Summary
Consultants add clinical AI in one of three ways. They refer a clinic to a vendor for a fee, they run the sale themselves for a larger fee, or they implement the product inside their own engagement and bill for the work. Audit firms and any adviser bound by independence rules should use the third route, because commissions from audit clients are prohibited.
Clinics are already asking. The American Medical Association found that 66 percent of US physicians used some form of AI in their practice in 2024, up from 38 percent in 2023, and 57 percent named administrative burden as the biggest opportunity for it.
That question now lands on the people clinics already pay for advice. Practice consultants, health IT firms, accountants and conversion firms are asked which scribe to buy, whether the front desk can be automated, and what is safe. The firms that answer well keep the client. The firms that shrug send the client to a vendor's sales team.
This guide sets out the three partnership models, what each one asks of the firm, and the professional rules that decide which one a firm can use.
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See the partner program| Model | What the firm does | How the firm is paid | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refer | Makes the introduction, the vendor runs the demo and setup | A share of the clinic's first-year subscription | Advisors with trusted access and little time |
| Sell | Leads the conversation and closes with the vendor behind it | A larger share of the first-year subscription | Firms with a sales motion of their own |
| Deliver | Implements the product inside its own engagement | Its own fees for the work, no vendor fee | Audit firms and advisers bound by independence rules |
What clinics are asking for
Physicians want AI for paperwork first. In the AMA's 2024 survey the top opportunity was addressing administrative burden through automation, and use for visit documentation, discharge summaries and care plans was significantly higher than in 2023.
The same survey shows what holds adoption back. Physicians ranked a designated feedback channel at 88 percent, data privacy assurances at 87 percent and integration with the electronic health record at 84 percent as requirements. Those are implementation questions, which is where an advisor earns the fee.
In the UK the questions are about assurance. NHS England's guidance on ambient scribing, published in April 2025, expects a clinical safety case, a data protection impact assessment and a product that meets the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria. A clinic needs someone to read that list against a vendor.
The referral model
Referral is the lightest model. The firm registers the clinic with the vendor, makes the introduction, and the vendor handles the demo, contract, setup and support. The firm is paid a share of what the clinic pays.
The terms that matter are the base, the period and the protection. A percentage of the first-year subscription is common, and so is a registration window that stops the vendor dealing around the firm. Our checklist of what to look for in a healthcare partner program covers each term.
The firm stays the advisor throughout. The clinic still decides what to buy.
The resale model
Some firms run the sale themselves. They hold the discovery calls, scope the rollout and bring the vendor in for the demo and the contract. The fee is higher because the work is.
This model fits firms that already sell services into clinics, such as managed IT providers and concierge conversion firms. It asks for product knowledge, a demo account and a named contact at the vendor, and a firm should ask for all three before agreeing terms.
The delivery model and independence rules
Some advisers cannot take a referral fee at all. The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct prohibits a member in public practice from recommending a product for a commission, or receiving one, when the firm also audits or reviews that client's financial statements.
Public company audits carry a second constraint. SEC Rule 2-01 treats an accountant as not independent where the firm has a direct or material indirect business relationship with an audit client, so any arrangement touching an audit client needs the firm's independence team before it needs a vendor.
Delivery is the route that works for these firms. The firm implements the product as part of its own engagement, bills its own fees, and takes nothing from the vendor. Where a fee is permitted, the AICPA code still requires the adviser to disclose it to the client.
Choosing a vendor to partner with
A partner's reputation travels with the product. The vendor should answer the questions in what to ask a scribe vendor in writing, state its regulatory position plainly, and publish its prices so the firm is not recommending a number it cannot see.
The commercial terms should be written down before the first introduction. That means the percentage, what it is calculated on, when it is paid, how long a registration lasts, and what happens on renewal.
wai publishes its partner terms on its partner page. Firms earn 10 percent of what a clinic pays in its first year for an introduction and 15 percent when they run the sale, paid quarterly on cash collected, and firms that cannot take fees partner on delivery.
The short answer
Pick the model the firm's rules allow, then pick the vendor whose terms and product survive the client's scrutiny. The advice is the asset. The clinic decides, and the firm keeps the relationship either way.
Refer, sell or deliver. The terms for each model are published on the partner page.
See the partner programFrequently asked questions
How can a healthcare consultant offer AI to clients?
Through referral, resale or delivery. A referral partner introduces the clinic and the vendor does the rest. A resale partner runs the sale with the vendor behind it. A delivery partner implements the product inside its own engagement and bills its own fees.
Can an audit firm take a referral fee from a software vendor?
Not from a vendor whose product it recommends to an audit client. The AICPA Code of Professional Conduct prohibits commissions where the firm also audits or reviews the client's financial statements, and SEC Rule 2-01 restricts business relationships with audit clients. Delivery with no vendor fee is the usual route.
What do clinics want from AI?
Mostly relief from paperwork. In the AMA's 2024 survey 57 percent of physicians named administrative burden as the biggest opportunity for AI, and 84 percent said integration with the electronic health record was required for adoption.
Does a consultant need to disclose a referral fee?
Usually yes. The AICPA code requires members who are permitted to receive a commission to disclose it to the client. Consumer advertising rules in the US and the UK also expect a paid relationship to be clear. Firms should take their own professional advice.
What should a firm check before partnering with a clinical AI vendor?
The vendor's written answers on data storage, model training and access, its regulatory position, whether its prices are published, and the exact partner terms, including the fee base, payment timing, registration window and treatment of renewals.
How does the wai partner program work?
Firms earn 10 percent of what a clinic pays in its first year for an introduction, or 15 percent when they run the sale, paid quarterly on cash wai collects. Each introduction is registered to the firm for 90 days, renewals carry no fee, and nothing is ever paid per patient. Firms that cannot take fees partner on delivery. The terms are on the partner page.
Sources
- AMA, physician enthusiasm grows for health care AI, 12 February 2025
- NHS England, guidance on the use of AI-enabled ambient scribing products in health and care settings
- AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, 1.520.001 Commissions and Referral Fees Rule
- 17 CFR 210.2-01, qualifications of accountants (SEC auditor independence rule)
- FTC, Endorsement Guides, what people are asking
- wai Partners, published program terms
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