New HIPAA Rules, Parity Changes, AI Scribe Findings

Each week brings new conversations about mental health, technology, and care. Between Sessions gathers what's worth your attention - so you can stay informed without adding to your workload.

HHS's proposed HIPAA Security Rule overhaul - in progress since January 2025 - remains on track for finalization in May 2026, with most compliance requirements expected before year's end.

👉 Why it matters: Mandatory MFA, full ePHI encryption, and 24-hour breach reporting are all proposed - worth reviewing your current setup before deadlines arrive.

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HHS, Treasury, and Labor filed a joint court notice on March 30 stating they will not defend the 2024 MHPAEA parity rule - instead planning a replacement rule.

👉 Why it matters: The rule that would have required insurers to prove equal treatment of mental health benefits is now on hold - and the access barriers it was meant to fix remain in place.

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Lipocine's oral brexanolone (LPCN 1154) did not meet its primary endpoint in a phase 3 trial for severe postpartum depression, announced April 2 - a setback for a treatment positioned to fill gaps that zuranolone's narrow eligibility window leaves open.

👉 Why it matters: The near-term pipeline for PPD-specific treatment just got shorter - clients who fall outside zuranolone's approved window have even fewer rapid-acting options.

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A JAMA study published April 1 tracked 8,581 clinicians across five health systems and found AI scribe adoption cut roughly 13 minutes of daily EHR time and 16 minutes of documentation - with the biggest gains for primary care, advanced practice, and high-frequency users.

👉 Why it matters: The largest real-world scribe study yet shows real but modest gains - and time saved on notes did not translate to less after-hours screen time overall.

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People with complex chronic conditions - particularly women with repeatedly dismissed symptoms - are increasingly turning to AI chatbots as diagnostic partners, sometimes arriving at conclusions their clinicians hadn't offered, according to reporting published this week.

👉 Why it matters: Clients may arrive with AI-assisted self-diagnoses - asking about chatbot use early can help you understand how they've framed their own story before treatment.

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The JAMA AI scribe study found AI scribe use was linked to about half an additional patient visit per week - a 1.7% productivity increase worth $167 per month per clinician, which researchers suggest as a conservative baseline for comparing against implementation costs.

👉 Why it matters: The financial case for AI scribes is modest but measurable - useful context if you're evaluating whether to add one to your practice.

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"The Future DSM: Bold Redesign, Lingering Blind Spots," by Awais Aftab, MD - the March 2026 cover story in Psychiatric Times, republished free on Substack - examines the APA's most comprehensive rethinking of psychiatric classification since 1980, and what it still might be missing.

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This week, Berries shared two resources for your practice and wellbeing.

Podcast: Michael Fulwiler - marketing strategist and Therapy Marketer newsletter founder - joins Kym Tolson on what content marketing actually means for private practice, including how to build from patterns you already see clinically. Thirty-nine minutes.

→ Listen to our podcast

Meditation: Julie Ela Grace recorded a 14-minute guided meditation for mental health professionals on ending the workday without replaying sessions - using body awareness and guided imagination to close the day cleanly.

→ Try our meditation

The diagnostic frameworks will keep evolving, the regulations will keep shifting - and your clients will keep needing someone who can hold all of it steadily.

As always, thank you for your truly important work.

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This newsletter is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute clinical, legal, or regulatory guidance. Clinicians should rely on their professional judgment and applicable standards of care when integrating any technology into practice.