PatientNotes vs AudZone: A Practical Comparison for Australian Hearing Care Professionals

For hearing care professionals who care deeply about patient care and want honest, detailed information to make the right choice

Reading time: 8 minutes

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Introduction: You're Probably Here Because...

You're a busy clinician who genuinely cares about your patients. You've heard about AI medical scribes - maybe from a colleague, maybe from social media - and you're wondering if they're actually worth it.

You don't want flashy marketing. You want to understand:

• Will this actually help my patients?

• Will it fit into my existing workflow without causing disruption?

• What are the real costs, not just the subscription price?

• Is it reliable enough for daily clinical use?

This comparison is written specifically for you. No hype. No aggressive sales tactics. Just detailed, factual information to help you make an informed decision.

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The Two Platforms at a Glance

PatientNotes: Allied Health AI Scribe

What it is: An affordable AI documentation platform designed for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and other allied health professionals in Australia.

Founded by: A Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist who understands allied health workflows.

Best for: Allied health practitioners who need affordable AI note generation with Nookal or Cliniko integration.

Pricing: AU$79/month (AU$948/year) for unlimited notes on their Professional Plan.

Free trial: 7 days, no credit card required.

AudZone: Audiology-Specific Clinical Platform

What it is: A comprehensive clinical documentation and compliance platform built exclusively for hearing care professionals

Founded by: Audiologists Developer working directly with Australian audiologists/audiometrists to solve audiology-specific challenges.

Best for: Clinicians who need HSP compliance, different note templates for different appointment types, CounselEar integration, and audiology-specific clinical tools.

Pricing:

• Monthly flex-days: AU$45-105/month (base $45 + overage for days worked, capped at $105/month)

• Annual plan: AU$1,134/year for full-time use (10% discount, includes base + typical overage)

Free trial: 14 days, full features, no credit card required.

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The Question You're Really Asking

"Which one will actually make my clinical practice better without disrupting what's already working?"

Let's break this down systematically, focusing on what matters for your patients and your practice.

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1. Impact on Patient Care Quality

What PatientNotes Offers:

Clinical Documentation:

• Fast AI note generation (30 seconds after session)

• Good transcription accuracy for medical terminology

• Customizable templates (you build them yourself)

• Standard documentation quality

Patient Care Impact:

• Reduces time spent writing notes after appointments

• Allows generic documentation of clinical encounters

• Works for any type of healthcare professional

Audiology-Specific Tools:

• None included - you'd need to build everything yourself

What AudZone Offers:

Clinical Documentation:

• AI note generation (30-90 seconds) with audiology-specific understanding

• Pre-built templates for all HSP appointment types and more

• Multi-session documentation capabilities built in e.g NDIS reports

• Real-time configurable compliance checking (HSP included) to ensure quality

Patient Care Impact:

• HHIA Digital Assessment: Track hearing handicap over time, show patients their progress

• Compliance Checking: Ensure every note meets HSP requirements before you finish the appointment. You can even bring your own compliance documentation, easily import it and it will track that per appointment type as configured by you.

Audiology-Specific Tools:

• All HSP procedures have pre-built templates and checklists

• VNG, ABR, hearing aid fitting procedures documented correctly

• Multi-session progress reports and letters (track outcomes across 3-6 months)

For Patient Care Quality:

If you value:

• Systematic outcome tracking (HHIA)

• Demonstrating progress to patients

• Meeting HSP compliance requirements

• Detailed clinical history management

• Evidence-based audiology practice

Then: AudZone provides clinical tools that directly improve patient care. PatientNotes provides documentation only.

Honest assessment: PatientNotes might generate notes slightly faster. AudZone will help you provide better clinical care AND write compliant notes faster.

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2. Fitting Into Your Existing Workflow

With PatientNotes:

Your Daily Workflow:

1. See patient in your practice management system (Nookal, Cliniko, etc.)

2. Switch to PatientNotes

3. Create new session

4. Manually type: Patient name

5. Manually choose: Template

6. Record session or take notes

7. Generate note

8. Read and edit note

9. Copy note

10. Switch back to practice management system

11. Paste note into patient file

12. Fix any formatting issues

Time per appointment: ~90 seconds of manual data entry

Integration:

• Nookal: Yes (automated sync)

• Cliniko: Yes (automated sync)

• Hearing Care ERM like CounselEar: No (manual copy/paste for every patient)

Reality check: A growing number of Australian clinics use CounselEar. PatientNotes doesn't integrate with it.

With AudZone:

Your Daily Workflow:

1. Morning: If using CounselEar, you calendar is synced automatically and in near real-time and is ready for you. If you don't use CounselEar, then easily import you day's schedule using a screenshot and our AI import engine, that extracts and matches patient names, appointment types, time slots and durations.

