How to Evaluate an AI Medical Scribe During a 7-Day Free Trial
Vendor demos use idealized audio. Your trial week uses your patients, your EHR paste habit, your worst clinic day.
A structured seven-day evaluation prevents buying on hype and rejecting on a bad first template.
Before day 1: baseline metrics
Record for three days without AI (or your current tool):
- Minutes from visit end to EHR sign-off
- Number of unsigned notes at end of day
- After-hours charting minutes (honest estimate)
Day 1–2: setup, not judgment
- Build or import two templates for highest-volume visit types
- Run 3–5 real encounters — expect friction
- Do not compare to six months of optimized manual workflow yet
Day 3–4: workflow integration
- Test dictation vs ambient on different visit types
- Practice EHR copy — Epic/Cerner paste guide
- Try mobile between rooms if applicable
Day 5: hard visits only
Schedule intentionally difficult documentation:
- Multi-problem follow-up
- New patient
- Telehealth with mediocre audio
- Specialty-specific complexity
Score lines edited, not wow factor.
Day 6: adjacent features
If included in trial:
- Coding suggestions — HCC/ICD-10 guide
- Clinical assistant Q&A — assistant guide
- Patient summaries — after-visit instructions
Day 7: decision matrix
| Criterion | Weight | Score 1–5 |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes to sign in EHR | High | |
| Template fit | High | |
| Clinical accuracy after review | Critical | |
| Mobile reliability | Medium | |
| Coding usefulness | Medium | |
| Total plan cost vs tiers | Medium |
How to choose a scribe | Pricing transparency.
Compare two vendors?
Run the same five visits on both when possible — best alternatives 2026.
Wavo Health offers a no-card seven-day trial — use this checklist literally.