AI for Care Managers
Where to start and how to stay HIPAA-compliant.
You don’t need to learn a new tool, download anything, or open a new tab. Here’s how to find the AI you already have, what to ask it first, and how to keep it HIPAA-safe.
The AI you need is probably already in your office suite.
If your practice runs on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, you already have a capable AI assistant built into the apps you use every day. You don’t need to download anything, learn a new tool, or open a new tab.
| If you use… | The AI is called… | Where you’ll see it |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Gemini for Workspace gemini.google.com |
“Help me write” in Gmail and Docs · ✨ sparkle icon in Drive, Sheets, Slides · auto-notes in Meet |
| Microsoft 365 | Microsoft 365 Copilot copilot.cloud.microsoft |
“Copilot” button in Outlook, Word, Excel, and Teams |
Three things to try this week
- Turn a visit note into a family-friendly summary. Paste your raw note, ask: “Rewrite this as a short update for the daughter, plain English, no jargon.”
- Draft a follow-up email. “Write a warm, two-paragraph follow-up to a family I just met. Confirm next steps and ask for the doctor’s contact.”
- Brainstorm a family-meeting agenda. “Give me a 30-minute agenda for a first family meeting about a 78-year-old with mild dementia and three adult children who don’t agree.”
Make it HIPAA-safe with one signature.
Both Google and Microsoft will sign a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with you at no extra cost, but you have to ask. Once it’s signed, the vendor is legally on the hook for HIPAA, too. That means you can use everything inside your suite, including the built-in AI, with real client information.
The 30-second rule.
- No BAA → treat the tool like a stranger on the street. Never share PHI.
- With a BAA → the vendor shares legal responsibility. You can use the tool with PHI inside your workspace.
| Your suite | Where to sign your BAA | Roughly costs (with AI) |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace Business Standard or higher |
Admin Console → Account → Legal & Compliance → accept the Business Associate Amendment | ~$14/user/mo Gemini bundled in most plans |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic or higher |
Service Trust Portal → search “HIPAA” → accept the HIPAA Business Associate Agreement | ~$42.50/user/mo MS Office 365 + Copilot add-on |
Pricing as of 2026. Confirm with the vendor before purchasing.
@gmail.com or a personal Outlook account can’t be made HIPAA-compliant — start by upgrading to a professional account.
The other AI tools you’ve heard about.
Plenty of useful AI lives outside your office suite — chatbots, meeting assistants, transcription tools. None of them are automatically covered by your Workspace or MS Office 365 BAA. That doesn’t mean you can’t use them. It means you have to know which lane you’re in.
Chatbots — ChatGPT, Claude
The default ChatGPT and Claude apps you sign up for at chatgpt.com or claude.ai are powerful, popular, and not covered by your suite’s BAA. Strip out PHI before you paste anything in. With that rule in mind, they’re great for:
- Marketing copy — website language, brochures, LinkedIn posts.
- Generic checklists and agendas — family-meeting structure, intake questions, hospital-discharge checklists (with no specific client info).
- Research — a condition, medication, or program, when the question doesn’t reference a specific client.
- Templates — intake forms, recurring emails, assessment rubrics.
- Practicing prompts — get comfortable asking AI for what you need before using it inside your suite.
There ARE HIPAA-compliant versions — they cost extra.
Both OpenAI and Anthropic will sign a BAA, but only on their enterprise tiers, which are separate products from the consumer apps:
- ChatGPT Enterprise — contact OpenAI sales at openai.com/enterprise. Custom pricing, typically around $60/user/mo with a multi-seat minimum and an annual commitment.
- Claude Enterprise — contact Anthropic sales at anthropic.com/enterprise. Custom pricing in a similar range, also gated by minimum seats and an annual contract.
For most solo and small practices, the cost and friction make this overkill, especially when Gemini or Copilot is already covered inside your office suite. The enterprise tier matters most if you have a larger team or you want to build custom AI workflows on top of these models.
Meeting AI — Zoom, Teams, Google Meet
If your video-meeting platform has an AI button (summary, transcript, action items), check the fine print before turning it on for a client call:
- Google Meet with Gemini — covered under your Workspace BAA.
- Microsoft Teams with Copilot — covered under your MS Office 365 BAA.
- Zoom AI Companion — not covered by Zoom’s standard BAA. Either ask Zoom for a separate AI-Companion BAA, or turn the feature off for client calls.
Always ask for consent before recording or transcribing a conversation. Whether you’re using a pocket recorder, a meeting AI, or any tool that captures audio, get the person’s okay first.
A friendly script you can use: “Before we get started, I’d love to use a tool to help me capture our conversation. It lets me focus on you and what you’re sharing, instead of being heads-down taking notes. The recording stays with me and everything we discuss is confidential. Is that okay with you?”
Pocket recorders — Plaud.ai
Plaud is a pocket recorder plus AI transcription and summarization service that some people have started experimenting with. Yes, you can use it in a HIPAA-compliant way — but only on the right plan.
- Free, Pro, or Unlimited plans — no BAA. Fine for internal team meetings, dictating your own marketing notes, or recording yourself thinking out loud. Not safe for recording client or family conversations.
- Business / Enterprise plan — Plaud will sign a BAA. This is the tier you need before recording any PHI. Pricing is custom; contact Plaud sales for a quote.
Note: the Plaud Note device itself is a one-time hardware purchase (roughly $159). The HIPAA piece is the plan you’re on, not the device. Confirm current pricing and BAA terms with Plaud before signing up.