AI Scribe for Oncologists
Built for the structure of an oncology clinic. Captures ECOG and TNM, regimen and cycle/day, CTCAE-graded toxicity, RECIST 1.1 response, and the infusion CPT chain (96413/96415/96365). Notes are finalized while you walk to the next exam room.

Documentation for Every Oncology Visit
From the new-patient consult through chemo, response assessment, survivorship, and end-of-life conversations, the workflow is shaped around how oncologists actually run clinic.
New Cancer Workup
Initial consultation, risk factors, family history, staging workup ordering, biopsy/pathology review, treatment options discussion.
Chemotherapy Treatment
On-treatment visits with regimen (FOLFOX, AC-T, carbo/pem, pembrolizumab), cycle/day, CTCAE toxicities, dose modifications.
Survivorship
Long-term follow-up: surveillance imaging, tumor markers, late effects, second primaries, lifestyle counseling, fertility.
Hospice / End-of-Life
Goals-of-care conversations, code status, palliative referral, advance directives, family discussions documented sensitively.
Clinical Trial Enrollment
Eligibility screening, inclusion/exclusion checks, informed consent documentation, baseline performance status capture.
Imaging Review
Restaging CT/PET review with RECIST 1.1 measurements, target lesion comparison, sum-of-diameters trend, response category.
What Makes It Oncology-Specific
The structured fields below are what make an oncology note auditable, billable, and clinically useful at the next visit.
ECOG and Performance Tracking
Captures ECOG performance status (0-5) at every visit and trends it over the treatment course. Sudden drop from PS 1 to PS 2 flags reconsideration of treatment intensity, which the assessment paragraph reflects automatically.
Regimen and Cycle/Day
Recognizes named regimens (FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, AC-T, R-CHOP, carbo/pem, pembrolizumab maintenance, T-DXd, BRAF/MEK combos) and tags cycle number and day. Pre-medications and growth factor support are pulled from the verbal handoff.
CTCAE v5 Toxicity Grading
Adverse events from neuropathy to mucositis to immune-related colitis are graded against CTCAE v5. The plan includes the dose-modification or hold rationale tied to the grade.
RECIST 1.1 Response Assessment
Capture target lesions, calculate sum of diameters, compare to baseline and nadir, and assign CR, PR, SD, or PD. Non-target lesions and new lesions are tracked separately so the response category survives audit.
Tumor Marker Trending
CA-125 for ovarian, CEA for colorectal, PSA for prostate, CA 19-9 for pancreatic, AFP for HCC, beta-hCG and LDH for germ cell. Values flow into the assessment with a trend statement comparable to last visit.
Tumor Board and Letters
One verbal handoff produces a structured tumor board presentation, a letter of medical necessity for prior auth, or a referral letter to surgery/radiation. Each format is one paste away.
A Day in an Oncology Clinic with PatientNotes
Why the chemo-day note is the hardest piece of documentation in medicine, and what changes.
An oncology clinic day mixes three encounter types that each carry different documentation demands. The new-patient consult is 60-90 minutes of dense history, family history, pathology review, staging discussion, and shared decision-making about treatment intent (curative, adjuvant, palliative). The on-treatment chemo visit is 15-25 minutes but must capture regimen name, cycle number, day, CTCAE grade for every active toxicity, dose modifications, lab review, growth factor decisions, and the next infusion plan. The survivorship visit is 20-30 minutes and centers on surveillance imaging, tumor markers, second-primary screening, and late-effect counseling.
All three visit types share one feature: the documentation has to survive a payer audit and a tumor-registry abstraction. The CTCAE grade is what justifies a dose hold; the RECIST 1.1 measurement is what justifies continuing or changing therapy; the ECOG performance status is what determines clinical-trial eligibility. PatientNotes captures these as structured fields rather than burying them in free text.
The encounter that benefits most is the chemo visit on a busy infusion-day clinic. With ambient capture, the oncologist examines the patient and dictates the toxicity review out loud during exam. The note - including dose calculations, pre-medications, infusion CPT tagging, and the febrile-neutropenia counseling boilerplate - is finalized in the next 60 seconds.
Sample AI-Generated Oncology Note
Stage IIB breast cancer, neoadjuvant AC-T, mid-treatment response assessment. Shown verbatim - the only typical edits are the assessment paragraph and the next-cycle date.
