8 HIPAA-compliant texting solutions for better patient experience 

Retaining patients and ensuring they choose you again is not just about your service. It also includes how accessible your service is, how easy communication is, and how valued your patients feel. And for a busy target audience, online booking and HIPAA-compliant texting solutions can do wonders. 

The time to ditch SMS was yesterday. Healthcare providers that don’t implement HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant texting risk losing patients, accruing fines, and facing lawsuits. 

This blog post is your comprehensive guide to the world of HIPAA-compliant text messages. Choose the right provider for your healthcare business and ensure privacy, data protection, and convenience with just one solution. 

What does a HIPAA-compliant texting solution mean?

HIPAA-compliant texting solutions help healthcare providers interact with patients on SMS-like platforms without violating HIPAA regulations on safety and privacy. 

These tools safeguard patient information by employing encryption, access controls, audit trails, multi-factor authentication, and other methods. 

Healthcare providers can use HIPAA-compliant text messaging apps for appointment management, online consultations, review solicitations, lab report communication, and other similar purposes.  

Is SMS HIPAA compliant? 

Traditional SMS channels are not HIPAA-compliant; anyone can access them, and the message can be intercepted during transmission. Healthcare providers should choose secure messaging solutions and avoid traditional SMS channels to interact with patients, as they can compromise PHI’s safety, security, and privacy. 

Features of HIPAA-compliant text messaging solutions

Texting platforms become HIPAA compliant when they deploy features to protect the privacy and safety of protected health information. Common features of HIPAA-compliant texting solutions include end-to-end encryption, access controls, communication history, message management, and auto log-off, to name a few. 

Let’s examine these features more closely so that you can choose the right platform to send HIPAA-compliant text messages. 

• End-to-end encryption: The ideal solution ensures that only authorized users can access private communication. Texts sent by healthcare providers must be encrypted during transmission and only be decipherable by the intended recipient. It acts as a secure tunnel explicitly built to protect your messages. 
• Two-factor authentication (2FA): The texting solution must add a layer of security for logins. This ensures that even if someone guesses or steals your passwords, they are still restricted from accessing the messages. Your team would need the password and a unique code from their phone to log in. 
• Message management and audit trails: Ensure the solution allows for secure message deletion and tracks communication history. HIPAA mandates that all patient communication history must be available for audits at all times with healthcare companies. You must be able to delete/recall any messages while maintaining a record of all communication for compliance purposes.
• Role-based access control: Ensure that your HIPAA-compliant messaging app restricts access to PHI based on user roles. Only authorized personnel can access sensitive patient information at all times, streamlining patient management and significantly improving patient experience. 
• HIPAA compliance certification: This guarantees that the solution adheres to HIPAA regulations. It is a quality assurance stamp that ensures the platform meets all the necessary security standards.

8 HIPAA-compliant texting messaging solutions to explore in 2024 

Healthcare businesses must choose the right HIPAA-compliant text messaging app to protect patient information and streamline practice operations. 

A few leading HIPAA-compliant texting solutions to explore are: 

1. Birdeye  
2. TigerConnect 
3. Klara 
4. OhMD 
5. Luma Health 
6. Simpletexting 
7. ProviderTech 
8. Spok

This section explores the features and services these solutions provide so you can make an informed decision. Let’s take a look. 

Birdeye 

Birdeye is a HIPAA-compliant messaging app that enables comprehensive healthcare practice management. The tool offers solutions for managing patient communication, online reviews, reputation management, and appointments. Birdeye Messaging enables healthcare businesses to send and receive HIPAA-compliant text messages via a secure and unified inbox. Additional notable features include:

• Automated appointment management: Enable online booking, reduce no-shows, and improve patient satisfaction with seamless appointment management. 
• Two-way texting: Streamline communication and answer patient questions efficiently without compromising data security and privacy. Birdeye texting solutions provide access controls, encryption, and two-factor authentication. 
• Photo and file sharing: Share lab results, prescriptions, or other patient information without switching to another platform. 
• Seamless integrations: Integrate Birdeye Messaging with your existing EHR (Electronic health record) system for a unified workflow.
• BirdAI: Leverage AI for features like auto-generating personalized appointment reminders and managing basic patient inquiries. You can also generate AI-powered communication summaries for reporting and other processing requirements. 
• Analytics: Know what’s working and what’s not by measuring customer satisfaction, message response rate, and ticket resolution rates. 
• HIPAA forms: Securely collect, store, and share patient information via HIPAA-compliant forms for patient onboarding. 

TigerConnect

This tool provides a HIPAA-compliant texting platform for healthcare providers. TigerConnect offers many healthcare-specific features, such as auto-delete, file sharing, video calls, and message restrictions. 

