It only draws on \u201ctrusted, medical sources\u201d. Evidence links to the source of every line of advice or information.<\/p>\n
It also presents no advertising – something that\u2019s recently become a point of controversy in the AI industry after Claude maker Anthropic ran a Super Bowl commercial mocking OpenAI\u2019s recent decision to run ads with some ChatGPT responses.<\/p>\n
Paid tiers for clinicians include integration with Heidi\u2019s Scribe tool and the ability to apply evidence during live consultations, along with source control at an individual or organisation-wide level, Kelly says.<\/p>\n
Medical knowledge now doubles every 73 days, making it impossible for clinicians to stay updated with new methods and research, Kelly says, but not all clinicians have the resources to keep up.<\/p>\n
Heidi Evidence links to medical-grade sources for every line of advice or information it offers.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeidi Evidence is free for individual clinicians, ensuring high-quality medical knowledge isn\u2019t a privilege of wealth,\u201d Kelly says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile consumer AI monetises via ads and data, Heidi uses enterprise revenue to subsidise access for practitioners in resource-constrained or fragmented markets. This provides a professional, bias-free alternative to ad-supported search engines that prioritise profit over clinical accuracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The basic version of Evidence is free to the general public. A paid version for clinicians adds integration with a patient’s medical file.<\/p>\n
Kelly says doctors will always ultimately make their own decisions, but Evidence will give them the latest information and \u201cmaybe let mid-level providers operate at the top of their licence, and maybe where a doctor isn\u2019t available, a nurse can make a better decision on the edge\u201d. <\/p>\n
What about privacy and security?<\/p>\n
The ManageMyHealth, Canopy Healthcare and now MediMap breaches<\/a> have put a sharp focus on privacy and security issues.<\/p>\n Evidence does not require members of the public to log in, maintaining anonymity. Kelly says all the data is encrypted and that there is a closed loop, with all data stored within Australasia and never shared with third parties.<\/p>\n A patient file can be shared with Heidi\u2019s support staff if there\u2019s a support issue that needs to be analysed, but the firm says identifying details including a patient\u2019s name and NHI number are stripped out first.<\/p>\n UK buy<\/p>\n Heidi \u2013 founded in 2019 by Melbourne-based vascular surgeon Kelly \u2013 raised $110 million<\/a> in venture capital last October on the back of becoming Australasia\u2019s most-used AI scribe.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, it bought US-based AI start-up AutoMedica, a maker of healthcare workflow systems and \u201cclinical reasoning\u201d tools that use blow-by-blow citation to counter AI\u2019s tendency to hallucinate.<\/p>\n Kelly said a key reason beyond the purchase – for an undisclosed sum – was to tap into AutoMedica\u2019s close relationship with UK regulators and its participation in the well-regarded Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) \u201cAI Airlock\u201d, a walled-off \u201cregulatory sandbox\u201d where new artificial intelligence products can be tested.<\/p>\n AI vs waitlist<\/p>\n This week, Kelly\u2019s company also released Heidi Comms, an AI that can automate calls, bookings, reminders, chats and follow-ups.<\/p>\n Many systems offer reminder functions.<\/p>\n Heidi\u2019s AI can also call a patient and gather basic data about their condition to speed the process of juggling and prioritising bookings.<\/p>\n ED rollout continues<\/p>\n Heidi\u2019s AI Scribe is being rolled out across New Zealand\u2019s 16 largest emergency departments after a Hawke\u2019s Bay trial<\/a> found productivity improvements, allowing more patients to be seen during a shift. <\/p>\n The AI can take notes, which it can also summarise, add to a patient\u2019s electronic health file or format into a template for a letter to the patient\u2019s GP.<\/p>\n In November, Health Minister Simeon Brown said the Government had bought \u201can initial\u201d Heidi AI Scribe licences for 1000 doctors and nurse practitioners in EDs.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s probably the most advanced sovereign rollout in the world,\u201d Kelly said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re pleased with the positive feedback provided by clinicians involved in the early use of the AI scribe across emergency departments,\u201d Health NZ head of digital innovation and AI Sonny Taite told the Herald earlier this week.<\/p>\n \u201cClinicians have consistently reported that the use of the AI Scribe reduces the time and cognitive load associated with clinical documentation, allowing them to focus more on patient care. <\/p>\n \u201cEarly qualitative feedback from senior medical officers indicates this has helped ease documentation pressure during busy shifts, and there has been no reported resistance from patients to its use in emergency settings.\u201d <\/p>\n All notes taken by the AI have to be reviewed, but there is a net gain in time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are continuing with the rollout of Heidi across our EDs, and we expect to provide a further update towards the end of the month,\u201d Taite said.<\/p>\n Taite said Health NZ has yet to fully evaluate Heidi\u2019s new Evidence and Comms products.<\/p>\n Emerge chalks up two wins<\/p>\n Fintech Emerge has chalked up two key wins this week. <\/p>\n After months of intense work behind the scenes, the \u201cneobank\u201d became the first non-bank player to go live with support for \u201cconfirmation of payee\u201d, the new anti-scam protection launched by the major banks last year to match account names and numbers when you execute a transaction.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also raised $4.5m in an extension to its October 2025 $12m Series A round, with existing investor Greg Kidd tipping in more funds via his \u201cHard Yaka\u201d investment vehicle. <\/p>\n Kidd, an American, with an estimated net worth of US$1.1b ($1.84b), was an early backer of companies like Twitter, Square, Coinbase, Ripple and Robinhood.<\/p>\n He\u2019s recently been investing in a new wave of fintechs in the US and beyond and participating in US politics. <\/p>\n The one-time \u201cReagan Republican\u201d (66) unsuccessfully stood for Congress in Nevada as an independent in 2024, spending US$9m ($15m) of his own money. <\/p>\nHeidi Comms<\/p>\n
Emerge cofounders Jovan Pavlicevic (left) and Jamie Jermain.<\/p>\n
Emerge supports both physical and digital debit cards.<\/p>\n