Ontario clinicians get help navigating AI scribes with new government-vetted vendor list

Ontario clinicians eager to begin making use of AI scribe technology but lacking the expertise, confidence and time to shop for one themselves can breathe a sigh of relief following the June 3 introduction of the province’s Vendor of Record Program.Orchestrated by the Ministry of Health in partnership with Supply Ontario and OntarioMD, the Ontario AI Scribe Program has identified a “curated” list of 20 Canadian AI scribe vendors to free clinicians from the burden of sourcing the technology on their own.AI scribes are estimated to reduce the time clinicians spend on paperwork by 70% or more, equating to almost four hours per week. They allow clinicians to focus more on their patients than composing notes themselves.The 20 vendors, identified here, were pre-qualified through a competitive request for bids process and meet a set of clinical, privacy and security requirements. Read: AI scribes rolling out for community specialistsVendor products and contracts were evaluated by experts with input from the CPSO, the CMPA, the Information and Privacy Commissioner and other health system stakeholders.Evaluation criteria included a requirement to provide near-instant transcriptions of patient-clinician conversations, filter out background noise and irrelevant content, differentiate between multiple speakers, and understand diverse accents, medical slang and standard clinical acronyms. The solutions have to automatically generate detailed, high-quality notes reflecting the full patient visit and allow clinicians to review and edit them through typing or voice dictation.The 20 pre-qualified scribes were required to offer a range of structured note templates and allow clinicians to customize and create their own. They are also required to generate patient-friendly visit summaries and care instructions.The solutions had to comply with all Canadian and Ontario privacy laws, refrain from using patient information for training AI models and support the transfer of finalized notes into clinician EMRs. The scribes were also evaluated based on their ability to work on mobile or desktop platforms and offer offline functionality with automatic sync when connectivity is restored.In a June 3 blog post, OMD Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chandi Chandrasena explained there was a deliberate decision to select “bolt-on tools” rather than EMR integrated scribes “so clinicians can adopt or swap solutions quickly without costly system overhauls.” Bolt-on solutions, she added, allow for quicker set-up by doing away with EMR vendor delays “and place clinicians in the driver’s seat so it is not the EMR vendor choosing the product for you.”As part of the Ontario AI Scribe Program, clinicians can take advantage of OntarioMD support for scribe selection and change management. While there is no funding under the program to cover licence fees, negotiated discounts will ensure “better than market prices.”Clinicians interested in learning more about the Ontario AI Scribe Program can visit the OntarioMD Practice Hub and express interest in the program by clicking “Submit Your Interest.” Clinicians will then receive an email with further information and a link to a Supply Ontario Intake form.Read: 10,000 primary care providers to get free AI scribes for a year from InfowayA separate national program administered by Canada Health Infoway that has pre-qualified 10 AI scribes and covers first year licence fees for up to 10,000 clinicians launches June 10.Infoway states that “implementation of (its program) is being coordinated with participating jurisdictions based on their priorities and readiness. We understand Ontario is advancing its own AI scribe initiative, and we’re supportive of efforts that expand access to these tools. Infoway remains committed to working collaboratively with all jurisdictions to ensure clinicians have clear information and a positive experience, ultimately giving them more time with patients while improving workflow efficiency.”Ontario clinicians opting to take advantage of the Infoway program will not be eligible for change management support from OntarioMD.

Ontario clinicians get help navigating AI scribes with new government-vetted vendor list

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