2. Your day's appointments appear in AudZone calendar

3. When patient arrives: Click their appointment

4. Auto-filled: Patient name

5. Auto-selected: Appointment type

6. Auto-chosen: Correct note template for that appointment type

7. Auto-linked: Relevant checklists (VNG, ABR, fitting, etc.)

8. Auto-applied: Compliance rules for HSP/NDIS

9. Record session and click stop when done

10. Generate note or auto generate, if selected (compliance-checked automatically)

11. Read and edit note (Our writing style preference tool and our conditional template fields, reduces the need for editing)

12. Copy note

13. Paste into CounselEar (perfect formatting, no fixes needed), or the note field of your system. You can also export as PDF as preferred

Time per appointment: ~45 seconds (click appointment + copy/paste)

Integration:

• CounselEar: Yes (production-ready, daily schedule sync)

• HearAid, FittingWizard, AuditData and others - use our easy calendar import. We are happy to create integrations with other systems based on demand.

• Reality check: AudZone saves 45 seconds per patient. Over 8 appointments/day, that's 6 minutes/day = 24 hours/year.

For Workflow Integration:

Ask yourself:

1. Do I use CounselEar? (If yes, AudZone's integration is a significant time-saver)

2. Do I use Nookal or Cliniko? (If yes, PatientNotes has native integration nut no calendar functionality)

3. Do I want to manually enter patient details 8 times per day? (If no, AudZone's calendar matters)

4. Am I willing to change my practice management system? (Most audiologists aren't)

Honest assessment: If you use CounselEar (like many Australian clinicans), AudZone fits your existing workflow better. If you use Nookal/Cliniko and won't switch, PatientNotes integrates natively.

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3. The Setup Process (Your Time Matters)

PatientNotes Setup:

Day 1:

• Sign up (5 minutes)

• Connect Nookal or Cliniko if applicable (10 minutes)

Week 1-2: Building Templates

• Research HSP requirements for comprehensive assessment (2-3 hours)

• Build comprehensive hearing assessment template (2-3 hours)

• Build hearing aid fitting template (1-2 hours)

• Build follow-up adjustment template (1 hour)

• Build Audiology progress report template (2-3 hours)

• Build HSP review template (1-2 hours)

• Build procedure templates (ABR, VNG, tinnitus) (3-4 hours)

Week 2-3: Testing and Refinement

• Test templates with mock sessions (2-3 hours)

• Refine wording, structure, compliance (2-3 hours)

Total setup time: 15-25 hours before you're fully productive

Template quality: Based on your understanding of HSP/NDIS requirements

When you're productive: Week 2-3

AudZone Setup:

Day 1:

• Sign up (5 minutes)

• Connect CounselEar (3 minutes, auto-sync starts immediately)

• Select your service types and import your appointment types and AI organises everything, connecting templates and checklists for you.

• Invite other team members - 2 minutes

• Take a tour of our ademo session (5 minutes), to gain an understanding of the basic workings of AudZone

Day 1-2: Customization

• Customize templates with your preferences (1-2 hours)

• Import community templates if desired (15 minutes)

• Import your own templates or simply paste previous notes and our AI will create templates for you. (3 mins per template)

• Configure compliance rules, outside of HSP rules if needed (15 minutes)

Total setup time: 2-3 hours and you're fully productive

Template quality: Built by audiologists, HSP compliant, reviewed by multiple practices

When you're productive: Day 1

For Respecting Your Time:

PatientNotes: You'll invest 15-25 hours building templates before you can work efficiently. This is billable time you could spend with patients.

AudZone: You'll invest 2-3 hours customizing ready-made templates. 12-22 hours less setup time.

Value of saved time: 12-22 hours × AU$150/hour = AU$1,800-3,300 saved in setup alone.

Honest assessment: If you value your time and want to start immediately, AudZone's ready templates matter. If you enjoy building custom templates from scratch, PatientNotes gives you that flexibility.

