Telemedicine platforms are used by various healthcare workers in a range of capacities. The ongoing creation of new technology that is useful in healthcare presents many exciting opportunities. However, it can also lead to greater considerations and challenges to overcome. With the development of new software and technology and a vastly increased population of healthcare workers using telemedicine in their practice, guidelines are imperative to ensure practitioners can seamlessly manage this transition. That's why ensuring the software you select is HIPAA compliant is an absolute must as it'll enable you to feel confident that you and your patient's data are safe.
What is a telemedicine platform?
A telemedicine platform is a new way to provide health services to patients through technological capabilities such as mobile phones, computers, or tablets. Telemedicine platforms allow healthcare practitioners to meet with patients via audio call, video call, email, text, or tracking applications. In the past couple of years, it has become increasingly clear that we are facing uncertain times, and despite these changes, healthcare needs will continue to need to be met. Health services are an integral part of our society, and as practitioners, we continue to struggle to support this increased demand. Therefore one of the best solutions for a large majority of the healthcare community is telemedicine.
How does a telemedicine platform work?
Telemedicine platforms enable healthcare practitioners to access their patients through different platforms other than people, such as a patient portal or a tool for virtual appointments. Telemedicine platforms provide many benefits and not just for the practitioner or your office staff. Many practitioners also report a significant improvement in patient engagement, especially in specific demographics that have struggled with attendance or no-shows in the past.Wait times are another area that has benefited exponentially within medical practices, with scheduling software solutions providing practitioners a way to manage their availability proactively. Telemedicine reduces travel times and no-shows; it enables connectivity between patient and practitioner and is an excellent choice for any healthcare worker!
Top 20 HIPAA compliant telemedicine platforms
Carepatron
We've put Carepatron as your number one choice for a HIPAA Telehealth platform, and it's no mistake. Carepatron is a highly sophisticated practice management system that is integrated with a wide range of features, all designed to streamline administrative and clinical processes at your healthcare business.
Features
1. Telehealth for no additional cost
Use the integrated telehealth with your clients for no additional cost.
Here are some of Carepatron's streamlined workflow tools:
- Client appointments: Enjoy the best medical appointment software in the world.
- Tasks: Share and manage tasks.
- Reminder: Set reminders so you never miss those crucial moments again.
- Automated reminders: A built-in reminder service removes the risk of no-shows and stress from your shoulders.
- Team meetings: Organize all of your sessions in one place. Whether it's with your team or professional network, bring it all together in one place.
- You can send as many reminders as you want, with none of those limits or add-on costs. Go ahead and create an appointment today with Carepatron.
3. Client Care teams
Capture your Client relationships in their patient record. This gives you a way to connect in real-time with your Client's support people, whether they are a GP, family member, parents, or healthcare provider.
4. Voice to text transcription
Carepatron has built the world's leading medical voice-to-text capability into its EHR software.
Finally, a simple, secure EMR software, Carepatron offers a HIPAA compliant solution that combines the world's leading data encryption to ensure your healthcare data is kept safe.
Pricing
Carepatron has a robust free forever plan for unlimited users and unlimited features. Those who want to pay can progress to a paid plan for $12 per user/month.
Doxy.me
Doxy.me is a new kid on the block in the telemedicine space, born at the University of Utah and then going public in 2014. Doxy.me has some standard features that make it a good solution in the telemedicine space. It is also HIPAA compliant and has additional security features to ensure the privacy of patients is protected at all times.
- High quality video conferencing
- Live chat
- Patient queue and waiting room
- Custom branding
- Analytics
- Patient transfers
- Customer support
Pros
The first concern for any healthcare business investing in practice management solutions is patient privacy, but Doxy.me has that covered with HIPAA compliance. Doxy.me is also very easy to implement and users have found the system to be intuitive and easy to navigate.
Cons
Doxy.me doesn’t have a mobile app for either iOS or Android, which makes it especially difficult to use on a tablet or smartphone. The lack of this feature makes remote work harder, and means practitioners can’t work as easily when they are on-the-go. Users of Doxy.me experience intermittent connectivity issues. Additionally, we have found that reboots of the computers at both ends of the session are needed to re-establish communication to continue, which interrupts the flow with patients and clients.
