre-teen or gear this toward a geriatric patient who might read things differently,” says Scott Williamson, executive director of education and events, OPIE Software. “You can also translate your patient instructions into other languages. Do you know Mandarin? ChatGPT does.” Evaluate material pricing AI is great at looking for data in several places and synthesizing it, Williamson says. One great way to do that is by comparing prices of O&P materials, he says. “You can say, I’ve got a sheet of something, and it will cost me x dollars per square foot. Where’s a better place to get it? AI is great for that kind of stuff.” Teaching and training materials Anyone who has seen a disastrous slide presentation at a conference or training session knows that there is room for improvement. AI can quickly help create comprehensive and professional-looking slides for different audiences, Williamson says. “We want to be seen as professionals, so let’s put together things that are educational and talk about it in a language they are used to hearing,” Williamson says. Communication and marketing AI can be an indispensable tool for improving communication and marketing in O&P practices. It can help streamline patient-facing messages, generate high-quality content quickly, and ensure consistent branding across platforms. “Many O&P clinics don’t have a dedicated marketing team,” says Janiszewski. “That responsibility usually falls to someone on the admin team who already wears a dozen hats.” With AI, clinics can easily draft and refine website copy, educational handouts, outreach messages to referral sources, patient follow-up texts, and even community event flyers. It’s also great for repurposing content—turning one idea into a blog post, a social media series, and a printed brochure. “Let AI do 80 percent of the heavy lifting,” Janiszewski says. “Then you put your razzle-dazzle on the last 20 percent.” Try It Out Want to see how well AI can help with charting and documentation? These companies are HIPAA-compliant and offer free trials. [caption id="attachment_269271" align="alignright" width="334"] Prasanth/stock.adobe.com[/caption] O&P Assist op-assistant.com Offers a range of documentation solutions. This software was created by a CPO and focuses solely on O&P. Nymbl Systems nymblsystems.com Offers a range of documentation solutions and focuses on a couple of industries within the medical field, including O&P. Freed getfreed.ai Focuses primarily on recording and transcribing notes in the medical field. Maria St. Louis-Sanchez can be contacted at msantray@yahoo.com .

From Paperwork to Patient Care: AI in O&P

Editor’s Note–September 2025

Coding Confusion Continues: Custom-Fitted Versus OTS

Coding Confusion Continues: Custom-Fitted Versus OTS

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From Paperwork to Patient Care: AI in O&P

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Editor’s Note–September 2025

Coding Confusion Continues: Custom-Fitted Versus OTS

Coding Confusion Continues: Custom-Fitted Versus OTS

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