Key points
- The signed note is the clinical record and belongs to the clinic or clinician. Export every signed note and letter before the old account closes.
- UK data protection law requires a processor to delete or return all personal data at the end of the contract, at the controller's choice.1
- In the US a business associate must return or destroy health information at termination if feasible, and keep no copies.2
- A two-week overlap with both tools live carries templates, consent wording and the review habit across.
- wai shapes templates to your specialty from the first morning, and you can export notes and records whenever you choose.4
Summary
Export every signed note, letter and template from the current scribe, ask the supplier in writing to return or delete the rest at the end of the contract, and run the new scribe alongside the old one for two weeks. The signed record belongs to the clinic, and a planned switch brings all of it across.
Two weeks from now the new scribe can be drafting every consultation in your own template, with every signed note from the old tool exported, checked and on file. The steps below bring the whole record across.
See it in your clinicThirty minutes on your own patients and doctors.
Request a demoSee your own note template rebuilt in a new workspace and a first consultation drafted the same morning.
| Step | What to do | When |
|---|---|---|
| Read the contract | Find the notice period, the export format and the end-of-contract clause on return or deletion | Week 0 |
| Export signed notes and letters | Full export with dates, patient identifiers and the signing clinician on each document | Week 0 |
| Check the export | Open ten random patients and confirm every signed note and letter is present and readable | Week 0 |
| Export templates | Save every note and letter template as text, ready to rebuild | Week 0 |
| Export consent records and audit log | Keep evidence of who was told, who signed what and when | Week 0 |
| Start the new scribe | Draft every consultation in the new tool and sign in your usual system of record | Week 1 |
| Rebuild templates | Rebuild the three most-used note templates and standard letters, then edit drafts until they read like you | Weeks 1 and 2 |
| Update the patient notice | Change the supplier description in the privacy notice and refresh the consent script on day one | Week 1 |
| Give notice | Ask the old supplier to return, then delete, all remaining data | End of week 2 |
| File the confirmation | Keep written confirmation of deletion with the export | On receipt |
What you are moving
A scribe holds five things, and each moves differently. Signed notes and letters are the clinical record and must come with you in full. Templates are your working method and are worth rebuilding properly. Audio and transcripts are working material most clinics do not need once the note is signed, subject to local policy.
Consent records show that each patient was told about the scribe, and audit logs show who signed what and when. Export both before the account closes.
What the law says the old supplier must do
In the UK, the supplier is a processor acting for the clinic. Under Article 28(3)(g) of the UK GDPR, the contract must say that at the end of the contract the processor will delete or return all the personal data it processed, at the controller's choice, and delete existing copies unless the law requires them to be kept.1
In the US, the supplier is a business associate. HIPAA requires the agreement to say that at termination, if feasible, the business associate returns or destroys all protected health information it still holds and keeps no copies.2 Where that is not feasible, the protections of the agreement continue to cover what remains.2
Everywhere, choose return, then delete, and ask for written confirmation of deletion once your export is checked.
Why the export has to be complete
In the US, a patient who asks for an electronic copy must receive it in the form and format requested if it is readily producible, or in a readable electronic form agreed with them.3 Notes left in a closed account cannot meet that request.
To test the export, pick ten patients at random and confirm every signed note and letter is present, dated and attributed to the clinician who signed it.
Run both tools for two weeks
Keep the old scribe live while the new one drafts every consultation, and keep signing in the system of record you already use. After two weeks the new templates are tuned and the old tool has nothing left to do.
Rebuild your most-used note templates and standard letters in the new tool, and edit the first drafts until they read like you. Run the pre-signature review from who signs an AI clinical note on every draft while the new tool learns your style.
Keep consent continuous
Update the privacy notice and the patient script on the day the new tool goes live, and keep the old consent records with the exported notes. The consent form template is written to work with any scribe.
Moving to wai
A clinician can sign up to wai with an email address and draft a first consultation the same morning, with nothing to install.4 Note and letter templates are shaped to the clinician's specialty and refined as they edit, and notes and records can be exported at any time.4 Signed notes and letters can be exported from wai into any system.5
Where to start
Read the termination clause in your current contract this week and note the notice period. Request a full export of signed notes, letters, templates, consent records and the audit log, and check it with the ten-patient test.
Start the new scribe, run both for two weeks, then give notice, choose return then deletion, and file the deletion confirmation with the export. For a move beyond the scribe, use the wider switching checklist.
Bring your current templates. We rebuild one with you and draft a note from it in the demo.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose my notes if I cancel my AI scribe?
Not if you export first. Export every signed note and letter, check the export, and only then give notice. In the UK the supplier must delete or return the data at the end of the contract, at your choice.1
Should I keep the audio recordings?
Once the note is signed the note is the clinical record, so most clinics do not need the audio. Follow your clinic's records policy and any local rules.
How long should the two tools overlap?
Two weeks suits most clinicians, enough time to tune templates before giving notice on the old tool.
Do I need new patient consent when I change scribe?
Update the privacy notice and the consent script on the day the new tool goes live. Patients are told about the recording at each consultation, so the new script covers every new visit from day one.
What should the old supplier confirm in writing?
That all data was returned or deleted and no copies remain. In the US the agreement should require return or destruction at termination where feasible.2
How fast can I start with wai?
A clinician can sign up with an email address and start the first consultation the same morning, and notes and records can be exported at any time.4
Sources
- 1Information Commissioner's OfficeWhat needs to be included in the contractRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 2Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School45 CFR 164.504, Uses and disclosures, organizational requirementsRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 3Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School45 CFR 164.524, Access of individuals to protected health informationRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 4wai, 2026AI medical scribe for independent cliniciansRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 5wai, 2026IntegrationsRead 14 October 2026Read source
Your templates rebuilt and your first note drafted this morning
Fifteen minutes with a clinician who uses wai daily, on your own templates and workflows. We reply within one working day.
Partner with us
See it on your own patients, then build it with us
Thirty minutes on your own patients, doctors and rules, in your market. We reply within one working day, and the clinics that partner with us early shape what we build next.
Read how patient memory works in a clinic