By Ridhika Basnet · AIM Media House
The Defense Health Agency (DHA) announced on July 6, 2026, that it has expanded its AI-powered clinical assistant, the Clinical AI Agent, across military hospitals and clinics. The agency said the technology is designed to reduce clinician burnout by automating medical documentation during patient visits.
The DHA said the Clinical AI Agent is an ambient listening tool, a category of AI assistants increasingly used by healthcare organizations to automate clinical documentation.
With patient consent, the system captures conversations during appointments and generates structured clinical notes for clinician review, reducing administrative work and allowing providers to spend more time focused on patients.
Saniah Fatemi, the program manager who oversaw the deployment, said the expansion marks a significant milestone in the agency's AI adoption. "Ambient listening supports DHA's transformation into a fully integrated combat support agency," Fatemi said.
She added that rapidly deploying the tool at enterprise scale allows the DHA to modernize care delivery and strengthen medical readiness. Oversight Built Into the Rollout The rollout is part of a broader push by the DHA to adopt enterprise AI in line with federal and Pentagon modernization initiatives. Lt. Col.
Matthew Royall, deputy branch chief of ambulatory informatics at the DHA, said clinicians remain responsible for reviewing and signing every AI-generated note before it is added to a patient's record in MHS GENESIS, the Military Health System's electronic health record platform.
Royall said improved medical care translates into fewer lost duty days for service members, tying the technology to force readiness. The DHA said it tested the technology between October and December 2025 at four military medical facilities before expanding it enterprise-wide in 2026.
During the pilot, roughly 400 healthcare providers reported reduced documentation time and increased time engaging directly with patients, the agency said.
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