Using an AI scribe means a conversation is being documented from audio, so treat it like any recording: inform the patient and obtain their consent. Recording-consent laws vary by state, and some require the consent of every party to a conversation, so the specifics depend on where you practice. This is practical guidance, not legal advice.
Why does patient consent matter with an AI scribe?
Beyond the legal question, consent is a trust question. Patients are more comfortable when they understand what is happening, and the framing is genuinely favorable: you are telling them you will spend the visit looking at them instead of a keyboard. Handled well, disclosing the scribe tends to raise confidence rather than lower it. Part of that reassurance is that no third person is listening in, unlike a virtual medical scribe.
What consent language actually works?
Most clinicians settle on a single sentence at the start of the visit: that they use a documentation assistant that listens to the conversation and drafts the note, that the audio is not stored, and that the patient can decline. That is usually all it takes. The fact that the audio is never stored is worth saying out loud, because it is the part patients most want to hear.
Good practice around consent
- Mention it once at the first visit, and note the consent in the record.
- In telehealth, say it on camera at the start of the call.
- If a patient declines, end the session from the Quick Bar and document manually. The tool never requires the patient to agree.
What was said
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What ClinicFrame drafted
