iScribe vs Playback Health
Playback sells two things. Engage replays a clinician's explanation and care plan on the patient's phone, and Playback says its Pro scribe also produces ICD-10 and CPT codes and orders, so coded notes do not separate it from iScribe. The patient app and the named EHR coverage do.
iScribe sells a scribe, a lightweight Flex version and E&M Assist, none aimed at the patient, so a neurosurgery department that wants patients to rewatch instructions has only Playback. Playback names Epic, eClinicalWorks and NextGen for direct integration and shows eight EHR logos, Epic through DrChrono, with live write-back unspecified. iScribe limits E&M Assist to orthopedics and urology on athenahealth or NextGen, so a urology practice on NextGen is where its coding tool applies.
A 2024 retrospective comparison of seven neurosurgery providers, four users and three non-users, found higher HCAHPS scores for users, though it concerned Engage, and no study tests Pro's note accuracy. Playback was founded in 2018 and launched inside Northwell Health. The vendor claims 99% "Playback-verified" accuracy and 5,000+ clinicians.
AI medical scribes · Reviewed November 2, 2026
iScribe
by iScribeHealth · founded 2015
Ambient AI scribe that writes claim-ready notes with AI-assisted E&M coding for clinicians and practices.
Playback Health
by Playback Health, Inc. · founded 2018
Ambient AI scribe for hospitals, plus a patient app that replays clinician care instructions after the visit.
When to pick each one
iScribe
- Vendor says it pushes discrete data to the EHR
- E&M Assist for athenahealth or NextGen orthopedics, urology
Playback Health
- Patient-facing app that replays clinician instructions
- Epic, eClinicalWorks and NextGen named for direct integration
- 2024 neurosurgery study on the patient-facing product
Score
Each row shows points earned of points available under the published rubric.
iScribe
52of 100
Playback Health
67of 100
| Dimension | iScribe | Playback Health | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIPAA / SOC2 / BAA | 13 / 13 | 13 / 13 | 0 |
| EHR integrations (count) | 10.5 / 21 | 14.7 / 21 | -4.2 |
| Top-3 EHR coverage (Epic / Oracle / Athena) | 8.4 / 12 | 12 / 12 | -3.6 |
| Bidirectional write-back | 0 / 5.2 | 0 / 5.2 | 0 |
| Peer-reviewed papers | 0 / 7 | 4.9 / 7 | -4.9 |
| RCT / meta-analysis / systematic review | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 |
| Funding & adoption signal | 3 / 12 | 3 / 12 | 0 |
| Pricing transparency | 2.5 / 5 | 2.5 / 5 | 0 |
| Years in market | 6 / 6 | 6 / 6 | 0 |
Scroll horizontally to see every column.
Pricing
iScribe
| Tier | Monthly | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | n/a | n/a | No public price. Pricing is set per provider and practice while the MSA is drafted. A 14-day complimentary trial, described as not a demo, comes first. iScribe Flex pricing is not disclosed. |
Verified November 2, 2026 from iscribehealth.com (opens in new tab).
Playback Health
| Tier | Monthly | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | n/a | n/a | No public price. The Pro page offers Start free trial and Book a demo; trial length and price are not shown. |
Evidence
iScribe
No FDA decision, peer-reviewed study or community post in our record.
Playback Health
Compliance and integrations
Documented from each vendor’s own pages.
| Spec | iScribe | Playback Health |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | ||
| HIPAA | ||
| SOC 2 Type II | ||
| EHR integrations | Epic, athenahealth, NextGen, Veradigm, Altera, Greenway | Epic, Cerner, Allscripts, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, NextGen, Meditech, DrChrono |
| Founded | 2015 | 2018 |
| HQ | US | US |
Scroll horizontally to see both columns.
Common questions
Open the full ai medical scribes comparison
The best AI medical scribe for most US physicians is Abridge for hospital systems, Freed AI for solo practice (plans from $39 to $119 per month as of October 2026), Heidi Health for multilingual capture, and DAX Copilot for Microsoft-shop hospitals. Each pick below names its primary EHR integration, pricing model, and the clinician communities that surface it most often. Enterprise scribes are quote-based, with third-party estimates of roughly $208 to $600 per provider per month as of October 2026.