The Markup
· collected 2026-08-24 · by Roxsy Lin for American Community Media
A Kaiser Permanente program called Abridge records entire medical appointments, including mental health sessions, without explaining how the information is handled or stored. The tool was introduced in 2024 and mental health professionals are required to obtain patients' consent before using it. However, providers report that this process does not include explanations about data handling or access, despite their attempts to get this information from Kaiser leadership. Providers have raised concerns about patient privacy protections, but according to them, they have been met with empty assurances of HIPAA compliance and vague promises that the technology is vetted.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In 2024, Kaiser Permanente announced the rollout of Abridge.
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Permanente → announce → 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.
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clinicians → describe → visits
But what the description fails to indicate is that the tool records entire medical appointments, including deeply personal mental health sessions.
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tool → fail → sessions
During these sessions, mental health professionals are required to obtain patients’ consent before using the tool.
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professionals → require → tool
However, as shared by multiple providers, that consent process does not include explanations about how the information is handled.
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information → share → explanations
Nor does it say how long and where recordings are stored, or who has access to the data.
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who → say → data
This happens in part because that information has not been shared with providers, despite their attempts to obtain it.
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information → happen → it
Ilana Marcucci-Morris chose not to use the platform with her patients.
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Morris → choose → patients
In that role, she regularly meets with various Kaiser representatives, including Northern California’s director of mental health.
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she → meet → health
The form asked my permission to share my health data.
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form → ask → data
Then it wouldn’t let me say no.
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me → let → ?
Dark patterns force patients to share their data with big healthcare networks, even when the privacy form they’re signing explicitly says they can opt-out.
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they → force → networks
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.
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she → describe → technologies
According to her, the response from leadership has often been empty assurances: “We are compliant.
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We → accord → leadership
That’s it.
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That → ’ → ?
That’s all you need to know.
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you → ’ → ?
We vet the technology, therapist.
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We → vet → technology
That’s not your job.
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That → ’ → ?
We have tech experts.
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We → have → experts
That’s their job,” Marcucci-Morris said in an interview with American Community Media.
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Morris → ’ → Media
“They won’t show us, right?
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They → show → us
And my feeling is, if you have nothing to hide and you’re doing it totally […] ethically, then you would show us, prove it.
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you → have → it
They can’t, and they won’t, and they declined to when we ask.”
Ligia Pacheco is a psychiatric social worker who provides remote therapy services for Kaiser patients in Southern California.
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who → decline → California
She said Kaiser also refused her requests to provide further explanations.
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Kaiser → say → explanations
In an interview with American Community Media, Pacheco recalled how a coworker once raised concerns to a supervisor.
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coworker → recall → supervisor
The response: that “it’s unprofessional for you to provide your personal beliefs on AI in our work setting.”
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you → ’ → setting
For Pacheco, “that leads to just low morale, no space to advocate for patients.
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that → lead → patients
We’re supposed to be the voice of patients who are coming in their most vulnerable state.
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who → suppose → state
And we can’t even be that voice for them, so we feel discouraged.
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we → feel → them
Providers have been required to see more patients in recent years.
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Providers → require → years
That creates intense pressure to keep up with documentation and workloads, Marcucci-Morris highlighted.
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Morris → create → documentation
“You’re just like seeing patient after patient after patient after patient with barely enough time to go to the bathroom, eat a snack […] get some fresh air,” she said.
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she → ’re → air
According to Marcucci-Morris, refusing to manage the increased patient volume can be treated as a failure to meet job expectations.
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refusing → accord → expectations
It may also lead to disciplinary action.
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It → lead → action
As a union steward, she said she often represents colleagues during workplace investigations related to delayed documentation or difficulties managing heavy caseloads.
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she → say → caseloads
In those situations, she said management frequently recommends the use of Abridge to save time and avoid further discipline.
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management → say → discipline
In her view, the providers she knows who use the technology are not doing so because they support or trust it.
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they → know → it
Rather, it is because they feel pressured to protect their jobs and comply with workplace demands.
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they → feel → demands
“I consider that to be coercive because you’re putting someone in a position to either lose their job or use the software.
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you → consider → software
That’s another choice that’s under duress,” she explained.
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she → ’ → duress
…and 44 more, not listed.
