Supporting Patient Presence in Community-Based Care

How Anishnawbe Mushkiki Reduced Documentation Burden Without Compromising Human Connection

Community-based clinicians do not enter healthcare to spend evenings charting.

They enter it to care for people. At Anishnawbe Mushkiki, an Aboriginal Health Access Centre in Thunder Bay, care is built on trust, respect, and relationship. Their multidisciplinary team supports Indigenous communities through primary care, mental health services, diabetes prevention, and holistic wellness programming.

Their mission is grounded in presence.

But documentation was making that harder.

When Charting Starts to Compete With Care

Like many clinics across Canada, Anishnawbe Mushkiki was feeling the weight of administrative demand.

Notes were left unfinished. Charting stretched into evenings. Laptops became part of the exam room.

As Alicia Costanzo, Data Management & IT Coordinator, described it:

“We were hearing time and time again how burnt out everyone was, how they had so many encounters left unfinished because they had to go back and finish their notes later.”

Some clinicians hand wrote notes to type later. Others documented during visits.

“You’re not fully engaged when you’re typing. It just became a daunting task.”

The tension was not just operational. It was emotional.

Clinicians felt behind, stretched, divided between screen and patient. And in community-based care, divided attention carries real weight. Clinicians should not have to choose between documentation and connection.

A Different Way to Support the Visit

The team was cautious about introducing AI into patient encounters. Would it feel intrusive?
Would it interrupt sensitive conversations? Instead, the shift was subtle but powerful.

Tali was introduced as an AI scribe designed to reduce documentation burden without changing how visits feel. Clinicians could record naturally. Notes were generated in the background. And review replaced retyping.

“It’s not just about getting the notes done. It’s about being fully present with the patient.”

Patients noticed the difference.

“I would much rather my provider be fully engaged with me than typing away on a laptop. It’s made a huge difference for us and for our patients.”

The technology faded into the background and the relationship moved to the foreground.

Small Workflow Change. Meaningful Impact.

Adoption worked because it was simple.

1. Launch Tali.
2. Have the visit naturally.
3. Review and send the note to the EMR.

No workflow overhaul, no new administrative layer, no complex training curve.

Even clinicians who were initially hesitant quickly adapted.

“One of our teams was initially apprehensive to use it, but once they saw how easy it was, they didn’t want to stop.”

As use became routine, the impact spread across teams. Documentation became more manageable and encounters were easier to close. The mental load between visits eased.

For the mental health team especially, the change was meaningful.

“Since we started using Tali, everyone feels a sense of relief. It has helped reduce the burnout significantly.”

Relief is not a small outcome, in community-based care, it changes the entire day.

A Pattern Emerging Across Canada

What Anishnawbe Mushkiki experienced reflects a broader national shift.

Before implementing AI scribes at scale, Canada Health Infoway surveyed 2,658 primary care providers:

• 83.3% said their administrative workload was tiring
• 89.0% reported symptoms of stress or burnout
• 92.1% said administrative tasks reduce time available for patient care
• 81.8% said detailed note-taking compromises patient engagement
  
  

This is not an individual productivity issue. It’s a capacity issue.

Early evaluation interviews from the national program show:

• 95.4% reported reduced administrative burden
• 90.9% reported reduced cognitive load
• 90.1% said they felt more present with patients

The experience at Anishnawbe Mushkiki aligns with these findings. Documentation support is not just about time savings, it’s about protecting attention.

Protecting What Matters Most

For Anishnawbe Mushkiki, the goal was never automation for its own sake. It was preserving human care.

By reducing administrative strain, they were able to protect:

• Presence during visits
• Engagement with patients
• Sustainability for their teams

Clinicians should not have to sacrifice connection to keep up with documentation. Technology should serve care, not compete with it.

Download the Full Case Study

Download the full Anishnawbe Mushkiki case study to explore how community-based teams are reducing administrative burden while protecting patient presence.

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