You're a therapist with a heavy caseload — and your wrists are killing you. After a long day of back-to-back sessions, you dread facing a mountain of progress notes. But what if AI could swoop in and save you?
Good news: It can. AI progress notes are a way to accurately offload the dreaded data entry part of your job and gain back hours of every day.
Stick around as we dish out the top 5 AI progress note tools to lighten your documentation load.
We’ll cover:
- What are AI progress notes?
- The top 5 progress note tools of 2024
- What should you look for in AI progress note software?
- A detailed breakdown of the best 5 tools
Let’s dive right in!
What are AI progress notes?
AI progress notes are digital clinical notes created using artificial intelligence (AI) to help streamline documentation for therapists and counselors.
Instead of manually typing up notes during or after each session, AI progress note tools use voice recognition and natural language processing to generate those notes for you automatically.
So what’s the big deal?
- AI progress notes can save you a ton of time. That means that you’re done with pulling late-nighters to finish notes or rushing to type them up during your lunch break. With AI, notes are done as you go, so you can head home on time for once!
- AI progress notes are also more accurate since there’s almost no chance of mishearing or mistyping what was said. And because the notes sound natural, your clients will never know the difference. It’s a win-win!
The top 5 AI progress note tools of 2024
Therapists spend, on average, 2 hours every day on data entry.
These are the best tools to finally get those hours back:
- Lindy: Lindy specializes in mental health terminology and SOAP note formatting, offering therapists plug-and-play EHR integration and effortless dictation-based documentation.
- Noterro: Notera provides a comprehensive AI platform for behavioral health, including voice-to-text transcription, AI-powered coding suggestions, automated treatment plan generation, and secure compliance features.
- Augmedix: Augmedix offers a hybrid approach, combining live human scribes with AI-powered tools to capture patient interactions in real time, ensuring accuracy and customization across various medical specialties.
- DeepScribe: DeepScribe focuses on ambient listening, extracting key information from therapy sessions to generate structured notes, while also suggesting relevant diagnoses and treatment options.
- Nuance DAX: Nuance DAX has advanced voice recognition, pretty cool personalized templates, and deep integration within the Nuance suite of healthcare tools.
What should you look for in AI progress notes software?
So you’ve decided to jump on the AI bandwagon for your practice. Smart move!
Here’s the criteria that we’ve used to select the best tools:
- No need to be a brainiac. Some AI tools require a lot of tech knowledge to operate. The best tools are intuitive to use and don’t need extensive training. After all, you’re a therapist, not an IT specialist! The easier it is to implement, the more likely you’ll actually use it.
- The best AI understands natural language and can accurately capture the nuances of a therapy session. If it spits out robotic notes that don’t reflect the actual content and flow of your conversations, keep looking. Your progress notes should sound authentic and human.
- Customizability. Every practice has its own style and preferences for progress notes. Great tools let you customize templates to some degree. You can pick and choose elements and tweak the wording. Some allow you to define your own libraries of common phrases to insert. The more customizable, the better.
- You won’t have to mortgage your house. With many good options available, you don’t need to break the bank for AI progress notes software. These solutions offer pricing tiers based on your practice size and needs. Some tools are very budget-friendly for solo practitioners and small groups. Don’t pay more than you have to!
- Patient info locked down tight. Since you’re dealing with sensitive client information, all tools on this list have strong data privacy, security, and encryption in place. Of course, you can double-check their policies, but they’re all HIPAA-compliant. Their security measures should put you at ease.
- Plays well with others: These AI scribes integrate smoothly with your existing EHR system. No one wants to waste time transferring data between platforms!
- Supports your workflow: These tools adapt to how you work, not the other way around. The less a tool disrupts your established routine, the better.
- Generates insightful reports: Some of the more advanced AI tools can analyze your notes and provide summaries, identify recurring themes, or track treatment progress over time. These insights can be valuable for improving your practice.
