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.
Using AI and keeping to the ALCA code of ethics.
If you’ve hesitated to try AI because you weren’t sure it belonged in aging life care work, you’re not alone.
The good news is that ALCA has addressed it directly. If you haven’t come across it yet, that’s because it’s recent: the May 2026 revision of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice added Standard 14: Artificial Intelligence & Practice. You’ll find it in the members area at aginglifecare.org.
It’s short and practical, and it comes down to one line: use AI “transparently, equitably, and in ways that complement, rather than replace human judgment and compassion.”
Your judgment, your read of a family, the thing you noticed that nobody said out loud: those are things AI should never replace. What it can do is lighten the load when it comes to typing, organizing, proofreading, and formatting. Essentially, it reduces the time you spend on documentation and admin work.
Four questions worth asking about any tool.
Standard 14 offers these, and they work just as well for a chatbot as for a whole practice management system.
- What tasks are being automated?
- What business or clinical information is being shared?
- For what purpose?
- Who benefits and who might be harmed?
Most of these you can answer off the top of your head. The second one takes a little digging, and it’s the one to settle before any client information goes in.
Two things both have to be true. You need a signed BAA with the vendor, and the specific tool you’re using has to be on that agreement’s covered list.
How to check: Google publishes its list as HIPAA Included Functionality. Microsoft defines scope inside the BAA in its Data Protection Addendum, downloadable from the Service Trust Portal. Any other vendor should be able to send you theirs if you ask. If a tool isn’t named on the list, treat it as not covered, and if a vendor can’t tell you either way, that’s your answer.
The standard also asks that you be open with clients about using AI, that you keep some written policies around disclosure and privacy, and that you keep learning as things change.
That written-policy piece is the one most practices get stuck on, mostly because there isn’t a good template circulating yet. Everything below gives you the raw material for it, including which tools are covered by a BAA and which aren’t.
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 agreement.
Both Google and Microsoft will provide a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) at no extra cost. Once it’s in place, the vendor is legally on the hook for HIPAA, too. That means you can use the covered services 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 | How to get 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 Standard or higher |
Automatic. The HIPAA BAA is built into Microsoft’s Data Protection Addendum once you’re a covered entity on an eligible plan. Download your copy from the Service Trust Portal | ~$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.