SimplePractice AI Notes: How It Works, What It Does, and Where It Falls Short

SimplePractice AI notes is the platform's built-in AI documentation feature, called Note Taker. It records therapy sessions, generates structured progress note drafts in SOAP, DAP, or BIRP format, and lets the clinician review and finalize before the note enters the chart.¹ For behavioral health practices already running on SimplePractice, it offers AI-assisted documentation without adding a separate tool or subscription.

Note Taker is designed specifically for the SimplePractice workflow. It is not a standalone AI scribe. It runs inside the platform, which means the recording, draft generation, and chart all live in the same environment. That integration is one of its main selling points for solo and small group therapy practices already committed to SimplePractice as their EHR.

The feature is available as a paid add-on to any SimplePractice base plan, priced per clinician. It supports both live in-session recording and post-session documentation through a separate Dictation tool.¹ It covers the note formats most behavioral health clinicians use, adapts to individual documentation style over time, and is built on a HIPAA-compliant, HITRUST-certified platform.¹

Where it creates friction is predictable: Note Taker is tied to SimplePractice, which means documentation does not carry over if a practice changes platforms. This guide covers what Note Taker does, what SimplePractice states about its data handling, and what to consider if that platform dependency matters for your practice.

What You Need to Know

• SimplePractice AI notes (Note Taker) is a per-clinician paid add-on that records sessions, generates SOAP, DAP, or BIRP drafts. It lets the clinician review and finalize before the note is filed¹
• It is built into SimplePractice and runs entirely within that platform; SimplePractice does not describe a write-back or export path to external EHRs¹
• For practices that need documentation that works across platforms, standalone AI scribes operate independently of any EHR

How SimplePractice AI Note Taking Works

Note Taker is an ambient documentation tool, not a dictation system. The difference matters: dictation tools transcribe what the clinician says into a text field. Note Taker records the session conversation and generates a structured clinical note draft from it.

Two input methods are available. The first is live recording during the session. The clinician starts a recording, conducts the session, and ends the recording when the appointment closes. Note Taker processes the audio and generates a draft note. The second method is post-session: the clinician uses the Dictation tool to speak a summary after the fact, or uploads an audio or text file. Both methods produce a structured draft rather than a raw transcript.¹

The draft goes through clinician review before it becomes part of the chart. Note Taker generates the draft. The clinician reads it, edits as needed, and finalizes. Nothing is filed without the clinician signing off. SimplePractice is explicit that the AI does the drafting and the clinician retains final authority over the note.¹

Note Taker runs entirely inside SimplePractice. The recording, draft, edit, and final note all live in the same platform. There is no separate login, no third-party app, and no copy-paste step into a different system.¹

SimplePractice AI Note Taker Features

Note Taker covers the documentation needs most behavioral health practices work with every day.

SOAP, DAP, and BIRP note formats. SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) is the standard structure for most outpatient clinical documentation. DAP (Data, Assessment, Plan) and BIRP (Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan) are formats common in mental health and counseling settings. Note Taker generates drafts in whichever format a practice uses, mapping session content into the appropriate structure.¹

Style adaptation. Note Taker learns from each edit. As a clinician corrects phrasing, adjusts structure, or rewrites sections, the tool incorporates those patterns into future drafts. Over time, notes require less editing as the AI aligns with individual documentation voice.¹

Pre-session summaries. Before each appointment, Note Taker can pull the most recent progress note, active treatment plans, and relevant chart details into a summary view. SimplePractice lists this as a new feature.¹ For clinicians running a full daily schedule, it reduces the time spent reviewing prior session notes before the client arrives.

HIPAA compliance and HITRUST certification. SimplePractice operates under a BAA that covers Note Taker along with the rest of the platform.¹ It holds HITRUST certification, a third-party audit standard that goes beyond HIPAA self-attestation.¹ SimplePractice states in its FAQ that transcription data is not used to improve the AI model.¹ Confirm the full scope of data handling in the BAA rather than relying on marketing-level summaries.

‍Per-clinician enablement in group practices. Note Taker can be turned on for individual clinicians in a group practice rather than the entire account.¹ This gives practice owners control over rollout, which is useful when some clinicians want to try the feature and others do not.

‍Telehealth support. Note Taker works for both in-person and telehealth sessions.¹

‍State recording law acknowledgment. SimplePractice addresses state-specific legal requirements for audio recording in its FAQ.¹ Practices in states with two-party consent laws should confirm their consent workflow before enabling the feature. The specific language a practice uses for client disclosure is a question for legal review.

Where SimplePractice AI Notes Falls Short

Note Taker's limitations follow from its design as a feature within SimplePractice rather than a standalone documentation tool.

It only works inside SimplePractice. Notes generated by Note Taker live within the SimplePractice platform. SimplePractice does not describe a write-back or export path to external EHRs.¹ Practices that move to a different EHR for mental health practices will need to evaluate a separate documentation solution.

Format support is behavioral health-focused. SimplePractice confirms Note Taker generates notes in SOAP, DAP, and BIRP formats.¹ These are the formats most therapy and counseling practices use. SimplePractice does not describe support for other note structures on its product page.

Note Taker is priced per clinician. Each clinician using Note Taker adds a per-seat cost on top of the SimplePractice base plan. SimplePractice publishes current add-on pricing on its website.¹

Data handling is governed by SimplePractice's BAA and privacy policy. SimplePractice states that transcription data is not used to improve the AI model.¹ For specifics on audio retention periods and deletion options, review the BAA directly rather than relying on the feature page.

How Commure Scribe Addresses These Limitations

For practices where Note Taker's platform dependency, format depth, or documentation specificity create friction, Commure Scribe is a standalone AI medical scribe that operates independently of any EHR.

It works alongside SimplePractice, not inside it. Commure Scribe is not a SimplePractice feature. It runs as a separate documentation layer, which means it can be used with SimplePractice today and carried to a different EHR if the practice changes platforms. Solo and small practices (1-5 providers) use copy/paste to move notes into SimplePractice or any other web-based EHR. Medium and large group practices can access one-click sync.

Note quality is the primary differentiator. Clinicians often describe Commure Scribe's plan section as more detailed and better structured than their usual manual notes, with the AI capturing clinical nuances they might have otherwise left out. 90%+ of providers report reducing clinical documentation time and digital fatigue. 91% report feeling less fatigued. Clinicians report an average chart close time of 43 seconds.

The workflow is Capture, Edit, Finalize. The clinician records the session, reviews the structured draft, and finalizes before it enters the chart. The clinician always reviews before anything is filed.

Broader coverage. Commure Scribe supports 25 specialties with proven documentation time reduction, 90 languages with automatic detection, and both in-person and telehealth visits. Suggested ICD-10 and CPT codes appear in a separate tab. It runs on any device and recognizes multiple speakers.

Specific HIPAA data terms. Audio is stored and encrypted. It is not used for AI training, model improvement, or any purpose other than generating the clinical note. Default retention is one year active, then archived for a minimum of six years. An expedited archive option is available. Archived audio is accessible only by HIPAA-trained staff on customer request. Transcripts and notes can be permanently deleted by the user at any time. No third-party data sharing. Onshore data storage.

Pricing by practice size. Solo and small practices (1-5 providers): $89/month, or $59/month billed annually, with unlimited transcription, custom templates, suggested ICD-10/CPT codes, and copy/paste EHR integration. Medium and large group practices: custom pricing with one-click EHR sync, custom AI workflows, live onboarding, and ROI analytics. A 7-day free trial is available, no credit card required.