Claude Project: Your Personal SLP Documentation Assistant

What This Builds

A persistent Claude Project that already knows your clinical style, patient population, documentation standards, and preferred formats — so every conversation starts with full context. Instead of re-explaining your practice to Claude every time, you open your Documentation Assistant Project and it instantly produces notes, reports, and letters that match your voice. SLPs who build this report saving 30-60 minutes per week just in prompt setup overhead — plus output quality jumps because Claude isn't guessing your style anymore.

Prerequisites

• Claude Pro account ($20/month at claude.ai) — Projects require a paid plan
• You've used Claude at least a few times for SOAP notes or report writing (see Level 3 guide)
• 60-90 minutes to build the initial project and test it

The Concept

A Claude Project is like a new coworker who's read your entire documentation style guide before their first day. You set up the Project once with detailed instructions about who you are, how you document, what your patient population looks like, and what formats you use. From that point on, every chat you open within that Project starts from that shared understanding — no re-explaining, no re-prompting, just describe what you need and Claude produces output calibrated to your practice.

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Create the Project

1. Log in to claude.ai with your Pro account
2. In the left sidebar, click Projects (below your chat history)
3. Click New Project
4. Name it something clear: "SLP Documentation Assistant" or "My Practice AI"
5. You'll see a Project Instructions box — this is where you build your context. Don't write anything yet; you'll fill this in Part 2.

What you should see: An empty project with an instructions panel on the left and a conversation area on the right.

Part 2: Write your Project Instructions

This is the most important step. Your instructions are the "briefing document" Claude reads before every conversation in this project. Spend 30-45 minutes writing this carefully — it pays dividends every day you use it.

Click into the Project Instructions field and write your briefing. Use the template below as a starting point — fill in every bracketed field with your actual information:

Copy this template and fill it in:

# My SLP Documentation Assistant

## About My Practice
I am a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (CCC-SLP) working in [outpatient clinic / private practice / school-based practice / hospital outpatient department]. My practice is called [Practice Name].

## My Patient Population
Primary: [e.g., pediatric patients ages 3-12 with speech sound disorders, language delays, and autism spectrum disorder communication needs]
Secondary: [e.g., adult patients with voice disorders and neurogenic communication disorders]

## Documentation Standards
- My EHR system is: [WebPT / TherapyNotes / Ambiki / ClinicSource / other]
- I use SOAP note format: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan
- SOAP note length target: [100-200 words / 200-300 words — your preference]
- Progress reports are: [quarterly / per insurance requirement]
- Evaluation reports follow this structure: [Background, Behavioral Observations, Assessment Results, Diagnostic Impressions, Recommendations]
- I work under [Medicare / commercial insurance / private pay / school district] documentation requirements

## My Clinical Voice and Style
- I prefer [formal / professional but readable] clinical language
- I [do / do not] use abbreviations like MLU, AAC, SSD, CAS, SLT
- My assessment language uses hedging: "consistent with," "appears to demonstrate," "patient presents with"
- For children, I reference functional impact on [school, play, peer communication, family interactions]
- For adults, I reference functional impact on [work, social communication, safety, quality of life]

## Important Rules for All Output
- Never invent clinical data I haven't provided
- Always use patient initials (never full names) in examples
- Flag any clinical statement that requires my review with [REVIEW THIS]
- When unsure about a diagnosis-specific term, use general clinical language rather than guessing

## Common Tasks I Need Help With
1. SOAP notes (I'll give you session bullets; draft the full note)
2. Evaluation report sections (I'll provide test scores and observations)
3. Progress report narratives (I'll provide goal data; draft the narrative)
4. Insurance appeal letters (I'll describe the denial; draft the appeal)
5. Home program handouts (I'll describe the target; write parent-friendly instructions)
6. Physician update letters (I'll summarize findings; draft the letter)

Part 3: Add Reference Documents (Optional but Powerful)

Claude Projects allow you to upload files that the AI can reference. Consider uploading:

• Your blank evaluation report template (Word doc — remove any PHI first)
• Your SOAP note style guide or example notes (de-identified)
• Your standard goal bank (list of goal templates you commonly use)
• Your clinic's home program format

To upload: click Add content in the Project panel → upload files. Claude will be able to reference these when writing output.

Part 4: Test and Refine

Open a new conversation within your Project (click New conversation in the project). Test each task type:

Test SOAP notes:

Write a SOAP note. Patient: 6yo male, phonological disorder. Worked on: /k/ initial position words. Accuracy: 75% with minimal cues. Behavior: engaged, some off-task behavior in last 5 minutes. Plan: continue /k/ initial, fade to independent production.

Test eval report section:

Write the Diagnostic Impressions section. CELF-5 Core Language Score: 74 (4th percentile). Patient presents with receptive and expressive language delays affecting academic participation.

Review both outputs. If they don't match your style, go back to the Project Instructions and adjust. Common refinements:

• "Output is too long" → add a word count target to instructions
• "Doesn't use my preferred terminology" → add specific terms to the style section
• "Sounds too formal/casual" → adjust the voice section

Real Example: A Full Day in Your Documentation Assistant

Setup: You built your project for a pediatric outpatient clinic. Your instructions include your SOAP format, patient population (ages 3-10, mostly speech sound disorders), and preferred clinical voice.

Morning (between sessions): You open your Documentation Assistant. You type: "SOAP note. Patient: 4yo female, CAS. Worked on multisyllabic words (CVCVC structure). 12/20 correct with maximum tactile cues. Engaged, some frustration when incorrect. Plan: continue CVCVC, reduce tactile cues."

Claude returns a complete SOAP note in your format within 10 seconds. You read it, adjust one phrase, paste into TherapyNotes. Total time: 4 minutes instead of 15.

End of day: You type: "I need to write an insurance appeal for a patient — authorization for CAS therapy was denied. The insurance said 'services are developmental in nature.' Patient: 3.5yo, diagnosed CAS, unintelligible to all listeners, starting preschool next month, not responding to developmental speech milestones timeline."

Claude drafts a 400-word appeal letter with appropriate medical necessity language, referencing the acute therapeutic need for skilled CAS treatment (not developmental delay). You review, add your clinic letterhead info, and submit. Total time: 20 minutes instead of 90.

Total time saved this day: Approximately 2 hours.

What to Do When It Breaks

• Output doesn't match your style → Go back to Project Instructions and add a specific example of what you want. The more concrete, the better.
• Claude adds clinical information you didn't provide → Add to instructions: "Never add clinical observations or data I have not explicitly provided. If information is missing, ask me for it."
• Notes are too long/short → Add a specific word count target: "SOAP notes should be 150-200 words total"
• Output uses wrong terminology → Add your preferred terms to the instructions with examples

Variations

• Simpler version: Use a single long prompt at the start of each chat session instead of a formal Project — works on the free plan, but you re-paste the context daily
• Extended version: Create multiple Projects for different patient populations (a pediatric project, an adult neurogenic project) with different instructions, then use the right one for each case type

What to Do Next

• This week: Build the project, test all 6 task types, refine until output matches your style
• This month: Add reference documents (your templates) to improve output alignment
• Advanced: Create a second Project for your most complex documentation type (e.g., a dedicated eval report project with your full report template uploaded)

Advanced guide for speech-language pathologist professionals. Claude Projects require a paid subscription. These techniques use more sophisticated AI features — always review AI-generated clinical documentation before signing.