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4. Longitudinal Reporting (e.g NDIS Providers)

PatientNotes Reports:

Capabilities:

• Generate single-session documentation

• Create individual appointment notes

For 6-month NDIS progress report:

1. Manually review 12-24 individual sessions

2. Manually compile progress across sessions

3. Manually write summary of outcomes

4. Manually document goal achievement

5. Create report document

Time required: 2-3 hours per comprehensive progress report

Annual time (10 NDIS clients × 4 reports): 80-120 hours/year

Annual cost: 80-120 hours × AU$150 = AU$12,000-18,000/year in time

AudZone NDIS Reports:

Capabilities:

• Generate single-session documentation

• Multi-session progress reports (Select data from up to 10 previous sessions over months or years)

For 6-month NDIS progress report:

1. Select patient session

2. Pick the sessions to include in the report and/or upload PDF's with external patient data

3. Select your NDIS Progress Report (You will need to first create this using our AI Template generator at setup)

4. AI analyzes all sessions automatically

5. Report generated with progress summary, goal tracking, outcome measures

Time required: 5-10 minutes per comprehensive progress report

Annual time (10 NDIS clients × 4 reports): 3-7 hours/year

Annual cost: 3-7 hours × AU$150 = AU$450-1,050/year in time

Annual savings: AU$11,550-17,550/year

For NDIS Providers:

If you have 10+ NDIS clients: This feature alone could save 75-110 hours/year. That's 2-3 weeks of work time.

If you rarely do NDIS work: This feature is less relevant, but still saves time when needed.

Honest assessment: For NDIS-heavy practices, AudZone's multi-session reporting is transformative. For occasional NDIS work, it's a nice-to-have but not essential.

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5. HSP Compliance and Peace of Mind

PatientNotes Compliance:

Privacy & Security:

• ✅ HIPAA compliant (U.S.)

• ✅ GDPR compliant (EU)

• ✅ Australian Privacy Act compliant

• ✅ Data encrypted, secure storage

HSP Compliance:

• ❌ No automated compliance checking

• ❌ No HSP requirement validation

• ❌ No real-time feedback on documentation quality

• ❌ No compliance scoring

Your responsibility:

• Ensure all notes meet HSP requirements manually

• Hope you didn't miss anything during HSP audit

• Manually check for consent documentation

• Manually verify billing code accuracy

AudZone Compliance:

Privacy & Security:

• ✅ HIPAA-compliant architecture

• ✅ Australian Privacy Principles compliant

• ✅ Data encrypted, secure storage

• ✅ PHI protection built-in

HSP/NDIS Compliance:

• ✅ Real-time compliance checking (0-100% scoring)

• ✅ HSP requirements built into rules

• ✅ NDIS/Medicare documentation rules can be uploaded and used for compliance checks

• ✅ Custom compliance rules (enforce your company policies)

• ✅ Auto-fix common violations

• ✅ Red/amber/green flagging for quick review

During HSP audit:

1. Filter sessions by compliance score < 70%

2. Review only flagged sessions

3. Review and comment on issues and mark as resolved

4. Re-check compliance scores

5. Confident documentation meets requirements

For Peace of Mind:

PatientNotes: You're responsible for ensuring compliance. Hope you didn't miss anything.

AudZone: System checks compliance in real-time and tells you before you finish the appointment.

Honest assessment: If HSP audits make you anxious, AudZone's automated compliance checking provides significant peace of mind. If you're confident in your manual compliance processes, PatientNotes will work fine.

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6. The Real Cost Comparison

Subscription Price (Surface Level):

	PatientNotes	AudZone
Full-time monthly	AU$79/month	AU$105/month
Full-time annual	AU$948/year	AU$1,134/year (10% discount)
Winner	PatientNotes (16% cheaper)

PatientNotes is AU$186/year cheaper on subscription alone (when comparing annual plans with discounts).

But subscription is only part of the story...

Total Cost of Ownership (Real Numbers):

Solo Audiologist, Full-Time:

PatientNotes:

• Subscription: AU$948/year

• Setup time (15-25 hours): AU$2,250-AU$3,750

• Manual session setup (29 hours/year): AU$4,400/year

• NDIS reports (28.5 hours/year): AU$4,275/year

• Total: AU$11,873-13,373/year

AudZone:

• Subscription: AU$1,134/year (Full time user - annual plan with 10% discount, additional 10% discount available for HBA members)

• Setup time (2-3 hours): AU$300-450

• Calendar automation: AU$0 (saves time instead)

• Copy/paste only (3 hours/year): AU$450/year

• NDIS reports (1.5 hours/year): AU$225/year

• Total: AU$2,109-2,259/year

Actual savings with AudZone: AU$9,614-11,264/year (82-84% lower total cost)

The Flex-Days Advantage:

PatientNotes: You pay AU$948/year whether you work 240 days or 200 days.

• Public holidays: Pay full annual price

• Annual leave: Pay full annual price

• Sick days: Pay full annual price

AudZone Annual Plan: You pay AU$1,134/year for typical full-time usage (base + average overage, which is capped, so cost per user never exceeds $105 per month before discounts).

