AI at the doctor's: the listening scribe, AI-drafted replies, and checking your visit note

Short answer

Many clinics now use an AI scribe (software that listens to the visit and drafts the clinician's note) and AI that drafts replies to your portal messages (the clinic's website or app for messages and results). You can ask whether either is used, ask for the scribe to be paused or not used, and ask whether a person reviewed a reply. After the visit, read your note and check the medicines, doses, allergies, what you said and the plan. If something is wrong, send a written correction request with the exact line and the fix. In the US the clinic must answer within 60 days and may refuse, and if it does you can add your own statement to the record.

Who this is for. Patients and carers with access to a patient portal. No setup needed beyond your portal login.

At the visit: the listening scribe

Ask at the start: "Are you using an AI scribe today?" If you'd rather not be recorded, or a part of the visit is sensitive, ask for it to be switched off or paused. In the US we found no single rule that gives you a right to refuse, and consent rules vary by state and health system, so treat this as a request.

In England, NHS patient guidance says staff "should tell you at the beginning of the session", that "You can ask for an ambient scribe not to be used during your appointment", and that clinicians "must check the notes or letters that have been made by the ambient scribe to make sure they are accurate" before adding them to your record (NHS England Transformation Directorate, official guidance, no longer updated since 31 March 2026). The same page says an objection can sometimes be overridden, case by case.

In the portal: AI-drafted replies

In a July 2026 interview study of 40 patients at one US health system, patients were comfortable with AI-drafted portal replies if a clinician reviewed them, and broadly wanted to be told when AI was used, though they differed on how and when (Owens et al., JAMA Network Open, peer-reviewed qualitative study). It is a small study of made-up example messages, so it describes views, not how common they are.

Our suggestions:

If a reply says it was drafted with AI, or you're not sure, ask: "Did a clinician read this before it was sent?"
For results, a new diagnosis or a medicine change, ask for a phone call or a visit rather than a message. Patients in the same study often wanted that for higher-stakes news.
Keep the message. If a later note disagrees with it, you have both in writing.

After the visit: read your note

Check	What to look for
Medicines	Every medicine you take, with the right name. Nothing you stopped. Nothing you never took
Doses	Amount and how often, matched against your bottles or packs
Allergies	Each allergy and the reaction, and no allergy you don't have
What you said	Your symptoms, when they started and how bad, in a way you'd agree with
Who was there	A relative's words not written down as yours
The plan	Tests, referrals, follow-up dates and what you were told to do

Small wording differences don't matter. A wrong medicine, dose, allergy or diagnosis does.

If the note is hard to read, you can paste a copy into an AI assistant to explain the terms, after removing your name, date of birth and record numbers (What not to paste). Treat its explanation as a starting point and ask your clinician about anything that matters (Health, money and legal questions).

If the note is wrong: ask for a correction

Small slips can often be fixed with a portal message to the clinician. For anything bigger, or if a message doesn't work, send a formal request.

US. Under HIPAA (45 CFR 164.526), "An individual has the right to have a covered entity amend protected health information" (eCFR, up to date as of 15 October 2026, law text). The clinic:

may require the request in writing, with a reason, if it has told you so in advance;
must act within 60 days, and may extend once by up to 30 days with a written reason;
may refuse, for example if it decides the record "Is accurate and complete" or was not created by that clinic;
if it refuses, must let you file "a written statement disagreeing with the denial", which stays with your record.

UK. You can challenge inaccurate personal data and ask for it to be corrected. The organisation has one month to respond, extendable by two months, and can refuse in some cases. For medical opinions, a record that shows an opinion clearly as an opinion may not count as inaccurate (ICO, regulator guidance, under review in 2026).

Ask the clinic's medical records or privacy office for its form first, if it has one. Otherwise, send this (our suggestion).

Request to correct my visit note · v1.0

To: <CLINIC> medical records / privacy office
I am asking you to amend my record.
Visit date: <VISIT_DATE>. Clinician: <CLINICIAN>.
The note says: "<EXACT_LINE>"
This is wrong because: <REASON>
It should say: "<CORRECTION>"
Please confirm you received this request, and tell me in writing whether you accept it.
If you deny it, please tell me how to submit a statement of disagreement.
<YOUR_NAME>, <DATE_OF_BIRTH>

Replace the following:

<EXACT_LINE>: copy the wrong line word for word.
<REASON>: short and factual, such as I take 5 mg once a day, not 50 mg; see my prescription dated 2026-09-02 (illustrative).
<CORRECTION>: the exact wording you want instead.

Keep a dated copy of what you sent and any reply in one folder.

Before the next visit

Keep your own one-page list of medicines, doses, allergies and conditions, and bring it. Then a wrong line in one note is easy to spot. Photos in, data out shows how to turn photos of your medicine packs into a list you then check by hand.

Your clinic record is protected by health privacy rules. Copies you move elsewhere may not be: in the US, HIPAA (the federal health privacy law) covers your doctor's office, your health plan and the companies working for them, but an app you choose and use yourself is usually not covered (HHS, 2016, regulator guidance). Before you connect your record to an AI app, read Connect your medical records to an AI?.

Limits

Sources

Owens et al. Patient Perspectives on AI-Drafted Electronic Portal Messages. JAMA Network Open, 7 July 2026. Peer-reviewed qualitative study (40 patients). Link
eCFR. 45 CFR 164.526, Amendment of protected health information, up to date as of 15 October 2026. Law text. Link
NHS England Transformation Directorate. Using AI-enabled ambient scribing products in health and care settings, March 2026. Official guidance. Link
ICO. Your right to get your data corrected, 2026. Regulator guidance. Link
HHS Office for Civil Rights. Health App Use Scenarios and HIPAA, February 2016. Regulator guidance. Link

Changes

v1.019 Oct 2026first version