FORT HOOD, Texas  –   At Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, new ambient listening technology will help providers focus less on the computer screen and more on meaningful conversations with patients.

Military hospitals and clinics are introducing ambient listening, a secure voice-recognition tool that helps providers create clinical notes during medical appointments. The technology works in the background, capturing conversations between patients and providers, converting them into text, and organizing key medical details into draft clinical notes. Providers review and finalize the notes before adding them to the patient’s record, which patients can later view in the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal.

The goal is to improve both the patient experience and provider efficiency.

“This allows us to really sit down and listen to the patient and have a more natural conversation without being focused on taking notes,” said Dr. Kathleen Bybel, family medicine physician and officer in charge of the West Killeen Medical Home. “It will make the patient feel more comfortable while talking to the physician because we can make eye contact instead of staring at the screen trying to take notes. It also helps ensure accuracy, which helps make sure the patient is getting what they need.”

Bybel, who has practiced medicine for 15 years and served at CRDAMC for more than eight years, said the technology also helps providers manage complex visits where patients may discuss multiple concerns.

“It allows us to focus on the patient instead of the computer,” she said. “With a more natural flow of conversation, patients are more comfortable and often more honest with their symptoms and concerns. That allows us to better treat the patient.”

She added that ambient listening can help capture details that might otherwise be missed.

“Patients sometimes mention something briefly, and it’s easy to forget while you’re typing notes. With ambient listening, it picks it up and puts it in the note for us,” Bybel said.

Patient choice remains a key part of implementation. Providers must obtain verbal consent before using ambient listening during an appointment.

“All patients must give verbal consent before we turn on ambient listening. If they’re not comfortable, they can decline,” Bybel said.

She acknowledged some patients may have privacy concerns but emphasized safeguards are in place.

“These are audio only — there is no video. The audio is stored securely and can only be transferred directly into the patient’s chart. There’s no way to download or save recordings, and they’re automatically removed after seven days,” she said.

Hospital leadership says the technology also supports long-term medical readiness.

“Ambient listening helps restore time to what matters most — listening, understanding, and building trust,” said Dr. Meghan Raleigh, chief medical officer. “By reducing documentation burden, we help our teams stay focused, engaged, and ready to deliver safe, high-quality care to every Soldier, family member, and retiree we serve.”

Bybel said she is optimistic about the impact on both patients and providers.

“One of the most difficult things as a physician is the administrative burden. It can become overwhelming and can lead to burnout and errors,” she said. “Many providers stay late or work from home to make sure they’re doing the best for their patients. I’m hopeful this tool will help refocus work-life balance and help keep providers here serving our military community for a long time.”

Ambient listening technology ss expected to start rolling out to all military hospitals and clinics in March 2026.