Prescription to ease physician paperwork

Startup Tali AI is on a mission to make doctors’ lives easier. 

As physicians grapple with paperwork fatigue, Tali AI wants to help – armed with a voice-enabled AI virtual scribe tailored to the unique needs of clinicians. 

Doctors are required to document the details of each patient visit, and many use a specialized software for creating electronic medical records (EMR) and electronic health records (EHR).

“About 70 per cent of doctors are thinking of quitting because of spending 10-15 hours weekly on these administrative tasks,” says Tali AI CEO and co-founder Mahshid Yassaei. “It is a real problem, making them work late at night or on weekends.”

Tali AI transcribes and synthesizes doctor-patient conversations, capturing elements like the patient's story, physical examination details, doctor's assessment and treatment plans. This information is integrated into the electronic record system, streamlining the documentation process for both doctors and patients. 

“We co-designed the product with Well Health – Canada's largest clinic owner and a prominent EMR provider – for about two years,” says Yassaei, who has an undergrad degree in computer engineering and a master’s in computer science. “We got positive feedback from doctors – they said it not only streamlined documentation but also reinstated joy in their practice, and so we decided to make Tali AI generally available.”

Tali AI recently closed a round of financing co-led by Esplanade Ventures and TMV, with participation from DigiTx Partners, MaRS IAF and WELL Ventures. It plans to use the funding to fuel growth.

"We're utilizing the funding to solidify Tali AI's position as the leading AI-scribe company in Canada, and to initiate expansion into the U.S. market,” says Yassaei. “Over the next 12 to 18 months, our focus is on establishing robust distribution channels and building a substantial user base in both markets.”

Launched vin 2020, Tali AI is a spinoff of Evenset – a custom medical and health-care software development company that Yassaei also co-founded. Tali AI received funding from a public health agency to conduct research on natural language processing (NLP) algorithms. The intent was to explore the feasibility of using such technology to create a natural language interface for clinicians. 

“The journey involved several pivots before arriving at our current product,” says Yassaei. “Now supporting English and French, Tali AI is continuously evolving with efforts to enhance workflow support."

Tali AI uses a growth-model approach, allowing physicians to independently access and download the product from the company’s website. Organizations such as clinics and hospitals have the option to make bulk purchases for all their clinicians. 

“It is a user-friendly process,” says Yassaei. “The flexibility extends from individual users to organizational procurement, accommodating various needs.”