Should I pick the vendor with the highest marketing ROI claim?

No. Start with EMR integration depth and linkable privacy documents, then compare overall evidence scores on this hub. Vendor time-savings figures are marketing unless tied to a third-party study (for example the OntarioMD/WIHV evaluation for three trial products).

Can I try two Infoway-funded scribes?

Infoway states clinicians may register for only one pre-qualified solution during the program phase. Plan a structured pilot with one roster vendor, or pay for a private trial outside Infoway if you need to compare two products.

Who must approve an AI scribe in my clinic?

Typically the privacy officer (PIA), IT (integration and identity), and medical lead (workflow and medico-legal charting). Document human review of AI output in your clinic policy.

Guide · Updated 12 Oct 2026

How to choose an AI medical scribe in Canada

Canadian family physicians and nurse practitioners usually evaluate ambient scribes in this order: program funding (Infoway), EMR fit, provincial privacy law, note quality and medico-legal review, total cost, and support — not demo polish alone. This checklist mirrors common search queries and CMPA-style diligence: integration first, then privacy, then evidence and price.

1. Confirm Infoway eligibility and pick one roster vendor

The Canada Health Infoway AI Scribe Program offers a funded license period for eligible primary care clinicians using pre-qualified vendors. Nine vendors passed the national RFPQ: Scribeberry, Tali AI, Nexus AI (WELL), Empathia AI, Mika AI, Autochart.ai, AutoScribe, Pippen, and CareWay/CoeurWay (MEDFAR).

Register through the official portal — not a vendor landing page alone.
You may enroll in only one Infoway solution during the program phase.
Manitoba Shared Health–managed Accuro designates Scribeberry for that environment (see provincial FAQ PDF).
French registration (Commencer l'inscription) and French product rows are on the portal; our matrix refreshes French capabilities from portal + vendor docs.

Full roster and links: Infoway AI Scribe Program guide.

2. Match integration type to your EMR

Copy-paste from a separate window is a common failure mode. Documented connection types include Accuro Marketplace REST API, native EMR embedding, Chrome extension Smart Push/Pull, sidebar launch, and lighter widget flows. Depth varies by vendor and EMR build.

Accuro (QHR): prefer Marketplace API with OAuth when bi-directional schedule and chart write-back matter — see our Accuro integration guide.
OSCAR Pro / Juno: often extension- or widget-based; confirm beta status and field mapping — OSCAR Pro guide.
TELUS CHR, PS Suite, Med Access: check SSO, patient-context launch, and API note transfer on the EMR matrix and Doctors of BC CHI integration PDF.
Epic, MYLE (Quebec): fewer roster options; CareWay is native on MYLE; Pippen lists Epic API on the CHI EMR matrix.

Require a pilot in your test EMR environment with timed note push and edit workflow.

3. Privacy: PIPEDA plus provincial health information law

“PIPEDA compliant” on a homepage is not a privacy impact assessment. Request Canadian data residency in contract, audio/transcript retention, subprocessors (cloud + AI vendors), training opt-out, and a linkable PIA or trust package.

Use the hub's Privacy & retention (documented) rows on each vendor dossier and our PIPEDA & provincial privacy checklist. Quebec (Law 25), Ontario PHIPA, BC PIPA, and other provincial statutes may apply depending on custodianship and vendor role.

4. Separate clinical evidence from marketing

The OntarioMD/WIHV July 2024 evaluation randomly assigned 162 primary-care physicians to three trial products: Scribeberry, Tali AI, and WELL AI Voice (Nexus). Program-wide metrics (for example documentation-time reduction) appear in the final report PDF. Other roster vendors were not trial arms; treat vendor ROI calculators and testimonials as unverified unless independently published.

Peer-reviewed note-quality benchmarks (PDQI-9, JMIR studies) are summarized on clinical benchmarks; they are not a substitute for your specialty workflow pilot.

5. Compare total cost and post-Infoway pricing

Capture per-clinician monthly fees, encounter caps, integration add-ons (some vendors charge separately for EMR API packages), and enterprise minimums. Infoway funding covers the program period; confirm list price before renewal. Public CAD pricing varies from ~$29–$150/month per clinician on vendor sites — verify live pages and group quotes.

6. Score support, French, and enterprise terms

For multi-site groups, review group licensing, SSO/SAML, custom retention, uptime or support SLAs, and developer API access on the capability matrix Enterprise rows. French clinical output, French support, and French onboarding differ by vendor — see Language & support CHI rows refreshed against the Infoway portal.

7. Use hub pillar scores (with eyes open)

The overall evidence score equally weights manifest subtables (integration, privacy, Infoway fit, features, pricing transparency, support, and more):

Pricing transparency: Percentage of ✓ on public CAD pricing transparency rows (list prices, tiers, overage, integration fees — not plan dollar amounts alone).
Canadian EMR integration: Documented connection depth per EMR column in the integration matrix (API, extension, widget, copy-paste).
Templates & adherence: Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Templates & adherence” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Note quality: Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Note quality” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Language & live translation: Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Language & live translation” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Capture workflow: Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Capture workflow” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Access & platforms (CHI matrix): Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Access & platforms (CHI matrix)” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Solution features (CHI matrix): Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Solution features (CHI matrix)” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Privacy & security (CHI matrix): Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Privacy & security (CHI matrix)” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Privacy & retention (documented): Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Privacy & retention (documented)” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Enterprise & platform: Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Enterprise & platform” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
User support (CHI matrix): Percentage of documented ✓ in the “User support (CHI matrix)” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).
Clinical evidence: Percentage of documented ✓ in the “Clinical evidence” subsection of the feature matrix (partial = half credit).

Formulas: methodology. Shortlist: best AI medical scribe Canada comparison.

FAQ

Should I pick the vendor with the highest marketing ROI claim?: No. Start with EMR integration depth and linkable privacy documents, then compare overall evidence scores on this hub. Vendor time-savings figures are marketing unless tied to a third-party study (for example the OntarioMD/WIHV evaluation for three trial products).
Can I try two Infoway-funded scribes?: Infoway states clinicians may register for only one pre-qualified solution during the program phase. Plan a structured pilot with one roster vendor, or pay for a private trial outside Infoway if you need to compare two products.
Who must approve an AI scribe in my clinic?: Typically the privacy officer (PIA), IT (integration and identity), and medical lead (workflow and medico-legal charting). Document human review of AI output in your clinic policy.

Related guides

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