AI scribes for Australian clinics: how to choose one

A vendor tells you their scribe "integrates with your system." Ask them what they actually mean by that. When I was sorting this out for my own clinic, I learned that one phrase changes the size, the cost and the timeline of the job.

That's one piece of a bigger call. Choosing a scribe comes down to four questions. What does it actually do? Can you legally use it? Does it talk to your practice software? And what's in the contract? I'm not going to rank them, because there's no best scribe. There's the one that fits your practice, your systems and your budget.

The bottom line. Shortlist on two things before anything else. Does the vendor name your practice management system on its own site? And is your patient data stored in Australia? Those two either fit or they don't, and no sales call changes them. Price, features and the demo can wait behind them.

Want the wider picture of where AI turns up in a clinic first? Start with our guide to AI in healthcare administration.

What an AI scribe actually is

An AI scribe is software that listens to a consult, turns the audio into text, and drafts the clinical note for you. You read it, fix it, and sign it off. Same as you'd sign off a note written by a registrar.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration draws a legal line, and it sits on what the tool does with that note. A scribe that only turns the conversation into a written record isn't a medical device. One that goes further and writes a diagnosis or a treatment plan you never said out loud is one, and it has to be listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (TGA, Digital scribes). Ask every vendor which side of that line they're on.

Can you legally use one in Australia

Yes, with conditions. And the ground is still moving under you.

RACGP says it plainly: "Currently, Australia has no specific legislation regulating AI, Big data or any form of automated decision-making processes." That's changing. New parts of the Privacy Act 1988 start in December 2026, and they'll stretch the Australian Privacy Principles over some automated decision-making (RACGP's AI scribes fact sheet).

Consent isn't optional either. Patients need to know a scribe is in the room before you switch it on, and some medical defence bodies want that in writing. The script, the paperwork and the surveillance devices angle all live in the companion post on rolling out an AI scribe. That one is the rollout job. This page is the buying job.

If your clinic is in New Zealand

Everything above is Australian. In New Zealand the Privacy Act's Information Privacy Principles cover AI tools, and the Privacy Commissioner wants a Privacy Impact Assessment done before you adopt one (NZ Privacy Commissioner). Doctors have their own guidance on top of that. The Medical Council of New Zealand published standards on using AI in patient care in March 2026 (MCNZ). Registered with a different board? Go and read its code as well.

Health New Zealand is openly cautious with its own people. Staff and contractors "must not... enter any personal, confidential or sensitive patient or organisational information into unapproved LLMs or generative AI tools" (Health NZ). That's written for Health NZ's own workforce, not for private clinics. But the question underneath it is yours too. Is the tool approved, and where does the data end up?

How fast this is moving

Scribe use among Australian GPs went from 22% in August 2024 to 40% in November 2025 (RACGP's newsGP poll). Close to double in fifteen months. The Guardian reported the same figures later (The Guardian).

What to ask before you buy

A vendor-neutral checklist, pulled from Avant's checklist and RACGP's selection tips.

• Was it built for a medical purpose? Avant's own wording: "Was the AI designed for a medical purpose? ... We recommend you do not use AI in a clinical context if it was not developed for a medical purpose or for use in healthcare" (Avant, AI scribes checklist).
• Ask for evidence the tool has been tested for safety and accuracy in a clinical setting. Ask whether clinicians helped build it.
• Ask where the data is processed and stored. Ask what else it gets used for, and how long it's kept.
• Ask what happens if the thing falls over mid-consult. You need a fallback.
• Trial it before you commit. Check it fits your real workflow, not the demo workflow.
• Check the kit it needs, such as a decent microphone, sometimes a second screen, and internet that doesn't drop out.

RACGP's fact sheet walks the same ground in more detail. Read it in full before you sit through a demo (RACGP's AI scribes fact sheet).

Does it talk to your practice software

A practice management system is the software your clinic runs its diary, patient records and invoicing in. Cliniko, Best Practice, MedicalDirector, Nookal, Halaxy and Power Diary are the names that come up most here.

Ask the vendor about yours by name. A general "integrates with your systems" line isn't the same thing as your system showing up on their integrations page. The table below shows what four Australian vendors confirm on their own sites.

What "integrates with" actually means

There's a real spread hiding inside that word.