Pricing
Doxy.me offers a free trial offer to the Professional tier, but at the end of the trial, you'll be paying $35 per month.
Alternatively, you can pay $50 per clinician for the clinic option that offers some additional features.
Thera-Link
Thera-Link is a telehealth platform that helps medical practitioners take their in-office practice online. Thera-Link prides itself on being an easy-to-use and out-of-the-box solution for clients and providers who use the forum.
- Customer Waiting Room
- Session Notes - session notes allow mental health professionals to keep track of sessions
- Payments capabilities available within the platform
- Secure messaging capabilities
- File-Sharing - secure exchange of documents like client notes, prescriptions, and other important files
- Client Profiles - provide therapists with an overview of important client information
- Video Messaging - built into the platform allows clients and therapists to connect via live video sessions
Pros
Thera-Link has fantastic customer support to assist their users. This is an especially important consideration when it comes to telemedicine, as unfortunately technological complications can frequently arise.
Cons
One thing to note with caution is that monthly plans are automatically upgraded if all allotted sessions have been used. So be aware of automatic upgrades that could break the bank.
Pricing
Basic Plan = $30.00
5 Sessions per month
Built-in client scheduler
Plus = $45.00 per month - per provider
Advanced client scheduler
Send and receive payment requests
File sharing
Provider directory listing
Ultimate = $65.00 per month - per provider
Session and client notes
Branded portal
Directory listing
TheraNest
TheraNest is a web-based software for Mental Health practitioners. They set out to help with note management, billing, and scheduling and claim to offer many different capabilities that include the ability to allow practitioners to keep track of progress notes, treatment plans, and discharge summaries. TheraNest also has that all-important HIPAA-compliant sticker which is a must-have for any healthcare management system.
- Unlimited note templates to assist with clinical documentation
- Billing tools and managed billing
- Client portal
- E-prescriptions
- Analytics
- Scheduling tools
- Customer support
Pros
TheraNest has a good visual design and intuitive interface, making it easy for new users to adapt to. TheraNest also offers E-prescriptions, which is extremely beneficial for healthcare providers who work entirely remotely.
Cons
While TheraNest claims to have the ability to schedule recurring appointments, there are many issues around specific start times and the ability to customize appointment lengths or the number of follow-up sessions required.
Pricing
TheraNest's pricing plan is based on the number of clients on your caseload:
$38 monthly for under 30 clients
$58 monthly for under 50 clients
$108 monthly for under 100 clients
In addition to this, TheraNest's additional features come at an added cost:
Wiley Planners for $25 per month for each practitioner
Client portal for $6 per month for each practitioner
Telehealth for $10 per month for each practitioner
Electronic claims: $0.23 each
Text reminders are $0.02, and voice reminders are $0.05
Credit card processing: 2.85% + 27¢ per transaction
Zoom for Healthcare
Zoom for Healthcare is a secure video environment that provides video meetings, voice, webinars, and chat for many different devices. Zoom for Healthcare has been designed to streamline telemedicine by connecting patients with their providers remotely.
- Offers sessions through phone, chat and rooms
- Can host virtual events, allowing for increased connection between providers
- Has high integration capabilities, meaning it will fit in seamlessly with any other systems your practice already has in place.
Pros
The video quality that is included in Zoom for Healthcare is great. This is their speciality, and the platform works perfectly for team meetings and events like webinars.
Cons
User reviews reveal that the interface is confusing at best and that too many steps are necessary to connect with clients or colleagues. In addition to this, the only support they offer is a help bot who is unequipped to help with even the simplest of problems. Further, Zoom for Healthcare lacks some of the most essential practice management tools - their focus is video conferencing and while this is great, it isn’t usually enough.
Pricing
While providing a basic membership for $14.99 per host per month or professional membership for $19.99 per host per month, it's important to remember that Zoom for healthcare only offers video conferencing. You will be required to use other platforms for the remaining aspects of telemedicine.