SUBJECTIVE: 54-year-old premenopausal female with stage IIB invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast (cT2N1M0, ER+ 95%, PR+ 80%, HER2-negative by IHC and FISH, Ki-67 28%) presents for cycle 3 day 1 of neoadjuvant AC-T (doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide x 4 cycles followed by paclitaxel x 12 weekly). Two cycles of AC completed, today initiates cycle 3. Tolerating treatment fairly well. Reports moderate fatigue grade 2 (CTCAE) requiring afternoon naps on day 2-5 post-infusion. Nausea well-controlled on olanzapine 5mg + ondansetron + dexamethasone regimen, no breakthrough vomiting. Alopecia grade 2, using cold cap with partial preservation. No mucositis, no hand-foot syndrome. Bowels regular. Menstrual periods stopped after cycle 1 (chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea). Current medications: Cycle pre-meds as below, ondansetron 8mg PRN, lorazepam 0.5mg PRN, ranitidine 150mg BID, multivitamin. ECOG PS 1 (mildly symptomatic, fully ambulatory). Working part-time from home as a financial analyst. OBJECTIVE: Vitals: BP 124/78, HR 84, RR 16, Temp 98.4F, Wt 68.5 kg (down 1.8 kg from baseline), SpO2 99% RA, BSA 1.73 m2. General: Well-appearing female, alopecia notable, no acute distress. HEENT: Mucous membranes moist, no oral lesions, no thrush. CV: Regular rate and rhythm, no murmurs, no gallop. JVP not elevated. Pulm: Clear to auscultation bilaterally. Breast: Right breast - prior biopsy site healed. Mass at 10 o'clock position now palpable at approximately 1.8 cm (baseline 3.2 cm by exam, 3.4 cm by ultrasound). No skin changes. Right axillary lymphadenopathy now non-palpable (was 2.0 cm at presentation). Left breast and axilla unremarkable. Abdomen: Soft, non-tender, no hepatomegaly. Extremities: No edema, no peripheral neuropathy. Port site clean, dry, no signs of infection. Skin: No rash. Mild palmar erythema, grade 1. Neuro: Alert and oriented x3, no focal deficits. No paresthesias. Labs (today, pre-cycle): - CBC: WBC 4.2 (ANC 2.6), Hgb 10.8, Plt 198. Mild anemia, no neutropenia. - CMP: Cr 0.7, eGFR >60, AST 24, ALT 28, Bili 0.5, Alb 4.0. - Mg 2.0, K 4.1. - Echo (baseline pre-AC): LVEF 62%. Repeat post-cycle 4 per protocol. Imaging (breast MRI 1 week ago, mid-treatment): - Right breast index lesion: 1.8 cm (baseline 3.4 cm, prior MRI cycle 2 was 2.6 cm). Sum of single target lesion: 1.8 cm. - Right axillary lymph node: 1.1 cm short axis (baseline 2.0 cm). - Background parenchymal enhancement minimal, decreased. - Compared to baseline: 47% decrease in target lesion sum. RECIST 1.1: Partial Response. ASSESSMENT: 1. Stage IIB invasive ductal carcinoma right breast (cT2N1M0, ER+/PR+/HER2-) on neoadjuvant AC-T - excellent partial response after 2 cycles AC, initiating cycle 3 today. 2. Chemotherapy-related fatigue, grade 2, manageable with rest. No dose modification indicated. 3. Chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea - counseled regarding fertility (patient with two children, family complete). 4. Mild anemia (Hgb 10.8), grade 1 - no transfusion or growth factor indicated. PLAN: 1. Continue AC: doxorubicin 60 mg/m2 (104 mg) IV push + cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 (1038 mg) IV today, cycle 3 day 1. 2. Pre-medications: dexamethasone 12 mg IV, ondansetron 16 mg IV, fosaprepitant 150 mg IV, olanzapine 5 mg PO. 3. Post-treatment: olanzapine 5 mg PO daily x 4 days, dexamethasone 8 mg PO daily x 3 days, ondansetron 8 mg q8h PRN. 4. CBC and CMP day 10-14 of cycle (febrile neutropenia precautions reviewed, T >= 100.4F triggers immediate ED visit). 5. Cycle 4 of AC scheduled in 14 days. Pre-cycle 4 echo for cardiotoxicity surveillance. 6. After completing 4 cycles AC, transition to weekly paclitaxel x 12 weeks. Surgical oncology consult will be requested between AC and T for definitive surgical planning. 7. Continue cold cap during infusions - patient highly motivated. 8. Discussed long-term ovarian function and bone health implications - bone density scan in 6 months. 9. Return for next cycle in 14 days. Office number 24/7 for fevers, severe vomiting, or any new symptoms. Billing: 99214 (moderate complexity - one acute, on treatment, on chemo with high risk of complications, multiple data reviewed). Infusion CPT (separate billing): 96413 (initial chemo IV push, up to 1 hour) x 1 unit, 96415 (each additional hour) x 1 unit. Z51.11 + C50.911 + D64.81 + Z85.3.
