How we judge AI tools for QME work
Short version: every product is judged on the same 5 tests, using only the maker's published pages and the DWC's own sources, read on 2026-11-12. We uploaded no records and ran no hands-on tests. We make Medrecords AI, mark it "(ours)" everywhere, and name the cases where another product fits better.
Limits: We read each product's own pages and the DWC sources on 2026-11-12 and did not upload records to any product. Prices, plans and rules change, and nothing here is legal advice; ask your own counsel about Labor Code 4628.
The 5 tests for a QME AI tool
- BAA: does the maker publish that it signs a BAA, for which plan, and can a solo QME get it? "HIPAA compliant" alone does not pass.
- Page citations to your file: does each line of output point to a page of your upload? Citations to journals do not count, since Labor Code 4628(c) has you review the excerpts against the record.
- Fit with who writes the report: does the tool hand you excerpts and drafts from your notes, or does it offer finished discussion and conclusions? 8 CCR 41(c)(7) keeps those with the evaluator.
- QME formats: does it publish California QME, AME or supplemental templates, or fill California forms?
- Published price against the ML fee: what would a synthetic 1,500-page file cost, as a share of the $2,015 ML-201 fee in 8 CCR 9795?
Sources we read for the QME rules
| Source | What we took from it | Captured |
|---|---|---|
| 8 CCR 41 | List and summarize every record; evaluator writes the discussion and conclusions | 2026-11-12 |
| 8 CCR 9795 and 9793 | ML codes, fees, what the fee includes; records declaration | 2026-11-12 |
| 8 CCR 35, 35.5, 10682 | Records log, late records, report contents | 2026-11-12 |
| Labor Code 4628 | Who may prepare the report; disclosure; penalties | 2026-11-12 |
| DWC quality assurance checklist | Suggested AI disclosure; reliance on summaries | 2026-11-12 (document dated 2026-10-10) |
| DIR News Release 2024-60 | Checklist is not a required format; no AI text in the release | 2026-11-12 |
| WCAB panel decisions Gurrola Martinez and Lopez Mendoza | Third-party record summary under 4628; AI-invented citations | 2026-11-12 |
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov blocked automated reads on 2026-11-12, so the Labor Code 4628 text comes from a capture of the same page made the same day for a sibling site. HHS pages were read the same way. One vendor article attributes AI disclosure wording to DIR News Release 2024-60; the live release does not contain it, so we cite the checklist instead.
How we read vendor pages
For each product we read the home page, the page aimed at QMEs or evaluators, the pricing page and the security page where they exist. We record only what the page states. "Not stated" means we did not find it, not that the product lacks it. We did not score vendors' speed or accuracy claims; none we read came with a published test on a QME file. The raw captures and a JSON file of every fact sit in the site's research folder. When a vendor page changes, we update the row and its date.
How we handle owning Medrecords AI
This site is published by Medrecords AI, which makes 1 of the 30 products in the tool directory. We are not independent, and we do not claim to be. What we do about it:
- Medrecords AI gets the same columns and the same 5 tests as every other product, and is marked "(ours)" each time it appears.
- It appears as "our pick for" a specific situation, never as the best overall. On price, we name 2 products that cost less for a small practice.
- Links to medrecords.ai appear only on the Medrecords AI page and in boxes marked as ours. Links to other vendors carry rel="nofollow" and go to their own pages.
- Facts about Medrecords AI come only from its published pricing page and llms.txt, under the same date rule as every other vendor.
What this site does not cover
This site picks AI by QME task. It does not rank full practice software stacks, compare outsourced record review services, or teach ML-201 page counting; those jobs are outside its scope. Nothing here is legal advice. A QME with a 4628 question should ask counsel.