Platform lets doctors practice ‘at the top of their game’

MARKHAM, Ont. – Family physician Dr. Paul Forman (pictured) has developed an AI-powered platform that transforms the way primary-care physicians document and reason through patient care – improving medical office productivity, reducing stress on doctors, and improving patient care.

Called Alifor Clinical Decision Support, the system acts as both a digital medical scribe and a real-time clinical assistant – automatically capturing encounters, generating a complete SOAP note and Cumulative Patient Profile (CPP), and cross-referencing them against verified Canadian medical guidelines, journal evidence, and regulatory standards in seconds.

“It’s like having a specialist in the room with you,” said Dr. Forman.

Developed in collaboration with an AI programmer experienced in OpenAI’s technology, Alifor was refined in Dr. Forman’s own busy Markham, Ont. family practice, where he and his wife, Dr. Leandra Forman, work alongside two registered nurses.

The system mirrors the workflow he honed over 30 years in South Africa and across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Ontario. It gives doctors an instantly familiar interface that complements real-world primary-care demands.

Beyond decision support, Alifor automates the administrative side of practice. Tasks that previously took 20 minutes – such as composing a credible SOAP note and CPP – are now completed in under a minute.

“Since using Alifor, I leave on time every day and never work at night,” said Dr. Forman. “I can comfortably see 30 patients a day, and everything is done in-clinic.”

Beyond a scribe: Cognitive decision support
While many AI scribes simply record encounters, Alifor goes further. It reasons the way clinicians do – cross-referencing Canadian guidelines from Hypertension Canada, Diabetes Canada, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care and other sources – and suggests relevant questions, therapies, and follow-ups during the encounter.

“It’s really designed to duplicate the way a doctor thinks,” explained Dr. Forman. “Instead of creating more doctors, you expand the cognitive capacity of every doctor and reduce burnout. It’s about restoring the joy back to Family Medicine, which is what we have achieved.”

The result: fewer unnecessary referrals and stronger in-house care, as physicians have the Canadian guidelines at their fingertips.

Dr. Forman notes that even a modest reduction in unnecessary referrals – for example, from 10 to seven per day per clinic – could yield significant provincial savings and faster access for patients who truly need specialists.

Enhancing team-based care
Alifor also strengthens Family Health Teams, identifying how nurses, dietitians, physiotherapists, and other allied professionals can contribute to the patient’s plan. Nurses now capture the Subjective portion of the SOAP note, charting reasons for visit and symptoms, a workflow that makes their role more engaging and clinically aligned.

“My nurses find the work far more interesting than simply taking vitals,” he said. “It builds team morale and shared ownership.”

Measuring the Quintuple Aim
The system quickly provides feedback to the doctor on whether these goals have been met in the encounter – helping ensure care stays aligned with the principles of the Quintuple Aim: improving patient experience, supporting provider well-being, advancing population health, lowering per-capita costs, and promoting health equity.

A smart assistant, not a replacement
While capable of analyzing thousands of data points in moments, Dr. Forman stresses that Alifor enhances rather than replaces physician judgment.

“I built the system around deliberately conservative principles: The AI can reason, but it does not act. It supports clinical judgment; it never replaces it. It makes thinking more explicit and auditable, not faster at the expense of safety. The clinician remains visible, accountable, and in control.”

“Alifor enhances, but never replaces, physician judgment. It provides context, not conclusions,” he said. “It’s a cognitive assistant that helps every healthcare provider practice at the top of their game.”

The Alifor app is being offered to Canadian physicians at an accessible subscription rate, available for Mac iOS and Android devices. It delivers a secure, guideline-anchored system that unites documentation, decision support, and care coordination in one tool.

To learn more about Alifor and its Canadian primary care vision, visit: alifor.ca.