A native integration is one the vendor has already built and listed in their own app marketplace. That's the easy case, because the connection is there and you just switch it on. Next best is an open API on both sides. Someone still has to build the link, but the pieces exist. After that comes a third-party tool such as Zapier or n8n, handy when neither side offers anything clean. Worst case there's no native integration and no exposed API. Then you're asking a software company for API access before anyone can start. That's a job in itself, not a formality.

So ask three questions before you sign. Is the integration native, or through a third party? Does it have to be built? And if it does, who builds it, you, the vendor or someone else?

Even with APIs open on both sides, cost and complexity swing a long way. Consider a HubSpot to Cliniko integration, for example. That can be a quick bit of config or a much bigger build, depending on what you need it to do. Scoping that properly before anyone quotes it is the work AI workflow automation covers.

The vendors clinics are actually using

Checked 15 September 2026, straight from each vendor's own site. The order is alphabetical and means nothing. Every claim in the table is the vendor's own, and none of it has been verified independently. We take no commission on any of these and we don't sell scribe software.

Sources: Heidi Health, pricing, integrations, data compliance. i-scribe, home page. Lyrebird Health, home page, integrations. Medow Health, resource page.

None of the four lists a Power Diary integration on its own site. Run Power Diary? Ask the vendor directly rather than assuming either way. i-scribe and Medow both pitch themselves at specialist practices rather than general practice. That's each vendor's own framing, not our read on them.

The contract

An indemnity clause is the bit where you promise to cover someone else's losses when something goes wrong. Avant warns that a broad one in a vendor's terms "may not be covered" by a practitioner's Avant Practitioner Indemnity Insurance Policy (Avant, AI scribes checklist). That's a warning about Avant's own policy, not a claim that every scribe contract carries such a clause.

Read the terms before you sign, and ask your own insurer or medical defence body if anything's unclear. We pull that clause apart properly, in plain words, in privacy, regulation and ethics in AU/NZ.

RACGP's new F11 standard

RACGP published Criterion F11, Artificial intelligence on 26 August 2026, inside its Standards for general practices (6th edition). It's the first time an RACGP accreditation standard has named AI out loud. It covers general practices going for RACGP accreditation. It isn't assessable yet, and the transition date hasn't been announced.

If accreditation is on your radar, flag it now even though nothing changes today. F11 is written out in full, line by line, with what each bit asks of you, in privacy, regulation and ethics in AU/NZ.

Where the rules are still moving

The TGA has been reviewing digital scribes in Australia, partly to work out whether they should count as medical devices. As at July 2026 the report was due in coming months (The Guardian). And the Privacy Act changes starting in December 2026 will stretch the Australian Privacy Principles over some automated decision-making (RACGP's AI scribes fact sheet). Check both again before you're deep into a rollout.

Once you've chosen: where Opal helps

Picking the scribe is the first decision, and it's the smaller one. Getting the team using it, with consent handled well and a policy behind it, is a separate piece of work. That's the companion post: rolling out an AI scribe across your practice.

We help practices work out which one fits and then get it live properly. That's what AI agents and assistants covers.

FAQ

What is an AI scribe?

Software that listens to a consult, turns the audio into text, and drafts a clinical note for the practitioner to check and sign. If it only transcribes, it isn't a medical device. If it starts writing a diagnosis or a treatment plan, it is (TGA, Digital scribes).

Is it legal to use an AI scribe in Australia?

Yes. There's no AI-specific law yet, though the Privacy Act changes landing in December 2026 will stretch privacy rules over more automated decision-making (RACGP's AI scribes fact sheet). Existing privacy law still applies to recording a consult. So does surveillance devices law, in some states and territories (Avant, AI scribes and patient consent).

Do patients have to consent?

Yes. RACGP is blunt about it. Practitioners "must obtain consent from their patients prior to using an AI scribe during consultations," and some medical defence bodies want that consent in writing (RACGP's AI scribes fact sheet).

Which AI scribe is best for a GP, allied health or specialist clinic?

There isn't a single best one. It comes down to your practice management system, your discipline, where your patients' data has to sit, and your budget. RACGP lands in the same place. It "does not recommend specific commercial products," and tells GPs to "apply their own judgement," weighing up "integration, customisation, security and cost" (RACGP's AI scribes fact sheet).

How much does an AI scribe cost?

Of the four vendors checked, only Heidi Health publishes prices on its own site. A free tier, then paid tiers from $85/user/month, billed annually (Heidi Health pricing). Lyrebird Health, i-scribe and Medow Health don't publish theirs, so you'll have to ask them for a quote.