Some of the salient features of this tool are: 

• Messages sent via TigerConnect are end-to-end encrypted, protecting the safety and privacy of sensitive information.
• The platform enables two-way texting with significant restrictions on copying, forwarding, and pasting messages. This ensures that messages are only available to the intended recipients. 
• Users must use their secure login credentials to access the solution. The platform also triggers an auto-logoff after a few minutes of inactivity. 

Klara

Klara is a HIPAA-compliant texting solution healthcare businesses can use for patient communication and management. The tool integrates with appointment management systems, communicates with patients over a secure network of reminders and cancellations, and promotes collaboration with automated workflows. 

Some of the significant features of this tool are: 

• Integration with existing appointment scheduling systems to send reminders and cancellation notices over a secure network
• File sharing, including photos and documents, directly through the app without the need for a second tool 
• End-to-end encryption to support HIPAA compliance measures 
• Omnichannel communication across text messages, email, and the Klara app. 

OhMD

OhMD is a secure communication platform that simplifies patient management through appointment reminders, patient information collection, easy patient onboarding, and more. 

Salient features of the tool include: 

• Video calls and online consultation modules that help providers help patients remotely over a secure network
• Patient intake forms collection for streamlining operations 
• Appointment reminders to reduce no-shows and cancellations
• User collaboration tools enable healthcare providers to share patient information within the organization over encrypted channels. 

Luma Health

This solution is primarily a patient engagement platform with secure texting, appointment scheduling, and patient education tools. Healthcare businesses looking to share healthcare guides, instructions, and more can utilize this tool to circumvent privacy concerns.

Top features of this tool include: 

• Encryption to protect patient information during transmission 
• Appointment scheduling to streamline operations and maximize efficiency 
• Two-way texting over a secure channel between providers and patients 
• Patient feedback collection 
• Video calls and telehealth appointment facilitation 

SimpleTexting

SimpleTexting is a basic HIPAA-compliant texting solution that healthcare providers can use to communicate with their patients securely. The platform provides: 

• End-to-end encryption assurance
• Access controls to ensure only authorized personnel can access sensitive information 
• Appointment reminders and management systems for streamlining operations 
• Mass communication tools to share information to multiple recipients without HIPAA violations 
• Inter-office collaboration tools over secure channels 

ProviderTech

ProviderTech is a secure communication solution offering HIPAA-compliant texting healthcare solutions. The tool aims to simplify patient communication and help providers consult patients securely over virtual appointments. 

Some of the top features of this tool include: 

• End-to-end encryption with two-factor authentication for data security 
• Mass texting solutions for patient outreach, broadcast messages, and so on 
• User collaboration tools to ensure physicians and administrators can securely consult without privacy concerns
• EHR integration to automate workflows and securely store/transmit patient information 

Spok

Spok is a healthcare management platform that supports healthcare businesses in providing better care to patients. The tool also includes a HIPAA-compliant texting solution that offers: 

• End-to-end encryption for transmission of sensitive and protected health information
• User access controls for HIPAA compliance 
• Automated workflows with EHR integration 
• On-call management, nurse call integration, and code team activation 
• User collaboration tools to improve patient experience 
• Cloud-based data storage systems to protect PHI from any breaches 

Boost patient experience with HIPAA-compliant texting solutions 

HIPAA-compliant texting solutions empower healthcare practices to improve patient communication while ensuring patient privacy. Choosing the right solution can enhance patient experience, increase efficiency, and foster trust within your practice.

Ensure that the HIPAA-compliant tools you choose contain end-to-end encryption, role-based user controls, file-sharing facilitation, digital form builders, automated workflows, appointment management, and more. This helps businesses use a singular secure tool for patient communication needs and safeguards data from mishandling. 

FAQs on HIPAA-compliant texting 

Level up patient management with Birdeye 

Managing patient expectations and consistently delivering a superior patient experience can be challenging, especially for multi-location businesses. In such cases, there is a dire need for a robust and HIPAA-compliant solution that can instantly improve operational efficiency without compromising PHI safety. 

And that is where Birdeye steps in. We help businesses with an all-in-one customer experience platform with custom reputation, social media, communication, and reporting management solutions. 

Our comprehensive solutions help multi-location healthcare businesses improve patient communication, boost online reputation, and grow their brand without a hitch in their stride. 

Birdeye Messaging is HIPAA-compliant, integrates with existing workflows/ EHR systems, enables file sharing, and allows businesses to seamlessly reach customers on their preferred channels. 

Step up patient care and grow your healthcare business with Birdeye today! 

Watch a free demo to learn more!