Guides for clinicians who dictate their notes
Straight answers on which dictation tools need a Business Associate Agreement, how the popular options handle your audio, and how to get notes done between sessions. Competitor facts are checked against each vendor's own documentation and dated on every page.
HIPAA and privacy
- Do I need a BAA for dictation software?
When a dictation vendor counts as a HIPAA business associate, using the HHS definition, and when it does not.
- Is Wispr Flow HIPAA compliant?
What Wispr Flow's BAA and zero data retention cover, and what still goes through the cloud.
- Is Apple Dictation HIPAA compliant?
On-device vs server dictation on the Mac, Siri and Apple Intelligence, per Apple's own documentation.
- Is Windows voice typing HIPAA compliant?
Where Windows voice typing sends your audio, how voice access differs, and what Microsoft's BAA covers.
- Is Dragon HIPAA compliant?
Dragon Professional, Dragon Anywhere, Dragon Medical One and Dragon Copilot compared for HIPAA use.
- Is Otter.ai HIPAA compliant?
Which Otter plans come with a BAA, what Otter does with recordings, and why it is a poor fit for therapy notes.
- Can therapists use ChatGPT for notes?
Which ChatGPT plans OpenAI will sign a BAA for, what that means for client information, and safer options.
- HIPAA-friendly dictation without a BAA
Why dictation that runs entirely on your computer needs no Business Associate Agreement, and which tools do.
- Offline medical dictation for Mac
How fully offline speech recognition works on Apple silicon Macs, and why it matters for client information.
Comparisons
- Dragon Medical One on Mac, and its price
Whether Dragon Medical One runs on a Mac, what it costs in 2026, and how small practices buy it.
- Wispr Flow alternative for therapists
Wispr Flow vs Sapience Med for clinical notes: cloud processing under a BAA vs nothing leaving the device.
- Dragon Medical alternative for Mac
Options for Mac-based clinicians who want Dragon-style medical dictation without a Windows PC.
- Push-to-talk vs AI scribes
Consent, recording laws and records exposure: dictating your own note vs recording the session.
- Best dictation for cash-pay therapists
Dictation and AI scribe costs compared for a solo private-practice budget.
- Whisper for medical dictation
What it takes to use OpenAI's open-source Whisper speech model for clinical dictation.
Workflow
- Write therapy notes faster without recording
Timing, templates, what to leave out, and dictation: finishing notes between sessions without an AI scribe.
- How to dictate DAP, SOAP and BIRP notes
What goes in each format, with example dictation scripts you can adapt.
- Dictation for SimplePractice
Dictating straight into SimplePractice notes, compared with the Note Taker add-on.
- Dictation for TherapyNotes
Dictating straight into TherapyNotes, compared with TherapyFuel and browser dictation.
- Dictation for PMHNPs
Med-check documentation for psychiatric nurse practitioners, with psychotropic drug names spelled right.
Try Sapience Med free for 14 days
Push-to-talk dictation that runs entirely on your Mac or Windows PC. Then $149 once for a lifetime license on one computer, updates included.