Most-Used ICD-10 Codes in Oncology
The system suggests these based on the assessment, with one-click selection.
C50.911Malignant neoplasm of unspecified site of right female breastC34.91Malignant neoplasm of unspecified part of right bronchus or lungC18.9Malignant neoplasm of colon, unspecifiedC61Malignant neoplasm of prostateC25.9Malignant neoplasm of pancreas, unspecifiedZ51.11Encounter for antineoplastic chemotherapyD64.81Anemia due to antineoplastic chemotherapyR50.81Fever presenting with conditions classified elsewhere (neutropenic)Pair with Z51.11 (chemotherapy) or Z51.0 (radiation) on infusion or radiation visits, plus the appropriate adverse-effect code (D64.81 anemia from chemo, R50.81 neutropenic fever).
How Oncologists Actually Use It
Three real-world deployments. Names anonymized; setting and outcome accurate.
Dr. K. Nguyen
Solo medical oncologist, community cancer center, central California
Sees 14-18 patients per day, mostly breast and GI oncology. Her hospital had budgeted for an enterprise scribe but the rollout stalled, so she signed up for PatientNotes personally. Uses it for chemo visits and survivorship follow-ups. Reports a 75-minute reduction in after-clinic charting and uses the saved time for IRB paperwork on a community-led therapeutics study.
Mountain West Hematology Oncology
11-physician medical and hematologic oncology group, Salt Lake City
Group reviewed Abridge, Suki, and PatientNotes during a Q1 2026 vendor evaluation. Picked PatientNotes on three counts: (1) the per-seat price was 1/6th of Abridge enterprise pricing, (2) RECIST 1.1 response measurement carry-forward was easy to verify in side-by-side note quality testing, and (3) deployment took five days vs the 90-day Abridge implementation. The group lead estimates ~$350,000/year saved across all 11 clinicians.
Dr. T. Adebayo
Hospital-employed radiation oncologist, NCI-designated cancer center
Hospital provides Abridge through the enterprise contract. Uses Abridge for inpatient consults but added a personal PatientNotes subscription for outpatient follow-up and on-treatment-visit (OTV) notes during a course of stereotactic radiation, where the structured CTCAE-graded skin toxicity capture saves visible time. Pastes the OTV note into Aria via clipboard.
Coming from Microsoft Dragon?
Most oncology fellows trained over the past 15 years learned to dictate into Dragon. Here is the honest comparison.
Dragon Medical One (DMO) is a dictation engine: it converts your spoken note into text. It is mature, well-engineered, and has the largest installed base of any clinical voice product. Many oncologists have macros and SmartPhrases built up over years that capture cycle-day templates, regimen names, and febrile-neutropenia counseling boilerplate. Discarding that work has a real switching cost.
The functional difference is between dictation and ambient capture. Dragon captures speech-to-text after the patient leaves; PatientNotes listens to the entire encounter and structures the note from the conversation. For a chemo-day clinic, the time savings come from never having to compose the note - not from typing or dictating faster.
Dragon Medical One
- $99/month + setup fee
- Dictation, not ambient
- Mature Epic and Cerner integration
- You compose the note out loud
- Strong macro and SmartPhrase ecosystem
PatientNotes
- $50/month, all-in
- Ambient capture
- Browser- and iOS-based, paste into Beacon, OncoEMR, Athena, Epic
- Note composed from the conversation - no dictation needed
- Oncology templates (chemo, survivorship, hospice) included
How to switch in three steps
- Run a 7-day free trial in parallel with Dragon. Pick a single chemo-clinic day - record three or four chemo visits and paste the generated note next to the one you dictated.
- Compare on three axes: completeness of the CTCAE toxicity grading, accuracy of regimen and cycle/day capture, and minutes of after-clinic editing.
- If PatientNotes wins, schedule the Dragon cancellation for the next renewal date. Both tools keep working in parallel until the renewal, so there is no documentation gap.
Is Abridge Better than PatientNotes for Oncology?
Honest comparison vs the most-cited oncology AI scribe.
Abridge (abridge.com) is the AI scribe most-frequently named in oncology and hospital medicine vendor evaluations. It is well-engineered, has invested heavily in clinical-trial evidence (Brigham and Women's, UPMC publications), and has deep Epic integration through the App Orchard - including FHIR-based note write-back. For a large enterprise health system that has already standardized on Epic, those integrations carry real weight.
