Californians Sue Healthcare Providers Over AI Recordings of Medical Visits

_{Photo credit: MMD Creative / Shutterstock.com}

Multiple patients in California have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against two major healthcare providers in the state, Sutter Health and MemorialCare, alleging that an AI-assisted transcription tool recorded and processed their private medical consultations without their consent.

The complaint was filed in federal court in San Francisco and claims that the providers used software developed by Abridge AI during their appointments. According to the plaintiffs, as reported in Ars Technica, the tool “captured and processed confidential physician-patient communications” without clearly informing patients that their appointment would be recorded, transmitted beyond the clinical setting, or handled by third-party systems.

The lawsuit argues that these recordings included “individually identifiable” and highly sensitive personal medical information. This could be in violation of both state and federal laws concerning privacy and patient data.

AI transcription tools like Abridge are designed to record and summarize consultations by creating clinical notes, reducing the administrative burden on physicians. Abridge software is used across major healthcare providers in the United States, including Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente.

In response, Sutter Health said it takes patient privacy seriously and ensures technologies are used in line with applicable laws. MemorialCare declined to comment on pending litigation.

A similar complaint was filed last year in California, alleging that the Otter AI transcription tool had recorded meetings without consent. 

The case highlights scrutiny over how useful AI tools handle sensitive data in clinical environments, particularly as adoption accelerates.