Why Irish consultants are switching from ConsultNow to Brigid
Consultant practice has unique needs — long letters, complex billing, and referring-GP relationships that need to be nurtured. Brigid keeps that work in one staff-controlled system so the clinic can see what still needs attention.
Letters authored inside the record
Staff use approved templates and raw dictation while the clinician authors the referral or follow-up letter. Consultation recording and Generative clinical drafting are disabled for launch.
Your secretary's new administrative view
Brigid supports staff-prepared claim administration, diary management, and surfaces overdue payments — your secretary confirms and signs, freeing them to focus on patient relationships and referring GPs. Direct insurer-API submission is not launch-authorised.
Clinic-approved migration from ConsultNow
Import scope, representative records, permissions and rollback are rehearsed with the clinic. Production cutover happens only after the clinic accepts the migration evidence.
Feature Comparison
| Capabilities | BrigidEarly access | ConsultNow |
|---|---|---|
| Built for Ireland (Private Practice) | ||
| EU-hosted records + GDPR privacy controls | ||
| VHI / Laya / Irish Life invoicing Staff prepare/review EUR invoices; automated insurer eligibility and submission are not launch-authorised. | Beta· Auto-submit disabled | |
| Secretary / Multi-User Workflows | ||
| EU speech-to-text dictation Raw EU dictation supports clinician-authored notes, letters and referrals; Generative clinical drafting is disabled. | ||
| Administrative assistance | Default-off | None |
| Approved referral templates Approved templates can structure letters; the clinician authors clinical content and chooses the recipient. | ||
| Follow-up tracking Staff can review outstanding follow-ups; Generative chase drafting and autonomous sending are disabled. | ||
| Data import | Clinic-approved | Verify with provider |
| No card to request early access | ||
| Contract term | Per signed order | Verify with provider |
Switching from ConsultNow — common questions
- How do I move my patient records from ConsultNow to Brigid?
- Import scope and mappings are agreed with the clinic. Representative patient, billing and correspondence records, permissions and rollback are tested before the clinic signs production cutover.
- What does Brigid actually do that ConsultNow doesn’t?
- Brigid combines scheduling, records, billing, approved letter templates and raw EU speech-to-text. Clinicians author notes and referrals; staff author follow-up messages. Generative clinical and outreach drafting is disabled for launch.
- Will my VHI, Laya and Irish Life billing carry over?
- Import scope is verified during onboarding. Staff can prepare/review EUR invoices with configured codes; automated insurer eligibility and claim submission are not launch-authorised, so clinics use the normal submission channel.
- Is Brigid GDPR-compliant, and is an AI scribe safe for patient records?
- Primary records are hosted in AWS Dublin (eu-west-1) and the platform includes privacy/security controls. Those controls support but do not certify compliance. Clinical Generative AI drafting is disabled; clinicians author the record and clinics retain their own lawful-basis, transparency, DPIA, training and configuration duties.
- How much does Brigid cost, and am I tied into a contract?
- Published early-access prices start at €129 per month and requesting access does not require a card. The signed order controls billing term, renewal, cancellation and enabled services; verify ConsultNow’s current terms directly with that provider.