Smart Medicine, Real People: The Use of AI in WA Hospitals

SEATTLE — Artificial intelligence is moving from the lab to the bedside in Washington hospitals, from “smart rooms” with always-on sensors to AI that writes charts for doctors. So how exactly is it being used? And what are your rights?

Artificial intelligence is now inside many Washington hospitals, helping doctors write charts, monitor patients, and streamline operations.

Supporters say it speeds care and reduces burnout; skeptics point to gaps in state law around consent and surveillance.

So how is it being used?

Harborview Medical Center:

At UW Medicine’s Harborview Medical Center, sensors and cameras from Care.AI are part of a “smart room” system that can connect an on-site virtual nurse with a patient at the push of a button.

“There’s technology embedded that you’ll see and stuff you don’t see,” said Kellie Hurley, MN, RN, the Associate Administrator of Clinical and Capital Integration at Harborview Medical Center.

The room features a flat screen that doubles as a patient chart to cut back on busy work for nurses. The hospital bed is equipped with sensors to monitor vitals, smart IV pumps help to reduce errors, and a tablet is at the bedside to help address nearly every patient’s needs.

The tablet and screen also have advanced language capabilities and video chatting, bridging language barriers and allowing families to speak to their loved ones who may be out of state.

The tech in the room is connected to an on-site command center where a virtual nurse is available to help with admission, patient connection, quick response when floor nurses are away or busy, and to answer any questions upon discharge.

“I have access to every patient’s medical record and their chart and so my job essentially is to be additional support for the floor nurses here,” said Emily Copple, RN, BSN, at Harborview Medical Center.

The virtual nurse also monitors charts for labs, physician notes, and discharge milestones.

“I consider it kind of being a patient advocate, one more person who’s going to go in spend time with them, explain things clearly and really take extra time. I think it makes a world of difference,” said Copple.

Copple has been a floor nurse for over a decade and started virtual nursing one day a week once the system was implemented earlier this year.

“I had some questions about how is this going to work and is this going to take away from the patient experience?” Copple said when asked about her initial perception of the tech; questions that were quickly put to rest.

“The patients seem to love it because I can buzz into their room, check in on them, ask them how their pain is, if they’re having any pain – communicate that to their nurses,” Copple said.

The camera points at the ceiling, never records or monitors patients continuously, and only moves into the room once the patient gives consent.

“How do you balance patient care with patient privacy?” KIRO 7’s Elle Thomas asked Hurley.

“Great question. Compliance with HIPAA and patient privacy is essential,” said Hurley. “Patients can decline to have this technology utilized in their space; that’s their right.”

It also has ambient sensors that can detect changes in temperature, sound, and movement.

Harborview Medical Center is not using that feature yet but intends to sometime next spring.

“We’re not waiting for a bed alarm to go off,” said Hurley. “It’s giving us information ahead of time to ensure safety for the patients.”

Hurley has been involved in the implementation of the 40 smart rooms in the acute care and intensive care units of the Maleng Building.

The pilot program began in May 2025, but plans are already in place to expand the tech.

“So much of this technology we’re used to as part of our personal life,” Hurley said. “We’re just dipping into that in the health care setting in a way that’s meaningful, that is safe, that helps bring patients the best care that we can, and I think that it’s kind of boundless at this point.”

This is just the beginning.

UW Medicine is also testing wearable AI cameras to double-check medications before a dose ever reaches a patient.

Seattle Children’s Hospital:

At Seattle Children’s Hospital, an AI program called Abridge listens to conversations between families and doctors with consent, then automatically drafts the visit note for the clinician to review.

Abridge Ambient was first used on a 90-day pilot program across 18 specialties; leaders said it sharply reduced documentation effort. Now, it is being expanded.

Providence Swedish:

At Providence Swedish, Microsoft’s DAX Copilot performs a similar task, recording with consent to create after-visit summaries and other documents.

The ambient AI “scribes” listen (with patient consent) and draft the visit note, which has cut documentation time and reduced burnout in system studies.

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health:

Meanwhile, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s Mission Control, powered by GE HealthCare, uses live hospital data (not cameras or microphones) to manage beds and patient flow across its network.

The AI-driven command center pulls real-time data from a dozen hospitals, helping move patients to the right beds sooner and ultimately, cutting length of stay.

What’s the Problem?

Hospitals believe the various tech saves time, leads to fewer errors, and reduces burnout.

But critics believe it costs privacy, and Washington state law can’t seem to keep up with the pulse of progress.

“When something new comes in as something that’s very disruptive as AI getting into this area. It’s basically, we’re playing catch up now,” said Seattle Attorney Greg Testa. Testa’s firm, By Design Law, specializes in technology, AI law, and HIPAA compliance, among other things.

“Why are we so far behind?” Asked KIRO 7’s Elle Thomas.

“Because everything’s been fragmented at this point,” Testa said. “There’s no overall privacy law that’s at a federal level. You have it by industry.”

Washington is one of only a handful of two-party consent states, meaning everyone in a private conversation must agree before any audio recording can occur.

That law applies even when the microphone is part of an AI tool. Hospitals must make the recording obvious, typically through written or verbal consent and a visible indicator.

Under federal HIPAA rules, hospitals also must explain how recordings, transcripts, or sensor data are used and who can access them. If patient information is sent to an outside vendor like Microsoft or Abridge, that company must have a Business Associate Agreement to handle it legally.

“As long as they are abiding by the HIPAA regulations, there’s nothing really that requires them to go outside that and tell you that they are using AI with that,” said Testa.

Here’s what hospitals are required to tell you:

· Audio or Video is Recorded

· Cameras or Sensors Monitor Your Room

· AI Assists in Your Care

· Your Data Leaves the Hospital

· Recordings Become Part of Your Chart

Here’s what hospitals are not required to tell you:

· The Specific AI Vendor(s) Used

· How the Algorithm Works

· AI Analyzes Your Data Silently

· Your Anonymized Data Trains AI

· AI Manages Hospital Operations

So yes, HIPAA still applies, but it was written long before bedside cameras and ambient mics.

“Privacy at the end of day is all about notice and consent,” Testa said. “But right now there’s no overarching regulation that requires any practitioner to provide that level of detail.”

New guidance from Washington’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force and the Health Care Authority’s AI Ethics Framework urges hospitals to go further; to disclose all AI use in plain language, maintain human oversight, and allow patients to opt out when possible.

But for now, those rules are recommendations, not law.

What Should You Ask?

Patients who see cameras or hear about “smart” or “ambient” technology in their rooms have the right to ask: