Is AWS HealthScribe HIPAA compliant? (2025 update)

AWS HealthScribe (powered by AWS Bedrock) is a HIPAA-eligible AI service from Amazon Web Services that automatically generates clinical documentation from patient-clinician conversations using speech recognition and generative AI.

With AWS HealthScribe, users can transcribe multi-speaker medical conversations, generate structured clinical notes, and trace each sentence in the note back to the original transcript for review and validation, all without storing audio or using the data to train AWS models.

Is AWS HealthScribe HIPAA compliant? Yes, based on our research, AWS HealthScribe can be HIPAA compliant.

Will AWS HealthScribe sign a business associate agreement (BAA)?

Yes, AWS HealthScribe will sign a business associate agreement, which can be reviewed here.

What does the AWS BAA cover?

The AWS BAA covers the use and disclosure of protected health information (PHI), stating, "AWS enables covered entities and their business associates subject to the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to use the secure AWS environment to process, maintain, and store protected health information.”

Conclusion

AWS signs a BAA and is therefore HIPAA compliant.

Learn more: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide

FAQS

What is a business associate agreement?

A business associate agreement (BAA) is a legally binding contract establishing a relationship between a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its business associates. The purpose of this agreement is to ensure the proper protection of personal health information (PHI) as required by HIPAA regulations.

What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets national standards for protecting the privacy and security of certain health information, known as protected health information (PHI).

HIPAA is designed to protect the privacy and security of individuals’ health information and to ensure that healthcare providers and insurers can securely exchange electronic health information. Violations of HIPAA can result in significant fines and penalties for covered entities.

Who does HIPAA apply to?

HIPAA applies to covered entities, which include healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. It also applies to business associates of these covered entities. These are entities that perform certain functions or activities on behalf of the covered entity.