Bells Virtual Scribe FAQ

Do we have to use a consent? 

No, this is configurable, you may already have this covered in your existing consent/initial paperwork.

Do we have to record consent every time we do a note? 

No, there is configuration for the consent that lets you decide how frequently we present the consent. 

Can Bells Virtual Scribe work offline/without connectivity? 

Yes, data will be stored within the Bells encrypted database on your device. Once connectivity is restored, the audio file is uploaded to be transcribed and turned into the AI Draft.  

How long do you store the recorded session? 

The recording, transcript and AI Draft are automatically deleted once the note is finalized. The audio file is available up to 60 days until the encounter is finalized. Once the encounter is signed, the audio file is hard deleted. For further clarity, for encounters not finalized, the audio files are hard deleted after 60 days.

There are two settings to drive transcription life in your Organization preference. For more information check out the Bells Virtual Scribe article. 

The transcription in the Patient Chart transcription tab of the signed note, goes away when the note is signed. The transcription on the signed note itself (in the signed note preview) stays will the note based on the organization preference. Unsigned/not used transcription life is based on the org preference or falls to the defaulted value of 60 days.

Are transcripts/recordings discoverable by subpoena prior to being deleted? 

The Bells teams advises organization to consult their own counsel on what could be in scope and it could also depend on the scope of the subpoena.  We have designed the system to keep these artifacts within the system for the shortest duration. The transcripts/recordings are deleted when finalizing a note, which should happen same day in the best circumstances or shortly after that. We believe the artifacts go a long way to providing explain-ability in how the system works, generates trust in the output of the AI, and ensures that appropriate documentation is generated. This is why they are available to the provider during the documentation process.  

Does this work on any device? 

Yes, as long as your device has a microphone. 

How many languages are supported for Virtual Scribe? 

English, we're currently partnering with AWS for Spanish soon.

What Pronouns are supported for Virtual Scribe? 

At this time, the AWS service only supports specifying He/Him, She/Her or They/Them.

Can I use Virtual Scribe in my groups? How many voices can be recognized in the session? 

Up to 10 voices can be recognized. The group session workflow is being worked on. 

How does Virtual Scribe know the different voices? 

In partnership with AWS, we are using a process called diarization to recognize the different voices during the record, tag them to the appropriate speaker and then reorganize the audio for the transcription and AI Draft.   

What is diarization? It's the process of separating an audio recording into segments based on who is speaking. 

How well does Virtual Scribe handle accents? 

Pretty well but we don't have any hard metrics. 

What if my notes aren't in a supported format? 

At this time, Bells Virtual Scribe supports 7 different note formats. Your Bells Administrators will select the appropriate format for your organization. 

Formats supported at this time: 

• BIRP
• DAP
• GIRPP
• SIRP
• Behavioral SOAP
• History and Physical
• Physical SOAP

These formats are used in the AI Draft.  

Don't worry, you can still take the text from the transcription or the AI Draft and use it in your notes regardless of that format. 

While we continue to work on supporting new functionality and note formats, if there are formats you'd like to see added, please discuss with you Client Alignment Representative.  

Can I see how Virtual Scribe is being used across my organization? 

Yes! We have a Virtual Scribe report in Bells that shows metrics and breakdowns of how your users are utilizing Virtual Scribe, including top users, staff speaking distribution, percentage of content that comes from Virtual Scribe, how consents are being used and more! 

Where are the recordings stored? 

Recordings are stored in the Netsmart hosting environment alongside your Care Record storage. 

Who has access to the recordings? 

Only the individual who recorded the listening session has access to the session's content. 

Which updates do I need for Bells Virtual Scribe?