• Flex-days monthly option: Only pay base fee (Includes 8 working days per month) + overage for days worked (days where sessions were recorded exceeding the 8 per month included in the base fee)

• Public holidays: No overage charges (base subscription fee still applies)

• Annual leave (4 weeks): No overage charges (base subscription fee still applies)

• Sick days: No overage charges (base subscription fee still applies)

Example: Audiologist takes 4 weeks annual leave + 10 public holidays

• PatientNotes: Still pay AU$948/year (no adjustment)

• AudZone monthly flex-days: Pay base $45/month + overage only for working days (~$45-65/month during leave vs $105/month when working full-time)

• AudZone annual plan: Fixed $486/year (8 included days per month) +capped overage days charged monthly at 10% discount (more predictable budgeting)

Pricing Note: AudZone offers both monthly flex-days ($45-105/month) and annual plans ($486/year with 10% discount). Annual plan provides budget predictability plus the benefit of flex pricing on overage days; monthly flex-days provides maximum flexibility as you can cancel any time. All pricing uses standard (non-HBA member) rates for conservative estimates. HBA members receive an additional 10% discount, with annual+HBA stacking to 19% total discount.

For Cost-Conscious Practices:

If you're looking at subscription price only: PatientNotes is AU$186/year cheaper for a full time clinician taking no leave(16% less).

If you're looking at total cost (including your time): AudZone is AU$9,614-11,264/year cheaper (82-84% less).

Honest assessment: The "cheaper" subscription actually costs 5-6x more in total when you include the value of your time. When you include overages and flex-days, the cost is pretty much equivalent, while AudZone offers Audiology specific workflows, making your life and the life of your team easier.

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7. What Each Platform Does Better

Where PatientNotes Excels:

1. Lower apparent subscription price - AU$948 vs AU$1,134 for full-time annual (16% cheaper) on the equivalent plan level

2. Nookal/Cliniko integration - If you use these systems and won't switch

3. Allied health focus - If you practice multiple disciplines beyond audiology

4. Annual discount - 10% off with annual payment

Where AudZone Excels:

1. Audiology-specific features - HHIA, Audiology equipment aware recorder, HSP compliance

2. CounselEar integration - Calendar auto-import

3. Calendar based session Starts - Using AI Import for other systems

4. Checklists - critical for complext audiology workflows

5. Ready day 1 - 2-3 hours setup vs 15-25 hours

6. Multi-session reports - 5 minutes vs 2-3 hours per report

7. Compliance automation - Real-time checking vs manual compliance

8. Flex-days pricing option - Monthly model with reduced charges during non-working periods

9. Lower total cost - 82-84% cheaper when including time value

10. 14-day trial - Twice as long as PatientNotes (14 vs 7 days)

11. AudZone features are expanding - Documentation is only the start, we already offer meeting recordings for staff and HR meetings and more features are added monthly.

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8. The Honest Recommendation

Choose PatientNotes If:

You're NOT an audiologist:

• Physiotherapist, OT, speech pathologist - PatientNotes is perfect for you

You use Nookal or Cliniko exclusively:

• And you won't switch to CounselEar

• Native integration is important to you

You have unlimited time:

• Happy to spend 15-25 hours building templates

• Don't mind manual data entry for every patient

Choose AudZone If:

You're an audiologist who:

• Uses CounselEar

• Wants audiology-specific clinical tools (HHIA, Checklists etc.)

• Does NDIS work (multi-session reports save hours)

• Values HSP compliance automation

• Wants to start immediately (ready templates day 1)

• Wants to minimize time spent on documentation

• Wants flexible pricing options (monthly flex-days or annual plan)

You care about:

• Total cost of ownership, not just subscription price

• Patient outcome tracking (systematic HHIA monitoring)

• Peace of mind during HSP audits

• Getting 12-22 hours of your life back (setup time savings)

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9. The Try-Both Approach (Recommended)

Here's what we genuinely recommend:

1. Try PatientNotes first (7-day trial, no credit card)

   • Build one template from scratch

   • Record a mock comprehensive assessment

   • Time how long it takes

   • Note any frustrations with manual data entry

2. Try AudZone next (14-day trial, no credit card)

   • Import your schedule or connect to CounselEar

   • Review ready-made templates

   • Record same mock assessment

   • Test HHIA, compliance checking, reports

   • Compare calendar automation vs manual entry

3. Compare your experience:

   • Which felt more natural for audiology?

   • Which saved more actual time?

   • Which templates were more clinically relevant?

   • Which workflow would you prefer daily?

Total cost to try both: AU$0 Total time investment: 2-3 hours Potential annual savings: AU$9,614-$11,264

You don't have to choose based on marketing - try both and decide based on your actual experience.

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10. Addressing Common Concerns

"I don't have time to learn new software"

Fair concern. You're already busy.

