Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Consultations Policy

(Aligned with RACGP Standards for General Practices, 5th Edition)
Affinity Family Medical – Effective Date: June 2026

1. Introduction and Purpose

Affinity Family Medical is committed to leveraging modern technology to enhance patient care, improve clinical accuracy, and allow our General Practitioners (GPs) to focus more attention on you, the patient.
This policy outlines the practice’s use of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) medical scribe, Best Practice Lyrebird, during consultations. It ensures full transparency, adherence to Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and compliance with the RACGP Standards (5th Edition), particularly regarding informed consent and clinical safety.

2. The AI Tool: Best Practice Lyrebird Scribe

Affinity Family Medical uses the Lyrebird Health AI Scribe, which is fully integrated with our clinical software, Best Practice.

What the AI Scribe Does:

The Lyrebird AI Scribe is a decision support tool used to:

Securely record the audio of the consultation conversation.
Generate a structured clinical note, summarising the patient history, examination findings, assessment, and management plan.
Assist in drafting clinical letters, referrals, or medical certificates.

What the AI Scribe DOES NOT Do:

The AI scribe does not replace the clinical judgement of your GP.
The AI scribe does not make diagnostic or treatment decisions.
The AI scribe does not store or use your identifiable audio data for training purposes.

3. Transparency and Informed Consent (RACGP Criterion C2.1)

In line with the RACGP Standards, Affinity Family Medical ensures that all patients are informed and provide consent for the use of the AI scribe.

Requirement for Consent:

Verbal Consent: Your GP or a practice staff member will inform you at the start of every consultation if the Lyrebird AI Scribe is active. Your verbal consent will be requested for its use.
Documentation: Your consent (or refusal) is electronically recorded and stored in your medical file within Best Practice. Lyrebird records this consent automatically during the consultation process.
Right to Refuse: You have the absolute right to decline the use of the AI Scribe at any time, without explanation or prejudice to your care. If you refuse, the GP will take traditional manual notes.

What is Disclosed:

You are informed that the AI Scribe listens to the conversation, generates a summary, and that your GP reviews and finalizes this summary before it becomes part of your permanent medica

4. Data Privacy, Security, and Confidentiality

Affinity Family Medical prioritises the security of your health information in compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

Security Aspect	Affinity Family Medical / Lyrebird Action
Audio Storage	No audio is permanently stored. The audio is converted to text (transcribed) in real-time and is immediately deleted after the clinical note is generated.
Data Sovereignty	All data processing and storage occurs on secure servers located within Australia, ensuring compliance with Australian health data legislation.
Encryption	All patient data is secured using industry-standard 256-bit encryption (the same level used by banking institutions).
Data Usage	Your consultation data will never be sold to third parties or used by Lyrebird Health for training its AI model. The data is solely used to generate your clinical documentation.
Data Transfer	The final, reviewed note is securely transferred back into your private, protected patient record within the Best Practice clinical system.

5. Clinical Governance and GP Accountability (RACGP Criterion G2.1)

Affinity Family Medical guarantees that the use of the AI scribe enhances, but does not compromise, the quality or safety of your care.

GP Accountability:

The GP remains fully accountable for the content of your medical record.
Every AI-generated note is immediately and thoroughly reviewed, verified, and edited by the consulting GP before it is saved into your medical record.
The GP ensures the notes accurately reflect the entire conversation, clinical findings, and planned management, mitigating the risk of AI “hallucinations” or inaccuracies.

Risk Mitigation:

Our practice team receives regular training on the safe and ethical use of the Lyrebird AI Scribe, focusing on identifying and correcting any potential biases, errors, or omissions generated by the AI model. The tool is treated strictly as a documentation aid, and all clinical decisions are based on the GP’s professional judgement.

6. Patient Rights and Complaints

If you have concerns or wish to exercise your rights regarding the use of AI in your care, please contact the Practice Manager.

Access to Information: You have the right to request access to the clinical notes generated by the AI scribe, consistent with our existing Privacy Policy.
Complaints: Any concerns about the use of the AI Scribe, privacy, or the accuracy of the notes should be raised with the Practice Manager or your treating GP. We will address all complaints in accordance with the Affinity Family Medical Complaints Management Policy.

This AI Policy is reviewed annually and updated in response to changes in technology, RACGP Standards, and Australian legislation.