Can I Record My Doctor Visit? + How to Take Good Medical Notes
Recording a doctor visit gives you a clear record of the meeting so you don’t forget important details. Learn if it’s legal and how to do it.
A doctor’s visit can cover a lot of important ground. Even in an annual wellness check-up, your physician may offer extensive guidance or recommendations, not all of which are easily captured in quick notes on the fly.
Fortunately, that smartphone in your pocket makes it easier than ever to record your conversation so you can review those critical details later. New AI-driven tools like Rev can even transcribe and summarize the recording for a quick overview.
In most cases, you’re free to record your doctor’s visit. But when is it off limits, and how do you do it properly? Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about capturing these critical conversations with proper consent.
How To Set Up Doctor Appt Recordings
The first thing to do when seeking to record a doctor’s visit is to ask your physician for permission. While you can get away with recording secretly in some states (more on that below), it’s generally best to get consent before you proceed.
Once you have the green light, take the following steps to capture your conversation:
- Choose an app for recording the appointment.
- While you can use a built-in app like Apple Voice Memos or Android Voice Recorder, we recommend an all-in-one recording, note-taking, and transcribing tool like the Rev mobile app. After recording, you can easily trim and edit audio, order a transcript, and share the files with family members.
- Place the phone between you and your doctor.
- Make sure the phone’s microphone can easily capture both sides of the conversation. Turn on Do Not Disturb to avoid any interruptions.
- Open the app and press “Record.”
- Once you start recording, watch to make sure the audio is registering on the screen. Speak clearly and avoid chewing gum, eating, or any activities that might distort the recording.
- Finish and save the file.
- Once the appointment is over, tap “Record” again to stop recording. If your phone doesn’t automatically save files to the cloud, be sure you upload a backup for safekeeping.
How to Ask to Record Your Appointment
While it’s understandable for patients to want an audio record of important doctor visits, not all physicians or nurses feel the same way. In one recent study, 63% of medical providers reported that fear of legal liability made them hesitate to give consent.
With that in mind, consider carefully how you ask permission to record your appointment. You may even want to call their office or send a message via their doctor appointment app ahead of your visit to get confirmation that they allow patients to record conversations. Explain why you want to record and how you plan to use the audio to help alleviate their concerns.
For example, you might say something like:
“I sometimes have trouble remembering all the details from my appointments, so would it be okay if I recorded this conversation? It would allow me to go over your recommendations later and share them with my [family/caregiver]. I completely understand if there are any concerns."
Why Record Your Doctor Visits?
Recording a visit with your doctor takes the pressure off the moment. Research has shown that people typically only accurately remember half of what their doctor tells them. Recall can be even worse when clouded by emotions or anxiety during a particularly difficult conversation.
Knowing you’ll have a recording to return to later can help you stay focused in the moment and think of important questions to ask, not to mention better absorb what your doctor says. Even if you don’t remember everything, you can return to it later. Plus, that recording may come in handy when you need to back up an insurance claim with your doctor’s instructions or prove that you had prior authorization for a specific treatment.
The Legality of Recording Medical Visits
While you can usually record your doctor visit without any issues, it’s important to be aware of any relevant laws that can affect your rights. Each medical provider may have their own policies about recording or requesting written permission, so you should always check with each provider first.
In general, however, the rules about recording doctor-patient encounters fall under state law or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
State Recording Laws
Under state laws, a doctor visit is no different than any other type of conversation. Consent rules generally fall under state wiretapping and recording laws. In 41 states and Washington, D.C., a conversation can be recorded when only one party gives consent.
In other words, you don’t legally need permission to record a visit with your doctor since you’re giving your own consent. However, a physician is free to end the meeting if the recording goes against their personal guidelines or the hospital's policy on video or audio recording.
Eleven states require multi-party consent, including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington. In these jurisdictions, you must have explicit consent from your doctor to legally record the conversation. A verbal assent included in the recording will usually suffice, but you can get a written and signed consent form for extra assurance in particularly sensitive conversations involving chronic illness care or complicated insurance claims.
What to Know About HIPAA
Most patients are aware of HIPAA, which applies to a range of issues affecting client privacy. While HIPAA doesn’t regulate patients’ ability to record their doctor visits, it does affect medical professionals. If your doctor records your visit, they will need to safeguard the recording in the same way they protect your other private information.
As a result, physicians who want to record and transcribe any patient interactions must take special care to ensure they follow HIPAA rules. Fortunately, Rev AI and enterprise plans are fully HIPAA compliant. If you use Rev to record and transcribe patient appointments, you can rest assured that all Protected Health Information (PHI) will remain secure and confidential.
Is It Illegal To Record a Doctor Without Consent?
It is illegal to record a doctor’s visit without first getting your physician’s consent in 11 states: California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Washington. In some cases, this may be considered a felony subject to fines or imprisonment.
Even where it’s not illegal to record without consent, it’s generally best practice to ask your doctor before recording your conversation. The best doctor-patient relationships are built on trust, and requesting permission helps you establish a strong foundation.
Can a Doctor Refuse To Be Recorded?
A doctor can always refuse to be recorded for personal reasons or based on internal policies at their practice. Even in states where consent isn’t required, a physician may opt to terminate an appointment if they’re uncomfortable with the situation.
Medical Notes Tips + Tricks
Once you have a recording of your doctor’s appointment, you can easily share the audio with trusted family and friends to ensure everyone understands your diagnosis and treatment plans. You can then use the recording to take quick notes on the highlights of your conversation. Try following the SOAP method, a common physician note-taking strategy that documents:
- Your subjective experience.
- Their observable objective data.
- A diagnosis or assessment of your condition.
- A treatment plan.
Even better? You can use a recording app with an AI notetaker like Rev to quickly transcribe the recording and provide helpful notes and summary points.
A tool like Rev’s mobile app is so much more than a voice memo recorder. With AI-generated transcripts and notes, you can easily see the most important points and next steps from your doctor's appointment. And when your mind is reeling from a tough medical conversation, having those next steps created for you can help to ease some of the burden.
What About Doctors Recording Patients?
Patients aren’t the only ones who value appointment recordings. According to one recent study, 28% of physicians are already recording some patient visits, while 50% of them are interested in doing so. Many favor allowing patients to record, though they have some reservations about protecting themselves or their practice from liability.
For providers, recordings can be especially helpful when combined with medical transcription to quickly capture important notes and details. A tool like Rev can be an invaluable time saver, while still ensuring recordings and files are fully HIPAA compliant.
Capture and Transcribe Your Next Doctor Visit
Recording doctor appointments can be a huge help for patients and physicians alike. Capturing audio or video takes the pressure off the meeting, giving everyone a record to fall back on if any of the details get hazy.
With a tool like Rev’s voice recorder, you can easily capture the visit and transform your recording into actionable next steps. Download the Rev app today, and give it a try at your next appointment.
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