Welcome to our interview with Michael Nielsen, Director of Product Management at Tava Health. Here we’ll delve into the development and impact of Tava Scribe, a revolutionary tool designed to ease the burden of session note-taking for therapists.
Interviewer
So kicking us off, will you tell me what inspired the creation of Tava Scribe, and what specific problems is it solving for therapists?
Michael Nielsen
When we transitioned from being a telehealth EAP provider to a therapist-focused platform, one of our first steps was to conduct interviews with therapists to understand their daily pain points. We spent weeks gathering insights, and while client acquisition was a recurring theme, a significant challenge therapists highlighted was dealing with session notes. As one therapist, Alisa put it: “Notes are essentially unpaid work.” Therapists get paid for their time in session, but completing notes happens outside of that paid window. This feedback shaped our thinking about how we could truly support therapists. We focused on streamlining processes, and notes quickly stood out as a key area where we could alleviate unnecessary burdens.
Interviewer
How does Tava Scribe differentiate itself from other note-taking or transcription tools available in the market?
Michael Nielsen
While many companies in the VC world have raised money for autonote solutions, we’re approaching it at a later stage, taking advantage of more advanced, affordable, and user-friendly technology. This has allowed us to offer autonotes at no cost to our providers.
By offering this service for free, we’re reinforcing our commitment to provider success. Other platforms may charge for similar features, but we believe this tool is essential for therapists, helping them save time, reduce stress, and improve accuracy. Our motivation has always been therapists’ success, and this decision exemplifies that. We’re proud to be one of the few platforms that can say we develop valuable tools and give them to our providers at no additional cost.
On top of that, it's fully integrated into our platform—not a third-party tool. There’s no need for copy-pasting; it’s built directly into our system and will continuously improve over time. We have complete control over its development, so we can swiftly implement feedback and enhance the learning model as needed. Not a lot of competitors can say that, and offer it for free.
Interviewer
Could you walk us through how Tava Scribe works from start to finish? How does it ensure accuracy in session notes?
Michael Nielsen
We generate a temporary transcript, which we don’t store, and process it through an AI system, specifically a large language model (LLM), that we've tuned it to recognize clinically relevant language for session notes. This isn’t just a technical solution; it's clinically informed. We’ve structured it around the SOAP format and trained the model to identify key language, sentiment, and other factors to intelligently populate the notes.
As we continue to develop the Scribe, its accuracy and quality will improve over time. We use a full session recording to ensure high-quality input, resulting in reliable output aligned with the parameters we've set for SOAP notes. After the note is generated, the transcript is deleted, so no data is stored, ensuring full HIPAA compliance and data security.
The final note can be submitted for insurance compliance, and therapists have full control—they can edit the note, add manual notes, or turn the auto-note feature on or off. The system is flexible, allowing users to adapt it to their workflow however they see fit.
Interviewer
Now, you’ve just touched on this, but given the sensitive nature of therapy sessions, how does Tava Scribe handle privacy and confidentiality, and what measures have been taken to ensure it’s HIPAA-compliant?
Michael Nielsen
Everything is fully encrypted, and we adhere to strict compliance standards, including SOC 2 and HIPAA. These are the industry benchmarks for security and privacy. A key differentiator for us is that we don’t store transcripts, ensuring that any notes remain highly secure and compliant. While HIPAA compliance is mandatory for handling PII, not all companies meet SOC 2 standards, which further highlights our commitment to data protection.
Interviewer
What role does AI play in Tava Scribe, and how does it enhance the note-taking process for therapists?
Michael Nielsen
We're leveraging the latest, cutting-edge technology. AI allows us to set precise parameters for the language model to follow, ensuring the system remains at the forefront of innovation.
The primary benefits for therapists are time and accuracy. The SOAP note is generated in real time, which eliminates the need to manually review or recall details from memory. Since the transcript is complete, the note is created instantly without the need for formatting or copying and pasting. This saves significant time and ensures accurate recall, making it convenient even for those who prefer not to take manual notes—because the system captures everything for you.
Interviewer
How does Tava Scribe help therapists with their mental load?
Michael Nielsen
Absolutely, it's a significant advantage. For many therapists, the end of the day is often spent catching up on notes if they don't have time between sessions. Reclaiming that time and avoiding the late-night stress of finishing notes is invaluable. The emotional relief of not having that task hanging over you is something many have responded to positively. It also reduces the mental burden of trying to remember everything from each session.
The ability to generate accurate notes immediately after a session is a game-changer. You can wrap up your documentation quickly without worrying about it later. This ease of note-taking minimizes that end-of-day pressure, which we've seen so many therapists struggle with. We've even heard firsthand stories like Dallen Allred, CEO of Tava Health, witnessing his wife, Cami, working on session notes at 10 p.m. after a long day of work and family obligations. The recall at that hour, after everything else, can’t be as sharp. Reducing that burden is a real benefit.
Interviewer
How has the feedback from therapists shaped the development of Tava Scribe, and what have been some of the key insights gained from beta testing?
Michael Nielsen
We've conducted an extensive beta test, starting with around 10 users and gradually increasing that number. The most recent group includes approximately 80 users, though I may not have the exact figure. We've carefully scaled the testing from a small group to nearly 100 users and will eventually launch after rigorous testing. By the time we go live, we'll have logged hundreds of hours of testing.
Throughout this process, we've maintained active communication with therapists, which has been instrumental in refining the accuracy of what Scribe produces. Early on, inaccuracies were common, but through continuous feedback, we've significantly improved the accuracy of the generated notes. Now, most notes are being adopted word-for-word, a big improvement from the initial testing phases.
What's been most rewarding is hearing how much time therapists are saving with Tava Scribe. Many have even switched from their previous paid note-taking software to ours, praising its ease of use and efficiency. The feedback on both time savings and accuracy has been invaluable as we prepare for the full launch.
Interviewer
How does Tava Scribe balance between maintaining the personal touch of session notes while automating the process?
Michael Nielsen
We've focused on ensuring the notes have a clear and appropriate tone. Initially, we explored making the tone more personal, but feedback indicated it wasn't necessary. Therapists emphasized that for payer submissions and potential audits, the priority is accurate and complete information, not personal style. While our system ensures the notes are well-structured and meet compliance standards, therapists can still add personal notes if needed. Ultimately, it's about delivering thorough, precise notes, and for most, that's what matters most—having complete, accurate records without needing a personal touch.
Interviewer
What challenges did you face during the development of Tava Scribe, and how did your team overcome them?
Michael Nielsen
The primary challenges we faced revolved around security and user consent. Ensuring the opt-in/opt-out process was clear, allowing users to feel comfortable with recordings, required careful consideration. We reviewed various systems and worked closely with legal teams to ensure everything was compliant, which was a tedious but necessary part of the process.
The most persistent challenge has been fine-tuning the AI's parameters to ensure high accuracy. We've worked extensively to minimize errors where the AI might generate incorrect information from a transcript. Ensuring the system accurately interprets session content and produces reliable notes has required continuous adjustments.
Though we've made significant progress, it's an ongoing process of refinement. We're constantly working on improving the accuracy, reliability, and structure of the outputs. While the challenge has diminished over time, it's still a focus of our development efforts because we’re committed to making Tava Scribe the automatic note-taker for therapists.
Interviewer
How does the opt-in and opt-out process work?
Michael Nielsen
Therapists must consciously decide to record a session, while clients simply need to acknowledge the recording with an option to opt out if desired. The process is designed to be straightforward and transparent, ensuring that everyone is aware of and agrees to the recording. It is clearly communicated that we do not retain these recordings.
Interviewer
Can you share any future plans for Tava Scribe? Are there additional features or functionalities in development?
Michael Nielsen
The SOAP format isn’t universally adopted, so we plan to offer additional formats in the future. While we’re not actively working on this right now, we will accommodate other formats as we move forward.
Interviewer
What kind of impact do you hope Tava Scribe will have on the overall well-being and work-life balance of therapists?
Michael Nielsen
The impact of Tava Scribe on therapists' well-being and work-life balance is profound. Many therapists face the emotional strain of having to complete session notes late into the evening, often when they should be unwinding or spending quality time with family. This added workload not only encroaches on personal time but also means therapists are working unpaid hours, which can lead to feelings of frustration and burnout.
By streamlining and automating the note-taking process, Tava Scribe aims to alleviate this burden. Therapists can finish their documentation more quickly, reducing the need to stay up late and ensuring they have more time for themselves and their families. This improvement can lead to a healthier work-life balance, helping therapists feel more fulfilled both professionally and personally.
Interviewer
Does Tava Health have any plans to ever offer Tava Scribe as a standalone service?
Michael Nielsen
At Tava Health, our approach focuses on offering Tava Scribe as part of a comprehensive service rather than a standalone product. We don't charge users directly; instead, we ask for their engagement on our platform and the availability of their schedule. In exchange, they receive access to Tava Scribe and other valuable tools at no additional cost.
Interviewer
Last question, how did Tava decide on the name for Tava Scribe?
Michael Nielsen
We chose the name "Tava Scribe" to reflect its role in medical documentation and its dynamic functionality. The term "scribe" conveys a sense of active assistance, emphasizing that it’s not just about generating notes but about capturing information with precision and immediate recall. We wanted the name to capture the essence of a dedicated assistant, highlighting the tool's active and integral role in the documentation process.
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Tava Scribe is more than just a solution for automating session notes; it’s a commitment to improving the well-being and work-life balance of therapists from Tava Health. With its focus on accuracy, efficiency, and user feedback, Tava Scribe is set to make a meaningful difference in the field.
