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AI scribes

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NOW AVAILABLE! Ontario AI Scribe Program: Pre-approved list of vendors and dedicated support services   


The Ontario AI Scribe Program ensures that clinicians can obtain high-quality, reliable products at the best value. The vendors and their products have met provincial requirements for clinical functions, privacy, and secure data storage. To find out more about AI scribe technology, the VOR list, and how to request support, please visit the OMD Practice Hub.  

Visit the OMD Practice Hub  

Primary care clinicians can now spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, thanks to the Ontario AI Scribe Program. Established by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, this initiative is a key part of the Ontario Government's Primary Care Action Plan to strengthen primary care and connect every Ontarian to a family doctor by 2029. The program also aligns with Ontario Health's Patients Before Paperwork (Pb4P) initiative whose aim is to reduce the administrative burden on Ontario's primary care clinicians 

To support clinicians in adopting AI scribe tools, the Ministry and Ontario Health have partnered with Supply Ontario and OntarioMD. Together, they offer the resources to help clinicians select an AI scribe solution tailored to their needs and the needs of their patients. 

What the Ontario AI Scribe Program offers clinicians: 

  1. A Vendor of Record (VOR) list: Managed by Supply Ontario, this list features qualified solutions that meet the needs of clinicians at prices discounted from current market prices. These Canadian vendors meet Ontario's privacy and security standards, ensuring clinicians can integrate AI technology responsibly and effectively.  
  1. Expert Guidance from OntarioMD: Clinicians receive professional support to optimize AI scribe adoption, manage workflow changes, and ensure seamless integration.  

The use of AI scribes to automate documentation of patient visits is just beginning across the world. Ontario is a pioneer in Canada, facilitating access to AI scribes to save clinicians precious time that can be used for patient care or a better work-life balance. In an OntarioMD 2024 study of AI scribes, family doctors reported spending 70% less time on paperwork and saving three to four hours per week by using this innovative technology.  

Overview

Results from the first-ever evaluation study of AI scribes in Ontario are available. Read the full report, Clinical Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence and Automation Technology to Reduce Administrative Burden in Primary Care (PDF Final Report) compiled by WIHV, for complete details. 

According to a 2023 survey by the Ontario College of Family Physicians, primary care physicians in Ontario spend an average of 19 hours a week, or 40% of their time, on administrative tasks. OntarioMD (OMD) advocates for digital tools that allow doctors to focus their time on patients, not paperwork. AI scribe technology has the potential to help alleviate this administrative burden. 

Read the Ontario government's news release of its April 24, 2024 announcement on initiatives to help primary care physicians put patients before paperwork or view the video on YouTube. 

What are AI scribes? 

AI scribes are digital tools designed to automate the administrative tasks of documenting patient consultations. They use artificial intelligence to summarize, or capture spoken conversations with consenting patients into electronic and clinically relevant medical notes for health-care professionals. There may be an associated cost with licensing an AI scribe tool, which can vary depending on the tool’s functionality and from one AI scribe vendor to the next.

How do they work? 

AI scribes use speech-to-text and AI technologies to transcribe physician-patient conversations, with consenting patients, into detailed and meaningful content. This can include summarizing notes from patient visits to identifying administrative actions such as generating referral letters. For physicians, this could help to:

  • Minimize the burden of administrative tasks and other documentation. 
  • Increase interaction time with patients instead of computers. 
  • Enhance engagement with patients.
  • Improve accuracy of documentation details during patient visits. 

How does it differ from dictation software? 

While dictation software converts voices to text, AI scribes can extract content from what they transcribe and apply it to appropriate fields of an electronic medical record (EMR) in a structured manner. They can also pull up a patient's chart, set reminders for follow-ups and medication refills, and order tests or prescriptions, through voice commands. 

Is an AI scribe program in progress in Ontario? 

OntarioMD led an evaluation study of AI scribe technology, in collaboration with the eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE) and Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV), to determine how it could help with reducing physicians' administrative burden. The project was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and overseen by Ontario Health. The study involved 150 primary care providers from diverse demographic groups, technical backgrounds, and geographic areas, concluding in June 2024. Family doctors who participated in the study reported spending 70% to 90% less time on paperwork. Read more details on AI scribes' efficacy in the full report of the study, Clinical Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence and Automation Technology to Reduce Administrative Burden in Primary Care (Final Report).

Learn more about how AI scribes show promising results in helping family doctors and nurse practitioners. 

Watch the following video to hear Dr. Rosemarie Lall talk about AI scribes' potential to support primary care and return joy to medicine. 

Global News: I will never go back': Ontario family doctor says new AI notetaking saved her job.

Want to know more about AI and AI scribes? 

View an AI Scribe Demonstration on Vimeo to see the tool in action during a patient encounter. 

View the OMD Educates webinar on Vimeo to hear about the benefits, implications and future role of AI scribe technology in health care. Or read about 5 things physicians should know about AI scribe technology. 

NOTE: Your privacy and security are our top priorities. Rest assured we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of data protection and security to ensure peace of mind for you and your patients.