The honest tradeoff is on price and accessibility. Abridge publishes only enterprise pricing and is typically deployed at $250-$400/month per clinician through hospital contracts. The implementation cycle is 60-90 days and requires Epic IT involvement. PatientNotes is $50/month all-in, browser- and iOS-based, deploys in five minutes, and produces structurally similar oncology output - chemo visit, response assessment, tumor board summary, survivorship plan.
The honest verdict: if your hospital is already paying for Abridge through the enterprise contract, use it - it is good. If you are an independent community oncologist, a small group, or a hospital-employed oncologist who wants supplemental coverage outside the enterprise tool, PatientNotes is the better economic choice with output that is hard to tell apart in a blinded comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated April 2026 by the PatientNotes Clinical Team.
Does PatientNotes work for oncology?
Yes. It is used in medical, surgical, and radiation oncology for new cancer workups, on-treatment chemo visits, survivorship, hospice/end-of-life conversations, clinical trial enrollment, and imaging review. It captures the structured data oncologists actually use - ECOG performance status, TNM stage, regimen with cycle/day, CTCAE toxicity grades, and RECIST 1.1 response - and produces a finished SOAP, treatment summary, or letter of medical necessity in seconds.
How much does an AI scribe cost for oncology?
PatientNotes is $50/month per clinician on an annual plan, with unlimited visits. Abridge publishes enterprise pricing only and is typically deployed at $250-$400/month per clinician through hospital contracts. DeepScribe and Suki run $200-$400/month per seat list. For an independent group, PatientNotes is roughly 1/6th the per-seat price of the enterprise alternatives.
Is Abridge better than PatientNotes for oncology?
Abridge is excellent inside enterprise Epic deployments where its FHIR write-back and clinical-trial evidence carry weight. It is also five-to-eight times more expensive at list, sells primarily through hospital contracts, and is harder for an independent oncologist to acquire. PatientNotes is purchasable in five minutes and produces structurally similar output. If your hospital pays for Abridge, use it; if you are paying out of pocket, PatientNotes is the better value.
Can oncology-specific notes be auto-generated?
Yes. Templates ship for new cancer workup, on-treatment chemo visit, survivorship, hospice/end-of-life conversation, clinical trial screening, and imaging review/response assessment. You can also build custom templates for sub-specialty workflows like CAR-T follow-up, BMT survivorship, or GU oncology surveillance.
Does it integrate with Epic, Cerner, OncoEMR, or Flatiron?
PatientNotes generates a finished note that you paste into any EHR - Epic Beacon, Cerner PowerChart, McKesson iKnowMed, OncoEMR by Elekta, Flatiron OncoEMR. There is no FHIR install required. A direct Epic Beacon write-back through the App Orchard is on the 2026 roadmap.
Will it help me bill oncology CPT codes correctly?
The system documents the elements driving E&M level under 2021 AMA guidelines (problems, data, risk - chemo and immunotherapy are inherently high-risk). Procedure codes the system tags include 96413 (initial chemo IV push, up to 1 hour), 96415 (each additional hour), 96360/96361 (hydration), 96365/96366 (therapeutic infusion), 96523 (port flush), and 38221 (bone marrow biopsy). Final code selection still belongs to your biller.
How do I switch from Dragon Medical One to PatientNotes?
Three steps. Run a 7-day free trial in parallel with Dragon for one chemo clinic day, compare side-by-side on toxicity grading completeness and editing time, and if PatientNotes wins, schedule Dragon cancellation for the next renewal. Both keep working until then, no documentation gap. Most oncologists who switch report 60-90 minutes per day saved.
Is it HIPAA compliant for oncology?
Yes. PatientNotes operates under a Business Associate Agreement, encrypts audio and text in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256), and stores data in US-based AWS regions. Audio is deleted after transcription unless retention is opted in. SOC 2 Type II is in progress. The BAA is signed during onboarding and applies to hospital, community, and telehealth oncology practices.
Related resources
- AI scribe for internal medicine - for oncologists who maintain hospitalist coverage
- AI scribe for hematology - for combined hem/onc practices
- AI scribe for primary care - for survivorship co-management
- PatientNotes vs Abridge
- Full pricing breakdown
Spend the chemo-clinic afternoon with patients, not with a keyboard.
Oncologists running PatientNotes typically reclaim 60-90 minutes per clinic day. Seven-day free trial, no card required.
No credit card required. $50/month after trial.