TOH and Microsoft + Nuance DAX Copilot | TOH FAQs

The Ottawa Hospital (“TOH”) is introducing the innovative software DAX Copilot. This document is designed to provide you with comprehensive information to ensure your confidence when in use during your healthcare visit.

How does DAX Copilot work?

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI), DAX Copilot securely records clinician-patient conversations during in-person appointments. Once the visit is complete, the conversation is converted into medical notes for the physician to review and finalize. Patients will have access to the notes from the visit through the MyChart patient portal.

What are the benefits of using this technology?

Physicians spend around 10 hours each week on administrative tasks, such as charting after patient appointments. Using Dax Copilot will reduce the time they spend on manual documentation, by an average of seven minutes per encounter, freeing up more time to interact with patients.

It may also allow physicians to see more patients during their clinic time, helping to reduce wait times and increase both access to and quality of care.

Drafting clinical notes using DAX Copilot will also help ensure that no health information between patients and physicians gets overlooked.   

What am I consenting to?

Your consent allows the provider to record the conversation, which gets analyzed by DAX Copilot’s generative AI and is converted into a draft clinical note. This draft note is reviewed by a physician before being finalized and added to the patient’s electronic medical chart. Should a patient have concerns with the information, they can request a review if necessary.

You are also consenting to the use of your information to improve the technology. AI systems are constantly learning and improving so they can create better outputs. Rest assured that your data, including any audio recordings, will solely contribute to the training and refinement of the system. The developer of DAX Copilot is required to comply with Canadian health privacy law, ensuring your information is handled with the utmost care and confidentiality.

During the trial period, Microsoft data servers containing information used to help improve the technology will be hosted in the United States. DAX Copilot-obtained information is not sent, processed, or stored outside the US and Canada.

Do I need to consent to this? Is my health information secure?

Your physician will only use DAX Copilot to record your appointment if you provide explicit consent. However, it is your choice. You do not need to agree to the use of Copilot.

After the recording is transformed into a clinical note, it will be permanently deleted from TOH servers and will be inaccessible. You (the patient) can then review the clinical note from your appointment via MyChart.

The developer of DAX Copilot is contractually obligated to keep your information secure and protect against inappropriate disclosure. TOH has reviewed the company’s privacy practices to ensure patient information is secure.

Is there a plan to expand the use of AI at TOH in the future?

We are taking a careful and responsible approach to using AI, while everyone continues to learn about the technology. It is important to expand in a way that meaningfully helps clinicians and patients.

AI is used in a few areas of our hospital, including Ambulatory Care and Medical Imaging. For example: our Radiologists use AI imaging platforms in breast imaging and lung screening.

Why is AI used in healthcare?

Like other sectors, there are many benefits to using AI in healthcare. Using AI can help streamline workflows, improve access to and quality of care, and reduce administrative burdens and wait times. It also allows staff to focus more on delivering or supporting patient care, by reducing time spent on manual tasks.

Does DAX Copilot work if there’s more than one provider in the room?

Yes, there can be multiple people contributing to the conversation (ex. a second consulting physician, a POA/family member attending the appointment with the patient), and DAX Copilot will capture the relevant health information and include it in the draft clinical notes.

Only the patient needs to consent to the use of DAX Copilot, as it is the patient’s information that will be recorded and used.

How does DAX Copilot handle “chit-chat” between people?

DAX does a good job at filtering out conversation that isn’t relevant to the medical evaluation taking place. It only records clinical information, so your casual conversation won’t be included in your medical note.

What if I change my mind and no longer want my provider to use DAX Copilot?

Your provider can stop DAX Copilot from recording the conversation at any time. DAX Copilot’s recording can also be restarted if necessary (ex. your provider can restart Copilot to capture any important medical information you forgot to say during the initial recording).

How do I view the note in the MyChart patient portal?

To view your clinical notes, log on to MyChart and click the “Health” tab. MyChart is a secure online patient portal that makes it easy for you to access your health information, at any time. You can access the portal or obtain more information and sign up here: MyChart

Who can I contact if I have questions?

If you have questions about your privacy, contact infoprivacyoffice@toh.ca.

Last updated on: July 30th, 2024