Is there a South African alternative to Heidi Health?
Yes. HeroMed is a South African-built, AI-first practice platform with an AI Scribe included in its Core AI plan: it drafts the consultation note inside the patient record for the practitioner to review and sign, and the same platform runs the diary, invoicing and real-time medical scheme EDI claims. Heidi is a standalone AI scribe and needs a separate practice management system alongside it, so the honest comparison is HeroMed against Heidi plus your practice system.
Written by the HeroMed team · Last reviewed 17 September 2026
The short version
Heidi is a well-liked ambient AI scribe. It writes notes; it does not run your practice. To run a South African practice you still need a diary, patient records, invoicing and medical scheme claiming somewhere else.
HeroMed is the local alternative that covers both.
What HeroMed does
- AI Scribe included in the Core AI plan — the consultation is drafted into the patient record as a structured note; the practitioner reviews, corrects and signs it.
- ICD-10 and tariff support on the invoice built from that note.
- Real-time medical scheme EDI claims — validated at capture, submitted from the invoice, rejections in a worklist, remittances reconciled against the invoice.
- Diary, patient records, intake forms and invoicing in the same platform, one login.
- Optional AI Hero modules for reception, booking, invoicing, marketing, and WhatsApp or SMS messaging.
- POPIA-aligned data handling, with consent recorded on the patient record.
When Heidi is still the better call
If you are happy with your current practice system and only want AI notes bolted on, a dedicated scribe is the least disruptive option. Compare total cost: a scribe subscription plus a practice system, against a single HeroMed Core AI plan.
What to test in a walkthrough
Record a real consultation and read the note. Then follow that note through to the invoice and the scheme claim. If a tool cannot show you that whole path, you will be retyping somewhere.