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A lack of transparency: Exactly how the information recorded is handled isn't explained in part because that information has not been shared with providers, despite their attempts to obtain it. Ligia Pacheco is a psychiatric social worker who provides remote therapy services for Kaiser patients in Southern California. She said Kaiser refused her requests to provide further explanations. Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker with Kaiser psychiatry in Oakland, is also a member of a bargaining committee. In that role, she regularly meets with various Kaiser representatives. Marcucci-Morris describes how, during those meetings, she and other committee members have asked questions about patient privacy protections, HIPAA compliance, and the safeguards in place for the use of these technologies. According to her, the response from leadership has often been empty assurances: “We are compliant. That’s it. That’s all you need to know. We vet the technology, therapist. Don’t worry. That’s not your job. We have tech experts. That’s their job.”

Kaiser Permanente response: A spokesperson for Kaiser Permanente insisted in an emailed response to American Community Media that clinicians are required to gain patient consent prior to using Abridge. “No one is recorded without their knowledge and consent,” the statement read. It added that recordings are stored for no longer than 14 days, and that data processing meets all HIPAA requirements as well as Kaiser Permanente’s own privacy and security standards. Kaiser insists any data it collects is not used to train AI models.

In 2024, Kaiser Permanente announced the rollout of Abridge. Described in a press release as “ambient listening technology,” the AI-powered scribe is designed to help clinicians including mental health providers securely capture clinical notes during patient visits.

But what the description fails to indicate is that the tool records entire medical appointments, including deeply personal mental health sessions.

During these sessions, mental health professionals are required to obtain patients’ consent before using the tool. However, as shared by multiple providers, that consent process does not include explanations about how the information is handled. Nor does it say how long and where recordings are stored, or who has access to the data.

This happens in part because that information has not been shared with providers, despite their attempts to obtain it.

Ilana Marcucci-Morris chose not to use the platform with her patients. She is a licensed clinical social worker with Kaiser psychiatry in Oakland. She is also a member of a bargaining committee. In that role, she regularly meets with various Kaiser representatives, including Northern California’s director of mental health.

Marcucci-Morris describes how, during those meetings, she and other committee members have asked questions about patient privacy protections, HIPAA compliance, and the safeguards in place for the use of these technologies.

According to her, the response from leadership has often been empty assurances: “We are compliant. That’s it. That’s all you need to know. We vet the technology, therapist. Don’t worry. That’s not your job. We have tech experts. That’s their job,” Marcucci-Morris said in an interview with American Community Media.