Best Practice Software has defended its decision to prohibit the use of Heidi Health’s new AI agent Heidi II with Bp Premier, alleging concerns about patient safety, data security and the ability of the technology to operate autonomously within clinical software.
Best Practice issued a critical alert to customers on October 29, advising that using Heidi II with Bp Premier would breach its End User Licence Agreement.
In response, Heidi has rejected the concerns and challenged Best Practice’s restrictions on third-party integrations, arguing clinicians should be free to choose their own tools.
Craig Hodges.
In the communication to customers, Best Practice CEO Craig Hodges said the company supported responsible innovation but had serious concerns about aspects of Heidi II and how it interacted with Bp Premier.
He emphasised the concerns related specifically to Heidi II and did not apply to Heidi’s existing Scribe or Virtual Assistant products.
“Heidi II is a new innovation that works very differently from a traditional digital scribe,” Mr Hodges told customers.
“It is an AI agent tool that can operate under a clinician’s login and use the screen the way a clinician would, independently of the clinician. It is designed to move between tabs and work in Bp Premier autonomously, without prompting or supervision.”
Best Practice identified three areas of alleged concern: the integrity of clinical information and patient safety, patient data security and privacy, and regulatory compliance.
The company alleged Heidi II had the capability to change or delete information such as patient histories, test results and appointments without clinician oversight, potentially leaving practitioners relying on incomplete or altered records.
It also raised concerns about the AI agent’s access to sensitive patient information and uncertainty over how that information was being used.
On regulatory compliance, Best Practice pointed to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s recent review of digital scribes, which found products analysing information or generating clinical conclusions could meet the definition of a medical device.
While expressing no view on Heidi II’s regulatory classification, Best Practice said its functionality went well beyond traditional digital scribing.
Mr Hodges also outlined the company’s position under its existing licensing arrangements.
“Under the terms of the End User Licence Agreement, you are prohibited from allowing any third party to access, use, or modify the Software or Database without Best Practice’s prior written consent,” he said.
“Best Practice has not given that consent for Heidi II, and Best Practice considers that using Heidi II with Bp Premier would constitute a breach of the End User Licence Agreement.”
The company advised customers it was updating its licence agreement as part of the Oxford SP2 program update to Bp Premier to make explicit that bots, scraping tools and robotic process automation were not permitted.
Mr Hodges told Pulse+IT Best Practice worked with more than 250 third-party providers through established integration processes and had a responsibility to ensure technologies interacting with its software met appropriate standards.
“Our position on Heidi II follows an assessment of that specific product and how it interacts with Bp Premier, covering clinical safety, privacy, data integrity, and the secure operation of our software,” he said, adding “We won’t conduct confidential contractual or commercial discussions through the media.”
Mr Hodges said the company’s immediate priority was providing clarity to customers about its position and integration requirements, but it would consider further discussions with Heidi through appropriate channels.
Heidi response
Thomas Kelly.
The warning has drawn criticism from Heidi founder and CEO Thomas Kelly and CMO Simon Kos, who said software vendors should not determine which tools clinicians can use in their practices.
Mr Kelly questioned whether GPs should need permission from a software vendor to access clinical records held on their own computers and servers.
He said Best Practice’s position and integration processes raised concerns about anti-competitive conduct, restricting the ability of companies such as Heidi to provide services to Australian GPs.
“We have sought deeper integration with Best Practice for three years and remain ready to work together,” Mr Kelly said, adding “A stretched health system pays the cost when one provider sits between most GPs and the tools they choose.”
Simon Kos.
Mr Kos also challenged Best Practice’s position, noting clinicians carried professional and legal responsibility for their patients’ information and should therefore be able to determine which tools they used.
“A vendor that uses its licence terms to dictate which tools you can use is putting its commercial position ahead of your professional judgement,” he said.
Heidi maintains its AI agents operate under clinician supervision, with clinical decisions and outbound communications requiring approval. The company also says it does not sell patient data or use it to train AI models.
Mr Kelly said Heidi II operated within the same privacy, security and compliance framework as its existing scribe product and that practices and clinicians should retain the right to choose the technology they use.
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