Microsoft and ChipSoft are launching an integrated voice AI platform for the healthcare industry in the US, Canada and several European countries. The technology company introduced Microsoft Dragon Copilot earlier in March. The solution combines the speech recognition functionality of Dragon Medical One (DMO) with voice AI ambient listening functionality from DAX Copilot (DAX). Dragon Copilot should support healthcare providers in streamlining documentation, finding medical information and automating administrative tasks.
In the Netherlands, according to Microsoft, healthcare professionals spend up to 40 percent of their work week on administration, at the expense of direct patient care. With a rapidly aging population and a global shortage of medical personnel, the use of AI is becoming increasingly essential to relieve healthcare professionals, increase efficiency and sustainably strengthen the future of healthcare. This is therefore something that healthcare minister Fleur Agema wants to focus on, as was evident, among other things, during the presentation of the September 2024 Budget Memorandum - although her belief in the potential of AI applications is also being questioned.
Less administrative burden
Dragon Copilot, part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, should help healthcare organizations streamline processes and reduce administrative burdens. To this end, the platform will be integrated into the Electronic Patient Record (EHR) and should thus connect seamlessly with existing healthcare systems. In the Netherlands, Microsoft is working with ChipSoft for this purpose ( provider of EPD HiX), which is used in 71 percent of Dutch hospitals, among others (figures 2024). ChipSoft is one of three launch partners worldwide.
The integration should help healthcare organizations make the best use of Dragon Copilot within their IT infrastructure without major system changes. By adopting a platform strategy, Microsoft and ChipSoft claim to be able to continuously add innovative functionalities so that healthcare professionals work more efficiently and receive optimal support in various healthcare scenarios.
Keeping healthcare accessible
“With the availability of AI in HiX, we are taking an important step in supporting healthcare professionals with reducing their administrative burden,” stated Hans Mulder, CEO of ChipSoft. “This helps to keep healthcare accessible despite increasing demand and continuing staff shortages.”
Dragon Copilot offers healthcare professionals in various healthcare environments (from outpatient clinics and hospitals to emergency rooms) several core functionalities:
- More efficient documentation: automatic patient notes in multiple languages, voice-activated dictation, AI-driven summaries and personalized styles and formatting. Healthcare professionals can easily record voice memos, edit texts and use smart templates, all within one intuitive user interface.
- Fast access to reliable medical information: the integrated AI assistant helps healthcare professionals quickly and easily look up medical information from recognized and trusted sources.
- Smart automation of administrative tasks: conversational commands allow healthcare professionals to automatically generate referral letters, treatment plans, discharge reports and other administrative documents in one convenient system.
Dragon Copilot meets strict compliance and privacy guidelines such as HIPAA and AVG, according to Microsoft, and integrates AI security measures specific to healthcare. The platform will be launched in May in the United States and Canada, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Microsoft is expanding Dragon Copilot first to markets where Dragon Medical is already being used.
