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Dental AI and HIPAA: the plain compliance checklist
AI tools that read X-rays, record calls, or message patients all touch protected health information, so HIPAA applies. This is a plain-language checklist, not legal advice, for using them without creating a compliance problem. Confirm specifics with your own compliance advisor.
Start with a Business Associate Agreement
Any vendor that creates, receives, stores, or transmits PHI on your behalf, an imaging AI, a phone system that records calls, a patient-messaging tool, needs a signed Business Associate Agreement before you go live. No BAA, no PHI. Ask each vendor for theirs in writing, and don't rely on a marketing claim that a tool is "HIPAA-compliant"; that phrase describes the paperwork and controls you put in place, not a checkbox the software ships with.
Know how the data is handled
For each tool, get clear answers on how PHI is transmitted (encryption in transit), where it's stored and for how long, who at the vendor can access it, and how it's deleted when you leave. Radiographs, call recordings, and patient messages are all PHI. Keep your minimum-necessary discipline: the tool should only touch the data it needs.
Keep a human in the loop
Treat every AI output as a draft. A clinician reviews each imaging flag before it becomes a finding; a person reviews AI-drafted patient messages before they send. Present clinical AI output to patients as your diagnosis, not the software's. Document that review step in your process so it's real, not assumed.
Consent, records, and training
Handle call-recording consent according to your state's rules, and fold AI-assisted communications into your existing records and retention policy. Train the team on what each tool does with PHI and on the review steps above. None of this is legal advice, run your specific setup past your compliance advisor before rollout.
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