HomeShadow AIAI PlatformsAI AdoptionHealthcareCAIOIndustriesFree ToolsBlogAboutContact SAFE AI Assessment
Platform Selection

Enterprise AI Platform Checklist

The 12 must-have capabilities for any healthcare AI governance platform

AI Platform Evaluation Guide

Not all AI platforms are created equal. Some are consumer tools with a healthcare logo slapped on. Others are enterprise-grade governance platforms designed specifically for regulated industries. This checklist helps you evaluate platforms and separate real healthcare AI governance from marketing hype.

The Complete Checklist

6 categories, 23 capabilities

Shadow AI Discovery

Discovery & Visibility

Must Have

Platform can inventory all unauthorized AI usage across the organization.

Why it matters: You can't govern what you can't see. Shadow AI discovery is the foundation.

Centralized Dashboard

Discovery & Visibility

Must Have

Single pane of glass showing all AI usage, models, departments, and data flows.

Why it matters: Leadership needs visibility. Scattered tools create blind spots.

Usage Analytics

Discovery & Visibility

Must Have

Real-time reporting on who's using AI, for what, how often, and what data is involved.

Why it matters: You need metrics to demonstrate ROI and identify risk patterns.

PHI Protection & Compliance

Automatic PHI Detection

PHI Protection & Compliance

Must Have

Real-time identification of all 18 HIPAA identifiers before data reaches AI models.

Why it matters: Manual PHI removal doesn't scale and has 100% error rate.

Automatic PHI Redaction

PHI Protection & Compliance

Must Have

Cleansing PHI from prompts while maintaining context for AI responses.

Why it matters: Blocking PHI entirely makes AI useless. Redaction preserves utility.

Data Rehydration

PHI Protection & Compliance

Nice to Have

Re-inserting redacted PHI into AI responses so users get actionable output.

Why it matters: De-identified responses aren't useful for clinical workflows.

Complete Audit Logs

PHI Protection & Compliance

Must Have

Immutable logs of every AI interaction with timestamp, user, model, and data shared.

Why it matters: OCR and auditors will ask 'prove PHI wasn't exposed.' You need evidence.

BAAs with All AI Vendors

PHI Protection & Compliance

Must Have

Business Associate Agreements with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and any model provider.

Why it matters: HIPAA requires BAAs for any vendor that might access PHI.

Multi-Model AI Access

GPT-4 / GPT-4o Access

Multi-Model AI Access

Must Have

Latest OpenAI models for general-purpose tasks, documentation, research.

Why it matters: Most requested model by staff. If you don't provide it, shadow usage continues.

Claude Access (Anthropic)

Multi-Model AI Access

Must Have

Claude 3.5 Sonnet and other Anthropic models for analysis and complex reasoning.

Why it matters: Different models excel at different tasks. Staff need options.

Gemini Access (Google)

Multi-Model AI Access

Nice to Have

Google's Gemini models for research, data analysis, and multimodal tasks.

Why it matters: Model diversity prevents vendor lock-in and optimizes for use cases.

Model Selection by Use Case

Multi-Model AI Access

Must Have

Ability to choose the right model for each task (documentation vs. analysis vs. coding).

Why it matters: One model doesn't fit all needs. Platform should guide optimal selection.

Policy & Governance Controls

Role-Based Access Control

Policy & Governance Controls

Must Have

  • Different AI permissions by department, role, or user (clinical vs.
  • admin vs.
  • leadership).

Why it matters: Not everyone needs access to all models. Controls prevent misuse.

Model-Level Restrictions

Policy & Governance Controls

Must Have

Ability to limit which models are available to which users or departments.

Why it matters: Some models cost more or have different risk profiles.

Usage Quotas

Policy & Governance Controls

Nice to Have

Set limits on AI usage per user, department, or organization-wide.

Why it matters: Cost control and preventing abuse or overuse.

Content Filtering

Policy & Governance Controls

Nice to Have

Block certain types of prompts (e.g., requests to generate clinical advice without oversight).

Why it matters: Some use cases are too high-risk even with PHI protection.

Staff Enablement

Onboarding & Training

Staff Enablement

Must Have

Guided setup, prompt engineering basics, and appropriate use case education.

