By Chris Sulway, Chief Operating Officer, OntarioMD
OntarioMD (OMD) welcomes the Ontario Auditor General’s recent report on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Ontario Government, including the examination of “the procurement of AI scribe systems”.
The Auditor General’s report noted that the procurement results may have implications for clinical safety; however, these observations were made without the context from physicians, regulatory bodies or medical associations. In a recent article in The Star, it was reported that “doctors say the auditor general missed a crucial quality-control step”. The article cites Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya, a family doctor and specialist in digital health strategies at Women’s College Hospital as saying, “Doctors are fully qualified to find and identify any errors and fix them.” “The safeguard is there.”
Doctors are health information custodians under Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and know they must review every clinical note generated by their AI scribe before adding them to patient charts in their electronic medical record systems. In the same article, Dr. David Barber, a family doctor who chairs the Ontario Medical Association’s Section on General and Family Practice, is an AI scribe user and is quoted as saying, “We’re not going to sign off on something that is not accurate.”
The benefits of using an AI scribe are well-documented and clinicians are confirming that they are saving time on administrative tasks, they have less information overload, and they and their patients appreciate the face-to-face interaction.
AI Scribe Procurement: Clarification of Roles
Supply Ontario conducted the procurement process and evaluated AI scribe vendors and their products – the first of its kind in Canada. This was followed by a provincial program aimed at Ontario clinicians to adopt an AI scribe.
In the Ontario AI Scribe Program, OMD is responsible for physician and clinician engagement and support.
OMD provided assistance to Supply Ontario on understanding the clinical, privacy and security implications on the use and adoption of AI scribes for physicians based on our experience leading Ontario’s first evaluation study on the use of AI scribes in primary care. Supply Ontario oversaw vendor selection, scoring, and procurement decisions.
Trusted Guidance for Clinicians
The best way for clinicians in Ontario to comply with their regulatory and privacy responsibilities and mitigate risks associated with using an AI scribe, is to participate in the Ontario AI Scribe Program.
Through the OMD Practice Hub, OMD provides guidance from trusted partners including the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA), the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) for the use of AI scribes. OMD reaffirms our longstanding alignment with the OMA regarding physician responsibilities and due diligence when it comes to adopting new AI tools.
We recognize the Auditor General report’s findings related to procurement processes and support efforts to strengthen these areas. The world of AI is changing rapidly, and these types of reviews bring important opportunities to reflect on our collective work.
If you have any questions about AI scribes, or other AI tools used in primary care, please contact us at support@ontariomd.com.