Alberta physicians wishing to use AI scribes face additional administrative hurdle

Alberta’s privacy commissioner and physicians’ regulatory college are reminding doctors who want to use AI scribes that they need to adhere to additional administrative requirements. Last week, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta published a notice from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC), reminding physicians and other data custodians that they are now required to submit a privacy impact assessment (PIA) to said office if they wish to use an AI scribe. This process is required under Alberta’s Health Information Act. “This process is essential for identifying and addressing the privacy risks associated with a new technology or administrative practice. The use of an AI scribe qualifies as both,” the notice reads.The privacy commissioner’s office published a guide earlier this month on what information should be included in a PIA. This includes the reason for obtaining the AI scribe, a description of the scribe’s features and components, an explanation on how health information will be protected and what breach reporting requirements will be in place.“Custodians must ensure they have policies, procedures and training to support implementation of new systems and administrative practices,” the OIPC said. “As well, custodians should be aware that the policies, procedures and training they have in place to support the implementation of their electronic medical records systems may not be sufficient to support the implementation of AI scribes. The PIA allows custodians to review their administrative processes to ensure any shortcomings in the technology are addressed.”Alberta is unique among provinces in requiring clinicians to submit the PIAs to the privacy commissioner. In many provinces, such as British Columbia and Nova Scotia, the physicians’ colleges have guidelines that require or strongly recommend physicians complete PIAs before using AI scribes. Meanwhile, the Ontario government provides a list of approved AI scribe vendors that meet the province’s privacy and security standards.Alberta’s PIA requirement also applies for physicians using Canada Health Infoway’s approved scribes. Earlier this year, Infoway launched its AI scribes program, covering the cost of a one-year license for an approved AI-powered documentation tools for 10,000 primary care physicians. The privacy commissioner’s office says it is “aware” of the program but says it is still up to individual physicians to submit PIAs and ensure that the scribes are compliant with the Health Information Act.“OIPC has not reviewed any of the vendor products which are part of this program. It is up to the custodian to demonstrate compliance with HIA by submitting a PIA to the OIPC,” the office said.

Alberta physicians wishing to use AI scribes face additional administrative hurdle

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