Why it matters: Staff won't adopt tools they don't understand or trust.

Prompt Templates

Staff Enablement

Nice to Have

Pre-built, approved prompts for common healthcare tasks (discharge summaries, appeal letters, etc.).

Why it matters: Reduces cognitive load and ensures consistency.

Support & Help Resources

Staff Enablement

Must Have

Documentation, FAQs, and access to support when staff have questions.

Why it matters: Unsupported tools get abandoned. Support drives adoption.

Security & Infrastructure

SOC 2 Type II Certification

Security & Infrastructure

Must Have

Platform provider has completed SOC 2 Type II audit for security controls.

Why it matters: Demonstrates serious security posture and third-party validation.

HIPAA Compliance

Security & Infrastructure

Must Have

Platform architecture is designed for HIPAA compliance (not just 'HIPAA-ready').

Why it matters: HIPAA-ready ≠ HIPAA compliant. You need actual compliance.

Data Residency Controls

Security & Infrastructure

Nice to Have

Ability to specify where data is stored and processed (US-only, specific regions).

Why it matters: Some BAAs require data to stay in specific jurisdictions.

SSO / SAML Integration

Security & Infrastructure

Nice to Have

Single sign-on integration with your existing identity provider.

Why it matters: Reduces password fatigue and improves security posture.

Must-Have vs. Nice-to-Have

How to prioritize when evaluating platforms

16 Must-Haves

  • Shadow AI discovery
  • Centralized dashboard
  • Usage analytics
  • Automatic PHI detection
  • Automatic PHI redaction
  • Complete audit logs
  • BAAs with AI vendors
  • Multi-model access (GPT-4, Claude)
  • Role-based access control
  • Training & support
  • SOC 2 Type II certification
  • HIPAA compliance

These are non-negotiable for healthcare AI governance. A platform missing any of these is not enterprise-ready.

7 Nice-to-Haves

  • Data rehydration
  • Gemini access
  • Usage quotas
  • Content filtering
  • Prompt templates
  • Data residency controls
  • SSO / SAML integration

These add value but aren't dealbreakers. Prioritize based on your specific needs and maturity level.

Red Flags to Watch For

Warning signs that a platform isn't enterprise-ready

No Shadow AI Discovery

Red Flag

If the platform can't inventory existing shadow AI usage, it's just adding another tool to the chaos, not solving the problem.

'HIPAA-Ready' Instead of 'HIPAA Compliant'

Red Flag

HIPAA-ready means 'we could be compliant if you configure it correctly.' You need actual compliance, not homework.

Single Model Access Only

Red Flag
  • If they only offer one AI model (usually their own), it's vendor lock-in disguised as governance.
  • You need multi-model access.

No PHI Protection Layer

Red Flag

If they rely on staff to 'remember to remove PHI,' it's not a governance platform; it's just a wrapper around ChatGPT.

No Audit Logs

Red Flag
  • If you can't prove what data was sent where, you can't demonstrate compliance.
  • Audit logs are non-negotiable.

No BAAs with Model Providers

Red Flag

The platform vendor might have a BAA with you, but if they don't have BAAs with OpenAI, Anthropic, etc., PHI is still exposed.

How to Use This Checklist

1

Score Each Platform

Give 1 point for each must-have, 0.5 points for each nice-to-have. A platform needs at least 12/12 must-haves to be viable. Once selected, the 90-day governance path lays out a week-by-week deployment plan. Once selected, the 90-day governance path lays out a week-by-week deployment plan.

2

Ask for Proof

Don't take marketing claims at face value. Ask for SOC 2 reports, sample BAAs, audit log exports, and customer references.

3

Test Shadow AI Discovery

Ask the vendor to demonstrate how they would inventory your existing shadow AI usage. If they can't, they're not solving your biggest problem.

4

Validate PHI Protection

Test the PHI detection with real (de-identified) patient scenarios. See if it catches all 18 HIPAA identifiers automatically.

See How AuthenTech AI Measures Up

Get the free Shadow AI Leaders Guide, then see how our platform delivers on all 12 must-haves

Shadow AI Leaders Guide Learn About AuthenTech AI

Where does your AI governance stand?

4 layers. 20 questions. Your SAFE score.

Take the SAFE AI Assessment