Cooper University Health Care enhances patient care with Microsoft Dragon Copilot

Clinicians at Cooper University Health Care were experiencing significant burnout due to after-hours documentation. The leadership team sought a solution to reduce administrative burden and restore joy in practice.

Cooper implemented Microsoft Dragon Copilot, an AI assistant for clinical workflow and integrated with their Epic EHR that streamlines documentation, automates tasks, and surfaces information, boosting efficiency, satisfaction, and patient care.

Clinicians at Cooper report saving more than 4 minutes per patient on documentation time*, experiencing less burnout, and engaging more meaningfully with patients. Their notes are more comprehensive, communication is improved, and patient satisfaction is rising.

At Cooper University Healthcare in Camden, New Jersey, clinicians were facing a growing crisis: burnout. Clinicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) were spending one to two hours after their shifts completing documentation, reviewing in-basket messages, and finalizing notes. This “pajama time” was eroding work-life balance and diminishing the joy of practicing medicine.

Snehal Gandhi, MD, VP and Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) at Cooper, described the situation: “We really needed to restore the joy in practice and let the technology do what it should which is remove friction, remove that cognitive burden of documentation, not add to it.” The solution came in the form of Microsoft Dragon Copilot, an AI assistant for clinical workflow and integrated with their Epic EHR that streamlines documentation, automates tasks, and surfaces information. For Cooper, the goal wasn’t to adopt technology for the sake of innovation—it was to rehumanize care.

Cooper’s adoption of Dragon Copilot was driven by a clear vision: to reduce administrative burden and give clinicians back their time. The impact was immediate and profound as a recent survey reported that clinicians are saving 4.15 minutes in documentation time per patient, which Cooper estimates saves upwards of an hour per day* on documentation time, with some clinicians even adding extra patients to their schedules. “Clinicians are able to talk naturally with patients, and the system is able to draft a structured note instantly. That saves a lot of time, saves a lot of mental energy," says Gandhi. Dragon Copilot intelligently filters out irrelevant conversation—like a patient’s comments about last night’s game—resulting in more comprehensive, consistent notes.

“Clinicians are able to talk naturally with patients, and the system is able to draft a structured note instantly. That saves a lot of time, saves a lot of mental energy.”

Snehal Gandhi, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer, Cooper University Health Care

Enhancing patient experience and team communication

The benefits of Dragon Copilot extend beyond clinicians to patients and care teams. Through ambient capture of the patient visit, clinicians can maintain eye contact and engage more meaningfully with patients. “It’s rehumanizing the encounter,” said Gandhi. “Patients are instantly noticing their clinicians are looking at them again, making that eye contact. We've had several patients actually remark that basically, hey, wow, you're not typing today. That's the power of AI. It gives eye contact back to medicine the way it was supposed to be practiced."

More accurate notes also improve downstream communication. With fewer clarification calls and cleaner handoffs, patients feel that their care teams are aligned and informed. “It allows for cleaner handoffs, which now the patients feel that all the members of the clinical team are actually working in sync,” Gandhi explained.

Strategic alignment with digital transformation goals

Dragon Copilot is a cornerstone of Cooper’s broader digital transformation and AI strategy. As CMIO, Gandhi sees the solution as essential to achieving operational excellence, improving documentation quality, and reducing burnout. For Cooper, it's not just about the technology, it's about creating wins from an operational and cultural standpoint. They want the day where a patient or a clinician can go into a patient's room and they're using ambient technology to capture the entire encounter with AI for not only clinical documentation but for clinical decision support, revenue cycle management, patient experience, and many more use cases.

Cooper’s leadership is focused not just on technology adoption, but on cultural and operational transformation. They want to be on the leading-edge of adopting and driving technologies that make a difference in the lives of their clinicians and patients.

Why Microsoft: Trust, security, and scalability

When evaluating ambient documentation solutions, Cooper considered multiple vendors. Ultimately, the decision to go with Microsoft came down to trust, security, and a proven track record. “We ultimately went with Microsoft because of the security, the compliance, the scalability, and the fact that they've delivered reliable solutions for years." He added, “We firmly believe that Microsoft is going to be the top player in this field.”

Looking ahead, Cooper is eager to continue its partnership with Microsoft and plans to introduce Dragon Copilot into inpatient areas, expanding its use beyond current settings. Cooper is also enthusiastic about the new features and improvements that will become available in the future.

*Microsoft survey of 40 users across Cooper facilities, Fall 2025

“We ultimately went with Microsoft because of the security, the compliance, the scalability, and the fact that they've delivered reliable solutions for years.”

Snehal Gandhi, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer, Cooper University Health Care