Abridge Common Errors

Abridge Common Errors

Overview

Comprehensive troubleshooting guide for Abridge clinical documentation integration. Covers authentication failures, EHR connectivity, audio streaming, note generation, and FHIR push errors.

Error Reference

Authentication & Authorization Errors

Session & Encounter Errors

Audio & Transcription Errors

// Common audio streaming diagnostics
async function diagnoseAudioIssues(wsUrl: string): Promise<string[]> {
  const issues: string[] = [];

  // Check WebSocket connectivity
  try {
    const ws = new WebSocket(wsUrl);
    await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
      ws.onopen = resolve;
      ws.onerror = reject;
      setTimeout(() => reject(new Error('Connection timeout')), 5000);
    });
    ws.close();
  } catch {
    issues.push('WebSocket connection failed — check firewall allows wss:// on port 443');
  }

  // Check audio format requirements
  // Abridge requires: 16kHz, mono, 16-bit PCM little-endian
  const requiredFormat = { sampleRate: 16000, channels: 1, encoding: 'pcm_s16le' };
  issues.push(`Verify audio format: ${JSON.stringify(requiredFormat)}`);

  return issues;
}

Note Generation Errors

// Note generation failure handler
async function handleNoteFailure(sessionId: string, error: any): Promise<void> {
  const status = error.response?.status;
  const code = error.response?.data?.error_code;

  switch (code) {
    case 'INSUFFICIENT_CONTENT':
      console.error('Transcript too short — need at least 30 seconds of clinical conversation');
      break;
    case 'UNSUPPORTED_LANGUAGE':
      console.error('Language not in Abridge supported set (28+ languages)');
      break;
    case 'TEMPLATE_NOT_FOUND':
      console.error('Note template not available — use: soap, hp, progress, procedure');
      break;
    case 'GENERATION_TIMEOUT':
      console.error('Note generation exceeded 120s — complex encounter, retry once');
      break;
    default:
      console.error(`Unknown note error: ${status} ${code}`);
  }
}

FHIR Integration Errors

HIPAA Compliance Errors

// PHI leak detection in error logs
function auditErrorLog(error: any): void {
  const serialized = JSON.stringify(error);

  // Check for accidental PHI in error output
  const phiPatterns = [
    /\b\d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}\b/,        // SSN
    /\b\d{10}\b/,                     // MRN (10-digit)
    /\b[A-Z][a-z]+\s[A-Z][a-z]+\b/,  // Patient names (heuristic)
    /\b\d{1,2}\/\d{1,2}\/\d{4}\b/,   // DOB
  ];

  for (const pattern of phiPatterns) {
    if (pattern.test(serialized)) {
      console.error('WARNING: Possible PHI detected in error log — redact before logging');
      return;
    }
  }
}

Diagnostic Script

#!/bin/bash
# abridge-diagnostic.sh — Run before opening a support ticket

echo "=== Abridge Integration Diagnostics ==="

# 1. Check credentials
echo "Checking credentials..."
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ABRIDGE_CLIENT_SECRET" \
  -H "X-Org-Id: $ABRIDGE_ORG_ID" \
  "${ABRIDGE_BASE_URL}/health"

# 2. Check FHIR server
echo "Checking FHIR connectivity..."
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  "${EPIC_FHIR_BASE_URL}/metadata"

# 3. Check WebSocket
echo "Checking WebSocket..."
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
  --header "Upgrade: websocket" \
  "${ABRIDGE_BASE_URL/http/ws}/ws/health"

echo "=== Diagnostics Complete ==="

Output

• Identified root cause from error code lookup
• Applied targeted fix for the specific error
• HIPAA-safe error logging verified

Resources

• Abridge Platform
• FHIR R4 Operation Outcomes
• HIPAA Breach Notification Rule

Next Steps

For collecting debug evidence for support tickets, see abridge-debug-bundle.