Background
Dr. Sanjay Mehta sees children from newborns to teens at Kindercare Paediatrics, covering both primary and consulting care. With a team of nurses, administrators, and trainees, the clinic balances high patient flow with the compassion and focus each family deserves.
Every day brings something different: a wellness check, a complex consult, a hallway chat with a colleague. It’s a lively, collaborative space – but a demanding one.
Challenges
1. The cognitive load of documentation
“When you’re in the room, you have to make eye contact. You want to be able to actively listen – and that means you’re trying not to interrupt, and you’re trying to use body language to show that you’re present and mindful.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Typing while listening was impossible. Notes came later – after hours.
“You go to bed with all that on your mind, and it’s exhausting. And then you know that you’re going to have to repeat it again tomorrow.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Charting became a second shift that began after family dinner and ended late at night.
2. The fear of losing what makes paediatrics human
“I was worried that the AI wouldn’t be able to tease out all of that noise and be able to focus on the problems…”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Dr. Mehta feared that AI might overlook the small but essential moments – a child’s excitement about a toy, a first smile, the quiet cues that matter most in paediatrics.
3. The burden of inefficiency
“It took a lot to get it all done in the room or shortly after, which meant that it came home… before you know it, it’s 10 or 10:30 and the night is done.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
No system bridged the gap between presence and paperwork. The burden followed him home, every night. That changed when he heard a colleague was using Heidi.
Solution
Dr. Mehta adopted Heidi in March 2025 after seeing it in use by a trusted colleague.
“As soon as I heard that one of my colleagues was using it, the next day I was like, ‘Okay, that’s the motivation I need. I want to do it.’”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Heidi fit naturally into the clinic’s existing systems. The technology was in place, the staff and parents were tech-literate, and consent came easily.
“Getting buy-in when I would consent [families] in the beginning to using Heidi was phenomenal. The uptake rate was really high and there were almost no barriers.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Within weeks, Heidi became an indispensable part of the clinic’s rhythm.
“It was like a voice that was basically speaking on my behalf that was better, weirdly, than me doing it myself.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Dr. Mehta quickly customised Heidi’s templates and now uses it for complex consults, follow-ups, and summaries. The Ask AI feature expanded its value further – allowing him to generate letters, referrals, and summaries for parents who weren’t present at appointments.
“To be able to take that conversation and level up… create a letter, create a summary for the other parent who wasn’t there… that, I think, has also been amazing.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Impact
“I would say [time spent documenting is] easily halved, if not more. 50 to 60%. So if I was spending two to three hours, now I’m spending maybe an hour to an hour and a half.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Key outcomes:
- 50–60% reduction in daily charting time
- Restored work–life balance and evening downtime
- Greater presence and authenticity in patient interactions
- High patient trust and consent rates for AI use
- Rising adoption among colleagues inspired by his results
Reclaiming presence in the room
“Now the computer’s over here and I might periodically just double-check that it’s working, but my chair is now turned perpendicular to the computer, looking at the family.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
“I feel more energy coming out of the room and I don’t feel the commotion in your brain. That’s been bizarrely uplifting and implies just how much weight there was there all these years.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Restoring energy and authenticity
“My smile is now more genuine because I’m present and less stressed about typing.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Catalysing change among peers
“Even those who were hesitant and pessimistic… pretty much everyone has come around now and they would never in their days go back.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
An unexpected benefit
“Residents are open to it. They’re like, ‘Wow, can I sign on as a trainee?’… If this is the world they’re going to be living in, this is the world.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Tools like Heidi must become part of how new clinicians learn to practise with presence.
What’s Next
With Heidi, Dr. Mehta has reclaimed his evenings and rediscovered his focus. He spends more time connecting with patients and mentoring residents, and less time typing.
“If it literally saved them 10 minutes a day, just 10 minutes — that’s one more patient they could see, that’s 10 more minutes they could spend with their family.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
When asked what one word he would use to describe Heidi, Dr. Mehta paused.
“Assistant. It literally does what an assistant is supposed to do. It makes my life easier. It reduces burden. It increases my efficiency.”
— Dr. Sanjay Mehta
For him, Heidi isn’t software. It’s an assistant — the kind that quietly restores balance to the rhythm of care.
Profile at a Glance
| Clinician | Dr. Sanjay Mehta |
|---|---|
| Role | Paediatric Emergency Physician & Community Paediatrician |
| Clinic | Kindercare Paediatrics |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Specialty | Paediatrics, Emergency Medicine |
| Adopted Heidi | March 2025 |