- Offers ongoing support: AI technology is constantly evolving. All of these companies offer responsive customer support and a commitment to keeping their software up-to-date. This guarantees you'll always have access to the latest features and bug fixes.
Lindy
What it is: The overall best AI progress note software around, plus an ultra-powerful suite that allows you to make interconnected AI agents that can tackle pretty much any task.
Here's how Lindy takes the hassle out of therapy progress notes:
- Plug-and-play EHR integration: Lindy works seamlessly with your existing setup, especially common platforms like SimplePractice. No complicated onboarding, just less admin work.
- Understands the language of therapy: Lindy's AI gets those therapy-specific terms and concepts. It accurately captures diagnoses, behavioral observations, and those all-important treatment plan updates. It also helps with therapy-specific coding types.
- You talk, Lindy types: After sessions, simply speak your notes. Lindy intelligently turns your words into the right SOAP format, saving you hours of typing each day.
- Accuracy woes, away: Lindy has a best-in-class 99%+ accuracy rate, even with jargon or heavy accents. Plus, clinicians report a staggering 90% overall increase in the accuracy of their notes after implementing Lindy.
- Templates galore: Lindy has a variety of customizable templates from the get-go, adapting to any practice. Can’t find what you need? It’s easy to make your own.
- Security you can trust: Lindy is HIPAA and PIPEDA compliant. Your patient data is locked down tight, never used for anything except making your life easier.
- More time for what matters: Slash your documentation time by 80% with Lindy. That means more time for clients or that much-needed self-care break.
Noterro
What it is: An AI-powered platform designed specifically for better clinical documentation used by behavioral health providers.
Standout features:
- 95% accurate voice-to-text transcription for effortless note-taking
- AI-assisted coding and billing suggestions tailored to behavioral health treatment codes and guidelines
- Automated treatment plan generation with customizable templates and options based on patient data
- Compliance and security features focused on the unique needs of behavioral health documentation
Pricing: Starts at approximately $25 per provider, per month. Contact Noterro for customized quotes.
Augmedix
What it is: A remote scribe solution with ambient AI and auto-formatting features.
Standout features:
- Live, real-time scribing during patient encounters, reducing provider workload
- AI-powered suggestions and auto-formatting for efficiency and accuracy
- Customization for different specialties, helping make sure notes accurately reflect terminology and procedures
- Integration with 50+ EHR systems
Pricing: Subscription-based, but you’ll have to contact AugMedix directly for details.
DeepScribe
What it is: An AI-powered medical scribe focused on ambient listening and documentation within the exam room.
Standout features:
- Captures conversations naturally without dictation, allowing providers to focus on patient interaction
- Generates structured, comprehensive notes with customizable templates
- Extracts key medical terms and concepts, suggesting relevant diagnoses and treatment options
- Very customizable
- Integrates with major EHRs
Pricing: Subscription-based with potential per-encounter fees. Contact DeepScribe for specific pricing.
Nuance DAX
What it is: Advertised as a clinical documentation copilot, Dragon Ambient eXperience (DAX) is a very good choice for AI progress notes.
Standout features:
- Advanced ambient listening and voice recognition, even in noisy environments, saves an average of 7 minutes per patient encounter
- Highly accurate clinical concept extraction with real-time feedback to providers
- Suggests personalized templates and documentation shortcuts based on a provider's practice patterns
- Deeper integration within Nuance's suite of healthcare tools for a more streamlined workflow
- 85% of patients report their doctors being more conversational, thanks to DAX.
Pricing: DAX has a subscription-based service, but you’ll have to get in touch with Nuance to get the lowdown on costs.
Summing up
So there you have it — the inside scoop on the top 5 AI progress note tools that are set to change the clinical documentation game in 2024 and beyond.
We’ve reviewed everything from pricing to features so you can make an informed decision about whether AI-powered software is right for your private practice or agency.
Try out a free trial to experience the magic for yourself. And remember, technology is meant to simplify our lives, not complicate them!