How do I know if an AI scribe truly understands my specialty’s documentation needs?

During a demo or trial, listen for these signs of true specialty intelligence It correctly structures notes for your framework (e.g., SOAP for primary care, DAP for therapy) without requiring heavy manual reformatting. It accurately transcribes and contextualizes specialty-specific terminology (e.g., therapeutic modalities like CBT, precise anatomical terms for PT, complex medication plans for primary care) It asks relevant, insightful questions or flags inconsistencies based on clinical context, not just grammar. See how Twofold is trained on de-identified data from specific clinical domains, which you can experience firsthand through a free plan.

What should clinicians test during an AI scribe trial before committing?

Treat the trial like a working session. Key tests include: Real-World Workflow: Use it during actual patient visits or with recorded sample dialogues, not just perfect dictation. EHR Integration Depth: Verify that drafts populate the correct, discrete fields in your EHR for efficient sign-off. Specialty Jargon: Use complex, niche terminology common to your practice and assess the accuracy and placement. The Editing Experience: How long it takes to review, edit, and finalize a note. The editor should feel intuitive and fast. Template Application: Test if you can easily apply and customize note templates for your most common visit types.

How much manual editing should I expect after using an AI scribe?

With a high-quality, specialty-trained scribe, editing should be a final polish, not a rewrite. Expect: 1-3 minutes of review and verification for most standard visit notes. Minor edits for precision, nuance, or to add specific clinical reasoning. No need to structure entire sections or correct fundamental misunderstandings of clinical context. The goal is dramatic time reduction, as detailed in our analysis of time saved with an AI scribe.

How does Twofold adapt AI scribe output to different clinical workflows and note styles?

Twofold is designed for flexibility, not a one-size-fits-all output. It adapts through: Customizable Templates: Clinicians can create and save their own note templates for different visit types (e.g., "Annual Physical," "Anxiety Follow-up," "Post-Op Rehab"). Learned Preferences: The system can learn from your edits over time to better match your preferred phrasing and structure. Specialty-Specific Models: Underlying AI models are tuned for the unique documentation patterns of primary care, behavioral health, and physical therapy.

Can Twofold support practices with multiple specialties using one AI scribe platform?

Absolutely. Twofold’s platform is built for multi-specialty practices. Key features enable this: Role-Based Templates: Different clinicians or specialties can have their own set of custom templates within a single organization account. Unified Administrative View: Practice managers have one platform to manage billing, usage, and support across all users. Consistent Security & Compliance: All data is protected under one robust, compliant security framework, simplifying IT oversight. This allows for a cohesive tool that still delivers a personalized experience for each clinician's specialty.

Choosing the Right AI Scribe for Primary Care, Therapy, or PT

on January 14, 2026

Reviewed by

6 min read

The right AI medical scribe can reclaim hours of your week. The wrong one will add to your administrative burden. For clinicians in primary care, therapy, and physical therapy, documentation isn't just transcription; it's a specialized language. A therapy notes narrative, the complexity of a primary care plan, and the precise measurements of a PT evaluation each demand an AI tool that understands the unique context of your workflows. This guide cuts through the noise and will make the vetting process for an AI scribe easier and ensure that it fits your specialty.

Why Choosing the Right AI Scribe Matters

An AI scribe built for general dictation will misinterpret clinical context, costing you more time than it saves. The wrong tool generates inaccurate notes, increases editing burden, disrupts your workflow, and fuels frustration.

The right one delivers:

Enhanced accuracy
True time savings
Improved well-being
Better patient care

The choice isn't about having a scribe; it's about having a competent one.

What an AI Scribe Must Handle Across Primary Care, Therapy, and PT Workflows

An effective AI medical scribe for clinicians must adapt to fundamentally different documentation paradigms.

Primary Care: Manages high-volume, broad-scope visits, from acute complaints to chronic disease management. It must expertly structure a Review of Systems, articulate complex assessments and plans, and handle medication updates.
Therapy and Mental Health: Captures narrative-heavy, process-oriented sessions. Success depends on understanding nuanced language, therapeutic interventions, and descriptions of mood/affect without imposing a rigid template.
Physical Therapy: Navigates a highly structured world of functional assessments and objective data. It requires flawless transcription of anatomical terms, range-of-motion metrics, and specific therapeutic exercises.

Accuracy and Clinical Context Requirements for AI Scribes by Specialty

Raw transcription accuracy is insufficient. The AI must demonstrate clinical reasoning by placing information in the correct conceptual framework.

Primary Care: Breadth and Complexity

The scribe must distinguish between a patient’s active history and their ongoing medical background. For example, it should correctly file "has a history of COPD" under Past Medical History (PMH), while placing "denies shortness of breath today" in the Review of Systems (ROS).

Therapy: Nuance and Narrative

Beyond recognizing modalities like EMDR, the AI must preserve the therapeutic narrative. It should accurately capture patient quotes and clinician reflections, maintaining their original meaning and emotional valence rather than outputting generic, robotic statements.

Physical Therapy: Precision and Specificity

Precision is non‑negotiable. The tool must correctly transcribe "AC joint" versus "SC joint," distinguish between "lateral flexion" and "rotation," and accurately log exercise prescriptions like "3 sets of 10 clam shell exercises with a resistance band."

AI Scribe Workflow Fit

The tool must integrate seamlessly into your existing documentation habits, not force you to adapt it.

