AI scribes handle some of the most sensitive information in healthcare: raw audio from patient encounters, transcripts, draft notes and structured clinical summaries. Every one of those contains protected health information (PHI), and every one has to meet strict security and compliance standards.

Whether you’re looking at AI scribes for the first time or comparing vendors, security should be one of the first things you evaluate. Below are six criteria worth examining, why each one matters, and how SAI addresses them.

How Should an AI Scribe Encrypt Patient Data?

What to evaluate:

• TLS 1.2+ encryption for all data in transit

• Strong encryption (AES-256 or equivalent) for data at rest

• Secure handling of audio, transcripts and generated notes

Why it matters: AI scribes capture live audio from patient encounters, one of the most sensitive forms of PHI. Audio that is transmitted or stored without proper encryption is open to interception or unauthorized access. Encryption ensures that even if data were intercepted or accessed without authorization, it would be extremely difficult to read or use.

How SAI aligns: SAI encrypts all PHI, including audio, transcripts and generated notes, in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256), protecting it across the entire documentation pipeline.

How Long Does an AI Scribe Store Patient Audio and Transcripts?

What to evaluate:

• How long audio and transcripts are stored

• Whether retention is configurable

• Whether PHI is used to train models

• Whether deletion is automatic or manual

Why it matters: Long-term retention of raw audio or transcripts increases risk. Many vendors store PHI for extended periods to improve their models or support human review workflows. Healthcare organizations must ensure that PHI is retained only as long as necessary and is never used for purposes outside the clinical encounter.

How SAI aligns: SAI follows a minimal-retention philosophy. Audio and transcripts are not stored long-term, and retention settings can be configured based on organizational policy. PHI is never used to train public models.

Does the AI Scribe Use Human Reviewers?

What to evaluate:

• Whether humans ever review audio or transcripts

• Whether subcontractors or offshore teams are involved

• Whether human review can be disabled

Why it matters: Many AI scribe vendors rely on human reviewers to correct transcripts or validate notes. This introduces significant risk: PHI may be exposed to contractors, offshore teams or individuals outside your organization’s compliance boundaries. Even when vendors say their reviewers are “HIPAA trained,” the risk profile changes considerably.

How SAI aligns: SAI uses zero human reviewers. All processing is automated, eliminating the risk of PHI exposure to external personnel.

Who Can Access PHI, and Is That Access Logged?

What to evaluate:

• Role-based access controls

• Multi-factor authentication

• Audit trails for PHI access

• Administrative oversight tools

Why it matters: AI scribes create new access points for PHI. Without strong access controls, unauthorized staff could view patient conversations or generated notes. Audit logs are essential for compliance, incident response and internal governance.

How SAI aligns: SAI provides strict role-based access with MFA, audit logs of PHI access, and administrative controls that let organizations monitor usage and maintain compliance.

What Compliance Certifications Should an AI Scribe Vendor Have?

What to evaluate:

• HIPAA alignment

• Business Associate Agreement (BAA) availability

• SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification

• Transparent documentation of security practices

Why it matters: AI scribes must operate within the same regulatory framework as any other clinical system. A vendor unwilling to sign a BAA or provide clear documentation should not be considered. Certifications show that a vendor’s security practices have been independently validated.

How SAI aligns: SAI is built as a HIPAA-aligned platform and provides a clear, comprehensive BAA. A SOC 2 Type II audit is currently underway, and SAI’s security documentation is available to organizations on request.

How Are Patients Informed When an AI Scribe Is in Use?

What to evaluate:

• How patients are informed

• Whether clinicians control when the scribe is active

• Whether the platform supports consent workflows

Why it matters: Patients deserve to know when AI is involved in their care. Being upfront with them builds trust and keeps your practice consistent with its own policies.

How SAI aligns: SAI is clinician-controlled, so the clinician decides when it’s active. It also includes patient communication instructions and templates for documenting consent.

Questions to Bring to Your Next Vendor Demo

An AI scribe can take a real share of the documentation burden off your clinicians, but only if you can trust how it handles patient data. Use these six criteria as a checklist when you meet with vendors, and ask for specifics: written retention policies, encryption standards, audit status and a signed BAA.

SAI was built around these standards from the start. If you’re evaluating AI scribes for your practice, we’re happy to walk you through our security documentation.