Goto Meeting
To put it straight, GoToMeeting is a lesser-known version of Zoom for healthcare. Like Zoom for healthcare, they offer a HIPAA compliant online meeting solution for providers to meet via video, chat, screen sharing, and conference calls. While GoToMeeting does offer these functions, there are competitors out there that provide the same or better functionality for the same price.
- Customized meeting features
- Diagnostic reporting
- Meeting transcriptions - making documentation much easier
- Integration capabilities
- Encryption
Pros
GoToMeeting is easily integrated with other systems, which makes it especially useful if your business is already using different platforms.
Cons
GoToMeeting feels outdated and doesn't offer a great user experience for the Client or the practitioner.
Pricing
GoToMeeting offers a professional membership for $11.99 per month or a business membership for $15.99 per month.
Medici
Medici is a Telemedicine platform that is HIPAA compliant. It aims to securely connect healthcare providers with clients via text, audio & video from their mobile phones. In addition to offering virtual appointment features, Medici is integrated with a range of other practice management tools.
- Billing functionality, including in-app
- Chat translation
- HIPAA compliance
- Audio, video, and text capabilities
- Clinical workflow management
- Multi-patient management
Pros
Medici doesn’t require any downloads or complicated registrations, making it very easy to get up and running. Medici also offers a mobile app, which makes remote healthcare significantly more accessible for both patients and providers.
Cons
Medici's reliability seems dodgy; there are numerous reports of dropped calls, voice skipping in conversations and glitchy videos. The payment process is also sometimes delayed, which can lead to miscommunication or missed payments.
Pricing
Medici offers a free trial, but after that plans start at $149/month.
OhMD
OhMD is a HIPAA-compliant client conversation platform using SMS text OhMD claims to keep your practice running smoothly. OhMD has appointment reminder capability and digital check-ins, video visits, and sending through text results. OhMD uses texting, so you don't have to download separately, but it begs the question, why pay for a platform that does something your phone already can do?
- Two-way SMS texting
- Video conferencing capabilities
- Integration with EHR
- Facilitates communication between teams
Pros
The system has a free plan, which allows practices with a small budget to utilize their services.
Cons
OhMD has limited features included in their free plan. In order to access the type of resources you’ll need to truly improve your practice management, you’ll have to dig a little deeper into your budget.
Pricing
Their basic option is free and their reach plan begins at $150 per month - quite a significant increase!
Simple Practice
SimplePractice is a popular telemedicine solution for healthcare businesses. The platform has been a trailblazer in leading medical software, helping to introduce virtual tools into the healthcare industry. SimplePractice is a cloud-based platform that allows seamless interactions between clients and practitioners, using HIPAA-compliant tools.
- Client records
- Documentation management and storage
- Video conferencing
- Appointment scheduling
- Client portal
Pros
SimplePractice offers a 30-day free trial, which is a must when it comes to implementing a new and unfamiliar platform into your healthcare business. The platform is also well known for having fantastic customer support.
Cons
Because Simple Practice has been around for so long, the software they use can be a little clunky. Users report having difficulty navigating the system and finding the interface confusing.
Pricing
- Starter package is $29/month
- Essential package is $69/month
- Plus package is $99/month
VSee
VSee is an all-in-one telemedicine platform designed to connect practitioners with clients remotely. The system offers solutions for a wide range of different healthcare fields, and has an extensive number of integrated tools.
Features
- Online waiting room
- Customizable intake forms
- Scheduled or walk-in visits
- Secure video conferencing
- Text chat functions
Pros
VSee offers online payments, making the payment process significantly easier for both patients and practitioners. The system is also accessible via mobile or desktop devices, enabling more efficient remote care.
Cons
The VSee system requires downloading, making the implementation process slightly more difficult.
Pricing
- Free plan
- Basic plan at $49/month
- Essential plan - contact VSee to find prices
Cliniko
Description
Cliniko is a simple, easily navigated and well-designed system. The platform is mainly targeted towards Australian and European healthcare providers, which can make it difficult to access for those based elsewhere.