Primary Care Documentation

The AI should default to an efficient SOAP note structure, facilitate one‑click medication list updates, and seamlessly integrate common screening tools (e.g., PHQ‑9 scores) directly into the assessment.

Therapy and Mental Health Sessions

Look for native support for common frameworks like DAP or GIRP notes. The workflow must ethically handle sensitive content and automatically align documentation with session billing codes.

Physical Therapy and Rehab Documentation

An optimal fit includes templated support for initial evaluations and progress notes, efficient logging of repetitive exercise regimens (sets/reps), and auto‑population of standardized outcomes measures (e.g., Oswestry Disability Index) into the note.

EHR Integration Considerations When Choosing an AI Scribe

A seamless connection to your EHR is critical. “We integrate” can mean anything from a manual copy‑paste step to fully automated, structured data entry. The latter is the best option.

Basic Integration: Pushes a single, unformatted text block into a free-text field, requiring significant manual reorganization.
Advanced Integration: Structures the AI-generated draft directly into the correct EHR note sections (HPI, Exam, A/P). This allows for efficient pre-sign-off review and editing directly within your native workflow.

Security, HIPAA Compliance, and Data Ownership in AI Scribes

Trust is non‑negotiable. Any vendor must provide a signed Business Associate Agreement, employ end‑to‑end encryption, and practice data anonymization.

The Critical Question: Ask, “What is your data retention and usage policy?” Opt for vendors who do not retain audio post-processing and never use your patient data for model training without explicit, opt-in consent.
Ownership is Vital: Ensure your contract clearly states that you retain full ownership of all patient data and the clinical notes generated.

Customization, Templates, and Editing Experience in AI Scribes

AI scribe tools should adapt to your practice, not the other way around. The post‑draft editing process is where significant time can still be lost.

Template Flexibility: The ability to create and apply custom templates for visit types (e.g., “Diabetic Foot Exam,” “Initial Psych Evaluation,” “Post-Op Knee Rehab”) ensures relevant and structured output from the start.
Efficiency of the Editor: The interface must allow for rapid refinement. Can you use simple voice commands like “delete that last sentence” or “bold the assessment”? The goal is to minimize total note completion time. Learn how to optimize this in our article on how to set up an AI scribe for maximum efficiency.

Evaluating AI Scribe Accuracy, Training, and Ongoing Support

Look beyond marketing claims. Investigate the model's foundation and the vendor's support structure when setting up a tool for your practice.

Accuracy Metrics: Inquire about both Word Error Rate (WER) and Clinical Concept Error Rate (CCER)—the latter measures the misplacement of critical clinical data, which is far more consequential.
Specialty-Specific Training: Ask if the underlying AI has been trained on de-identified datasets from your field (e.g., primary care encounter notes, psychotherapy transcripts). This is key for contextual understanding.
Support Model: Determine if onboarding includes clinical workflow consultation and the expected response time for addressing accuracy drift or technical issues.

Pricing, ROI, and Time Savings From the Right AI Scribe

Pricing models vary: per‑clinician/month or annual subscription. To understand value, calculate a clear ROI based on documented time savings. The table below provides an estimation of the impact across specialties based on recent studies.

Specialty	Average Documentation Time/Visit	Average Time with an AI Medical Scribe	Time Saved
Primary Care	10-15 min	2-5 min	~8-10 min
Therapy	15-20 min	3-7 min	~12-13 min
Physical Therapy	10-12 min	2-4 min	~8 min

True ROI extends beyond recovered hours. It includes reduced burnout, increased patient capacity, and high‑quality documentation that better supports care continuity and billing. For a deeper dive into these metrics, explore our analysis on time saved with an AI scribe.

How Twofold Helps Clinicians Choose the Right AI Scribe with Confidence

When evaluating AI scribes, the choice often comes down to trusting a vendor that truly understands clinical practice. Twofold is purpose‑built to be that partner.

Specialty-Specific Intelligence: Twofolds AI is trained on de-identified clinical datasets from your specialty, enabling it to correctly handle narrative therapy notes, primary care assessmenrs and PT terminology.
Adaptable Templates and Editing: Create custom note templates for different visit types. Our editor is designed to minimize total note completion time, not just transcription time.
Deep EHR Integration: Twofold delivers parsed, organized drafts ready to paste into the correct sections of your EHR, enabling fast review and sign-off within your workflow.

Conclusion

Selecting the right AI scribe is a strategic clinical decision. The optimal tool functions as a specialized assistant in your field, and the choice hinges on how well the tool understands your clinical language, fits into your EHR, and safeguards your patient data. By prioritizing a good medical scribe, you move beyond simple transcription to achieve meaningful efficiency, reduced administrative burden, and a renewed focus on patient care.

Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Eli Neimark

Licensed Medical Doctor

Dr. Eli Neimark is a certified ophthalmologist and accomplished tech expert with a unique dual background that seamlessly integrates advanced medicine with cutting‑edge technology. He has delivered patient care across diverse clinical environments, including hospitals, emergency departments, outpatient clinics, and operating rooms. His medical proficiency is further enhanced by more than a decade of experience in cybersecurity, during which he held senior roles at international firms serving clients across the globe.

Choosing the Right AI Scribe for Primary Care, Therapy, or PT

Why Choosing the Right AI Scribe Matters

What an AI Scribe Must Handle Across Primary Care, Therapy, and PT Workflows