Choose an AI scribe around the therapeutic relationship

Start with the room

Decide whether audio is captured, where it flows, how long it remains, whether a transcript exists, who can access it, and what the client is told. A passive recording workflow and a post-session dictation workflow have different privacy and relationship implications.

Consider modality, setting, client population, telehealth platform, group or family sessions, and local law with qualified counsel.

Evaluate the note, not the performance

Test whether the output distinguishes observation from inference, uses your preferred structure, avoids over-pathologizing language, and leaves room for professional judgment.

Track correction time and serious omissions. A fast draft that encourages shallow review is not a safe efficiency gain.

Compliance is a workflow, not a label

A product name, model name, or marketing page cannot make a healthcare workflow compliant by itself. The organization using the tool still has to determine whether HIPAA applies, understand what information enters the system, document permitted uses, configure access, train its workforce, and manage risk.

For a cloud service that creates, receives, maintains, or transmits electronic protected health information on behalf of a covered entity or business associate, HHS guidance centers the business associate agreement and the regulated organization’s own risk analysis. Those are operational responsibilities, not badges that can be inferred from a homepage.

• Identify the data before selecting the tool
• Confirm the contract and covered services
• Document access, retention, review, and incident handling

Keep the human decision visible

Generative output can be fluent and still be incomplete, outdated, or wrong. A useful implementation names who reviews the output, what they compare it against, which changes they must make, and where the approved final record lives.

Human review should be proportionate to the consequence of error. A draft staff announcement and a patient-specific clinical recommendation do not belong in the same review lane. High-consequence decisions require qualified professional judgment and authoritative sources.