Helping your doctor focus fully on you
Your appointment time matters. To make the most of every consultation at Specialist Sports Medicine, on the Sunshine Coast (Noosa & Maroochydore), we use Heidi, a secure AI clinical note-taking tool designed specifically for medical consultations. This page explains what it does, how your consent works, and how to decline.
Taking thorough clinical notes is important. Doing it in real time can pull a clinician's attention away from the person in front of them. Heidi is one tool that removes that tension. It runs only when you have agreed to it, and only during your consultation.
What is Heidi?
Heidi (Heidi Health) is a purpose-built clinical AI tool that listens to and summarises the relevant parts of your consultation. It converts spoken information into a structured clinical note that we review and finalise after your appointment.
Heidi does not make clinical decisions. It handles the documentation so we can stay present, focused, and engaged with you throughout your visit. The diagnosis and the plan come from your doctor, not the AI.
Why we use it
A specialist consultation is dense: a detailed history to take, an examination to perform, imaging to review, and a plan to build with you. Heidi captures the documentation in the background so your specialist can give you their full attention throughout the appointment.
With Heidi running in the background, we can listen more carefully, ask better questions, and spend more time explaining the diagnosis and the options rather than typing while you talk. The note quality also tends to be more complete, because nothing is missed in the rush to keep up.
What to expect in your appointment
If Heidi is going to be used during your consultation, we will let you know at the start and ask for your consent. A device, usually a phone or laptop, will be placed nearby so it can pick up the conversation clearly. There is nothing else for you to do.
Your appointment will proceed exactly as it would otherwise. We guide the consultation, examine you, review your imaging, and discuss your options with you. The only difference is that the note-taking happens in the background.
After the appointment, we read the draft note Heidi has produced, edit it, add anything that was missed, remove anything irrelevant, and save the final version to your medical record.
Your privacy
Heidi is designed with clinical privacy in mind. The detail is set out in the privacy policy, but the key points are:
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Audio retention | According to Heidi Health, audio is deleted once the note is generated and is not retained. |
| Server location | Heidi Health states that clinical note data is encrypted in transit and at rest and stored on servers in Australia, and that some processing may occur on overseas services where necessary for performance, using pseudonymised data. Heidi Health states that it holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II security certification. |
| Secondary use | Heidi Health advises that de-identified data may be used to improve the tool, and that no identifiable health information is sold or otherwise disclosed to third parties for their own purposes. |
| Where the note ends up | The reviewed clinical note is stored in the practice management system on Australian servers, alongside the rest of your medical record. |
Your information is used solely to support your clinical documentation and is not used for marketing, advertising, or any other purpose.
How to decline
Using Heidi is optional. Just say so, or let reception know when you arrive, and we will not turn it on and will write your notes manually.
If you have already started the consultation with Heidi running and change your mind partway through, that is also fine. The audio is deleted and the note is written without it.
Looking ahead
From December 2026, the Privacy Act will require practices to disclose more detail about personal information used in automated processes. The practice's privacy policy will be updated at that time.
From 1 July 2026, the clinic will use an assignment of benefit consent form for bulk-billed services, in line with Medicare and Department of Health requirements. Reception will provide this form at the relevant appointment.
Questions? Speak to us at your appointment, or call (07) 5415 0428. See also the FAQ on privacy and records.
Heidi Health is operated by Heidi Pty Ltd. For Heidi's own data handling commitments, visit heidihealth.com.
