🏥 Understanding HIPAA Requirements
HIPAA Compliance Essentials
📋 Technical Safeguards
- • End-to-end encryption in transit and at rest
- • Access controls and user authentication
- • Audit trails and activity logging
- • Automatic session timeouts
📄 Administrative Requirements
- • Business Associate Agreement (BAA)
- • Staff training and access policies
- • Incident response procedures
- • Regular compliance audits
For AI transcription tools like Sembly, HIPAA compliance means protecting Protected Health Information (PHI) that might be discussed during medical consultations, team meetings, or telehealth sessions.
🔒 Sembly AI's Security Features
✅ Available Security Features
- 🔐256-bit AES encryption:Data encrypted both in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- 🏢Enterprise cloud infrastructure:Hosted on SOC 2 Type II compliant AWS servers
- 👥Role-based access controls:Granular permissions and user management
- 📊Audit logging:Comprehensive activity tracking and reporting
- 🗂️Data residency controls:Choose specific geographic storage locations
⚠️ Important Limitations
- 📝BAA required:Must be requested and signed separately for healthcare use
- 💰Enterprise plan only:HIPAA features not available on basic plans ($20+/user/month)
- ⚙️Configuration required:Default settings may not meet HIPAA requirements
- 🔍No automatic PHI detection:Organizations must implement content policies
📋 HIPAA Implementation Checklist
Phase 1: Pre-Implementation (2-4 weeks)
Phase 2: Configuration (1-2 weeks)
Phase 3: Training & Deployment (1-2 weeks)
💰 HIPAA Compliance Costs
Sembly AI Enterprise Pricing
Base Cost:$20-40/user/month
Setup Fee:$2,000-5,000 (one-time)
BAA Processing:Included with Enterprise
$1,000-2,500 (optional)
Annual Audit Support: $3,000-5,000
Total Cost Examples
Small Clinic (5 users)
~$1,200-2,000/month
Mid-size Practice (25 users)
~$6,000-10,000/month
Large Hospital (100+ users)
Contact for custom pricing
🔄 HIPAA-Compliant Alternatives
Otter.ai for Business
HIPAA ReadyEstablished healthcare presence with pre-configured HIPAA compliance features and streamlined BAA process.
Rev.com
Human + AICombines AI with human review for maximum accuracy. Strong healthcare compliance track record.
Microsoft Teams Premium
EnterpriseBuilt-in transcription with Office 365 ecosystem. Native HIPAA compliance for existing Microsoft customers.
📚 Healthcare AI Best Practices
✅ Do's
- • Always obtain patient consent for recording
- • Use dedicated accounts for healthcare staff
- • Regularly review access logs and permissions
- • Train staff on PHI handling policies
- • Maintain current BAA documentation
- • Schedule regular compliance audits
❌ Don'ts
- • Never use personal accounts for patient meetings
- • Don't rely on default security settings
- • Avoid discussing specific patient details unnecessarily
- • Don't share login credentials between staff
- • Never store recordings on unsecured devices
- • Don't skip regular security updates