PatientNotes setup: 15-25 hours (mostly building templates) AudZone setup: 2-3 hours (templates already built)

Reality: AudZone actually requires less time investment upfront because templates are ready. Your time is protected, not consumed.

"What if I take the time to set this up and it doesn't work?"

This is why free trials exist.

• PatientNotes: 7 days to test

• AudZone: 14 days to test (twice as long)

• Neither requires credit card

• No commitment until you're certain

You can verify it works for your practice before investing time in full setup.

"I'm worried about patient data security"

Both platforms are secure:

PatientNotes:

• Australian data storage

• Encryption at rest and in transit

• Australian Privacy Act compliant

• No AI training on patient data

AudZone:

• Australian data storage

• Encryption at rest and in transit

• Australian Privacy Act compliant

• HIPAA-compliant architecture

• Zero PHI in URLs (extra protection)

• No AI training on patient data

Both are safe for patient data. Security is not a differentiator between them.

"What if I start and want to stop?"

Both platforms:

• No lock-in contracts

• Can cancel anytime

• Export your data

• Month-to-month billing (or annual if you choose)

AudZone additional flexibility:

• Monthly flex-days option for minimal commitment

• Pay only base fee (8 days per month included) + overage for days worked

• Easy to reduce usage during leave without canceling

"Will this actually improve patient care or just save admin time?"

PatientNotes: Primarily saves admin time. Faster documentation = more time available, but no direct patient care tools.

AudZone: Saves admin time AND provides clinical tools:

• HHIA tracking shows patients their progress objectively

• Compliance checking ensures quality documentation

• Clinial, team and HR meeting recording and templating

For patient care quality: AudZone provides tools that directly improve clinical outcomes. PatientNotes provides efficiency.

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11. The Bottom Line

For Subscription Price:

Winner: PatientNotes (AU$948 vs AU$1,134/year) - 16% cheaper (Full time user - no leave and no Public Holidays)

For Total Cost of Ownership:

Winner: AudZone (AU$2,109-2,259 vs AU$11,873-13,373/year) - 82-84% cheaper

For Audiology-Specific Features:

Winner: AudZone (many audiology features vs 0)

For CounselEar Users:

Winner: AudZone (native integration with calendar automation)

For Nookal/Cliniko Users:

Winner: PatientNotes (native integration). Although we're happy to build these if there is an interest.

For NDIS Providers:

Winner: AudZone (multi-session reports save 75+ hours/year)

For Setup Time:

Winner: AudZone (2-3 hours vs 15-25 hours)

For HSP Compliance:

Winner: AudZone (automated checking vs manual)

For Allied Health (Non-Audiologists):

Winner: PatientNotes (designed for your workflows)

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12. What To Do Next

If you're still unsure:

1. Try PatientNotes first (7 days, no commitment)

2. Try AudZone next (14 days, no commitment)

3. Compare your actual experience

4. Choose based on what worked better for YOUR practice

If you're fairly certain:

For most Australian hearing care professionals (95%+):

• Start with AudZone's 14-day trial

• Import your schedule

• Test real workflows with real appointments

• Verify the time savings are real

• Check that compliance tools actually help

For allied health practitioners:

• PatientNotes is likely the better fit

• Try their 7-day trial

• Build templates for your discipline

• Evaluate if the time investment makes sense

If you have specific questions:

PatientNotes: Visit patientnotes.com.au or email their support AudZone: Visit audzone.com.au or contact the team

Both companies have responsive, helpful support teams who genuinely want to help you make the right choice - even if that choice is their competitor.

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Final Thoughts

You became a hearing care provider to help people hear better and improve their quality of life. Documentation is necessary, but it's not why you chose this profession.

The best AI scribe is the one that:

1. Gets you back to patients faster

2. Ensures your documentation is compliant

3. Doesn't disrupt what's already working

4. Respects your time and expertise

5. Actually improves patient care, not just admin efficiency

For allied health professionals: PatientNotes is excellent - affordable, well-built, perfect for your needs.

For audiologists: AudZone was built specifically for your workflows, your compliance requirements, and your clinical needs. The subscription might seem higher, but the total cost is 82-84% lower, and you get audiology-specific tools that directly improve patient care.

But don't take our word for it. Try both. Compare workflows. Make an informed decision based on your actual experience.

Your time matters. Your patients matter. Choose the tool that serves both.

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Article written with input from practicing Australian audiologists. All cost calculations are conservative estimates based on typical workflows. Pricing verified against billing documentation October 24, 2025. Your actual experience may vary based on practice size, appointment complexity, and individual preferences.

Last Updated: October 24, 2025