It’s no secret: Progress notes are a HUGE pain point for therapists. We aren’t sure what to write, so we avoid writing them. Or we fall behind. Or we write too little due to lack of time. Or we spend too much time writing overly detailed notes.

So, it is tantalizing when we hear about AI (Artificial Intelligence) solutions, that promise to help you write good progress notes, quickly and easily. Are you curious about these options?

If so, I highly recommend that you check out a FREE series of short video reviews of AI progress notes programs posted on YouTube by Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey, a respected colleague (and fellow “Documentation Diva”). She shares her clear, straightforward, non-techie reviews of many AI programs that propose to make your note writing easier. She reviews AI notes programs including ChatGPT, Mentalyc, Orchid AI, Clinical Notes AI, Session Aid, and UpHeal.

Can these programs really live up to their claims? McCaffrey gives her thoughts on how they work, and the quality of the notes they produce. She also looks at pricing, and gives her favorite features as well as her concerns.

My sense is that with a little practice and training you can write brief and BETTER notes without AI. My understanding is that AI has a long way to go before it can take a one-hour session and capture a client’s emotions and protections, and your therapeutic interventions and your decision making, so that what goes down in the chart is what YOU would have felt was relevant to document.

But I understand many of you are curious about AI options. What should you think about before using AI for progress notes? Check out McCaffrey’s YouTube page. You can find her first video in the series and the ones following – click here.

Also read this article from journalist Jeanne Pinder at ClearHealthCosts.com, who does a deep dive into the pros and cons of AI documentation, and how these programs can lead to significant documentation errors – click here