AI for Doctors & Medical Practices: Notes, Patient Messages, and Admin (Beginner Guide)
Quick answer: Doctors and small practices can use AI scribes to draft visit notes, clinical reference tools to look up evidence, and general AI assistants for non-patient admin work like job posts, policies, and website copy. Start with tools built for clinicians (Doximity, OpenEvidence, Heidi, Freed). Never paste patient information (PHI) into a tool unless your practice has a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with that vendor.
The problem in plain English
- Charting after hours ("pajama time") is one of the biggest complaints in medicine.
- Patient portal messages pile up, and many are routine questions.
- Quick evidence lookups between visits take too long.
- Admin work (job posts, policies, website updates, staff training) never gets done.
The tools
| Tool | What it does for a practice | Free tier (verified Oct 2026) | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doximity (Ask, Scribe, Dialer) | Clinical AI suite: Ask (formerly DoxGPT) for clinical questions and drafting, Scribe for visit notes, Dialer for calls/telehealth | Free for verified U.S. clinicians, per Doximity. Doximity says its tools are HIPAA-compliant and its BAA applies once you register and accept its terms, so read the BAA yourself | doximity.com · [affiliate link] |
| OpenEvidence | Evidence-based answers to clinical questions with citations to medical literature | Free for verified U.S. healthcare professionals (verification typically uses your NPI) | openevidence.com · [affiliate link] |
| Heidi | AI scribe: transcribes visits and drafts notes from templates; also has cited evidence answers | Free plan with unlimited transcription and standard templates; advanced features are limited on Free (see Heidi's pricing page) | heidihealth.com · [affiliate link] |
| Freed (paid) | AI scribe with specialty templates, patient instructions and letters, and EHR push on higher tiers | 7-day free trial, no credit card needed; then paid plans (check current pricing on Freed's site) | getfreed.ai · [affiliate link] |
| ChatGPT or Claude (non-PHI only) | Job posts, office policies, website copy, staff training outlines, generic patient-education drafts | Free plans available, but do not enter patient information on consumer plans | chatgpt.com · claude.ai · [affiliate link] |
Step-by-step beginner setup
- Talk to your compliance lead first. Decide which tools are approved for PHI (only those with a signed BAA) and which are admin-only.
- Verify your clinician account on Doximity or OpenEvidence (both require clinician verification).
- Trial one scribe for a week (Heidi Free, Doximity Scribe, or the Freed trial). Get patient consent to record, following your state's rules and your practice policy.
- Compare notes side by side with your own for a few days before you trust the drafts.
- Use ChatGPT or Claude for admin only, like the job-post prompt below.
Copy-paste prompt (admin only, no patient data)
You are helping a small [SPECIALTY] practice in [CITY]. Write a job post for a [MEDICAL ASSISTANT / FRONT DESK] role.
Include: a 2-sentence intro about the practice, 6 responsibilities, 5 requirements, schedule [HOURS], and how to apply.
Warm and professional. Do not invent pay, benefits, or certifications I didn't list: [DETAILS].
Your daily AI routine
Three small AI habits for a clinic day. Only use tools your practice has approved for the kind of data involved.
☀️ Morning (7:30 am): Pre-visit evidence check
Tool: OpenEvidence · [affiliate link]
- Before clinic, look at today's schedule for one or two visits where you want a quick refresher.
- Ask a de-identified question with the prompt below (no names, dates of birth, or record numbers).
- Open the cited sources before changing any plan of care.
For an adult patient with [CONDITION] who is already on [MEDICATION CLASS], what do current guidelines recommend as the next step if [SITUATION]? Cite the guideline and year.
🕛 Midday (12:00 pm): Clear notes between visits
Tool: Heidi, Doximity Scribe, or Freed (BAA-covered tool only) · [affiliate link]
- Record visits only with patient consent and only in a tool covered by your BAA.
- At lunch, review each AI-drafted note and use the instruction below to tighten it.
- Correct anything wrong, then sign. You are responsible for the final note.
Shorten the Assessment and Plan to bullet points. Keep every medication name, dose, and follow-up interval exactly as recorded. Flag anything that sounds uncertain or that the patient didn't actually say.
🌙 Evening (5:30 pm): Knock out one admin task
Tool: ChatGPT or Claude (no patient data) · [affiliate link]
- Pick one admin item: a policy, a website update, or a staff training outline.
- Use the prompt below.
- Have the office manager review it before it's published or shared.
Write a one-page front-desk policy for [TOPIC, e.g., late arrivals / no-shows / prescription refill requests] for a small [SPECIALTY] practice. Plain English, friendly, under 250 words. Leave [BRACKETS] where we need to fill in fees or timeframes. Don't give clinical advice.
Keep a human in the loop
- A licensed clinician must review and sign every AI-drafted note, order, and patient message.
- Never put PHI into a tool without a signed BAA and your compliance team's approval.
- Tell patients when a visit is being recorded or transcribed, and follow your state's consent rules.
- Watch for "hallucinated" details in notes, like symptoms or doses that weren't discussed.
FAQ
Is ChatGPT HIPAA compliant? Don't assume so. Free and individual paid AI chat plans are not meant for patient data. Some vendors offer HIPAA-eligible business or enterprise plans with a BAA. Check directly with the vendor and your compliance officer.
What's the best free AI scribe for a small practice? Heidi has a free plan, and Doximity says Scribe is free for verified U.S. clinicians. Try one for a week and compare it to your own notes. Confirm the BAA before using either with real patients.
Can AI answer patient portal messages? Some EHRs and scribe tools can draft replies, but a clinician or trained staff member should review every message before it's sent.
Do I need to tell patients I'm using an AI scribe? Recording rules vary by state, and many practices get consent anyway. Check your state's rules and your practice policy.