The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has brought innovative tools designed to ease the burden of documentation. Among the growing options are NovoNote, a mental health-specific AI note-taker, and Heidi Health, a general-purpose tool catering to a broader range of healthcare professionals. While both solutions streamline note-taking, we think NovoNote stands out as a choice for psychologists and mental health practitioners, while Heidi Health can be used in broader contexts. Here are a few considerations:
1. Purpose-Built for Mental Health Professionals
Heidi Health takes a broad-brush approach, catering to general practitioners, surgeons, and allied health workers. Its adaptability across multiple fields is a strength, but this generalisation sacrifices the specificity required by mental health clinicians.
NovoNote, on the other hand, is designed exclusively for mental health professionals. Developed with input from practising psychologists, NovoNote understands the nuances of therapy sessions. It uses terminology, structure, and language tailored to mental health documentation, making it more intuitive and relevant. From cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) formulations to psychodynamic case notes, NovoNote is specifically built for the field.
2. Cost-Effectiveness for Practitioners
Both NovoNote and Heidi Health have comparable free tiers; however, practitioners may need to upgrade once that is exhausted. NovoNote’s pro plans start from $30 per month, while Heidi Health is priced at $99 per month. This makes NovoNote more affordable, especially for practitioners only working part-time.
3. Seamless Integration with Mental Health Workflows
A key advantage of NovoNote is its integration with the workflows mental health professionals rely on. For instance, NovoNote aligns with evidence-based psychological assessments and standardised outcome measures. It goes beyond just transcribing; it interprets and organises notes in ways that support therapeutic goals, such as summarising client progress or identifying patterns in sessions.
NovoNote integrates with NovoPsych assessment, a suite of psychometric tools that many mental health professionals are already using. NovoNote will also integrate psychometric results, giving it the capacity to create notes and documentation based not only on audio but also on leading mental health assessments. Notes can be copied into all practice management software with a few clicks, giving practitioners control over what is saved where.
Heidi Health, in contrast, offers broader but generic transcription and documentation support. What it gains in general scope it lacks in contextual understanding of mental health practices, leaving mental health clinicians to manually adapt its output to fit their needs. This creates inefficiencies that NovoNote eliminates.
Heidi Health uses APIs to integrate with some practice management software, meaning that it works behind the scenes to export and import notes to client files.
4. Ethical Safeguards Specific to Mental Health
Both Heidi Health and NovoNote have gold standard tech and security. Ethical consideration in mental health settings can be different from those in general healthcare. Mental health documentation involves heightened sensitivity and a need for strict confidentiality. Additionally, NovoNote’s AI has been trained to exclude inappropriate or overly detailed interpretations that could compromise clinical integrity.
Heidi Health’s general-purpose design means it lacks these fine-tuned and mental health specific ethical considerations.
5. Understanding of Clinical Language
NovoNote is fine-tuned to mental health-specific terminology, allowing it to produce high-quality notes that align with diagnostic frameworks like the DSM-5 or ICD-11. It can accurately capture nuanced language used in therapy sessions, such as terms related to cognitive distortions, emotional regulation, or trauma-informed care.
In contrast, Heidi Health’s broader focus includes medical terminology from ophthalmology to gastroenterology. This may result in a broad note that captures the objective statements in a session, but may not be able to read between the lines.
6. Continuous Improvement Through Mental Health Expertise
NovoNote is not static. Its development roadmap is guided by clinical directors and mental health professionals who continually refine the tool based on feedback from the field. This ensures that NovoNote evolves with the profession, staying relevant to the latest evidence-based practices.
Heidi Health, with its broader focus, lacks the benefit of being designed and led by a psychologist. This means its evolution is more generic and more aligned with a broader set of medical professionals, and less aligned with the mental health’s specific needs.
NovoNote – The AI Note-Taker Designed for Mental Health Professionals
Heidi Health offers a functional solution for general healthcare documentation which has been a game changer in medical settings. In mental health settings, however, it cannot compete with NovoNote’s focus. NovoNote excels by being purpose-built, integrating seamlessly into mental health workflows, prioritising ethical considerations, enhancing client engagement, and continuously evolving to meet the unique demands of mental health professionals.
For psychologists and therapists who value precision, efficiency, and a tool tailored to their field, NovoNote is the clear choice.