Features
- Appointment scheduling and workflow management
- Billing and invoicing tools
- Video conferencing capabilities
- HIPAA-compliance
Pros
Cliniko’s support team is highly functional, allowing businesses to feel at ease with a new system. Cliniko is also integrated with sophisticated analytics and tracking features, which allows for scalability.
Cons
The most obvious con for Cliniko is their ill-suitability for US-based practices. Additionally, the platform is largely designed to simplify administrative processes which can provide a barrier for clinical staff looking to utilize their tools.
Pricing
Cliniko’s pricing is based on how many practitioners are using the system.
- 1 provider = $49/month
- 2-5 providers = $99/month
- 6-8 providers = $149/month
- 9-12 = $199/month
- 13-25 = $299/month
- 26-200 = $399/month
Kareo
Kareo is a fairly popular and highly reputable practice management system. They are integrated with a wide range of features, and are essentially designed for large scale healthcare businesses. Given the complexity of their software, implementation into healthcare practices can be reasonably difficult.
Features
- HIPAA-compliant video conferencing
- Online payment options
- Mobile app
- Billing management
- Analytics
- Cloud-based EHR
- Patient management
Pros
Although Kareo is designed for larger businesses, they also facilitate scalability. With a range of different software tools, Kareo helps providers engage with their patients and find innovative ways to increase revenue.
Cons
Kareo is fairly expensive, which doesn’t make it a very good option for smaller healthcare businesses.
Pricing
Kareo’s pricing begins at $150/month.
Power Diary
Description
Power Diary is a cloud-based practice management system that caters to a range of different healthcare professions. In addition to various administrative tools, Power Diary has a large focus on streamlining workflow and scheduling. With Power Diary, you will be able to optimize your schedule, improve communication and ensure you are seeing as many patients as possible.
Features
- Calendar management
- Telehealth features, including video conferencing
- Payment, billing and invoicing assistance
- Online forms
- Analytics and reports
- Client management
Pros
Power Diary offers a vast range of different tools that have been shown to save businesses both time and money. In particular, their scheduling features are highly sophisticated and designed to improve productivity.
Cons
Power Diary has been developed with countries in the Asia Pacific region in mind, which can make implementation difficult for US-based providers. Additionally, their pricing plans are somewhat complicated and they aren’t very transparent with how they scale packages.
Pricing
- 1 provider = $10/week
- 2-3 providers = $16/week
- 4-9 providers = $26/week
- 10-20 = $42/week
AthenaOne
Description
AthenaOne is a practice management system that is designed for practices of all sizes. The platform has solutions for private practices, hospitals, urgent care facilities and start-ups. With a focus on balancing technology capability with ease of use, AthenaOne is a great option for practices looking to implement management systems.
Features
- Electronic Health Records, and management of clinical documentation
- Patient engagement
- Video conferencing
- Billing tools
- Integration capabilities
Pros
AthenaOne is a comprehensive software that is particularly useful for larger healthcare businesses.
Cons
The pricing for AthenaOne isn’t very transparent, which makes it difficult to compare with other available solutions. Additionally, the starting price doesn’t include certain practice management tools that are generally required within healthcare businesses.
Pricing
AthenaOne’s pricing isn’t disclosed on their website. They ask you to get in touch for more information.
DRChrono
Description
DRChrono is an EHR platform that integrates with a range of telehealth functions. Using an all-in-one system to access all practice management features allows providers to elevate their productivity and organization. DRChrono also offers different solutions depending on healthcare speciality or business size.
Features
- Telehealth features, including high quality video conferencing
- Customizable medical templates
- Speech-to-text transcription
- Patient portal
- Billing assistance
- Electronic Health Records management
Pros
The customizable templates that are integrated into the DRChrono platform are very useful for clinical documentation. Additionally, their payment system facilitates faster payments and easier reimbursement.
Cons
Unfortunately, the functionality of DRChrono isn’t great. The system can be difficult to navigate and it is hard to access live customer support.
Pricing
DRChrono offers a 30-day free trial. Their pricing plans aren’t displayed on their website and you have to get in touch to request a quote.
WebPT
Description
WebPT is a practice management software that is specifically targeted for rehab businesses. With solutions for any sized business, WebPT helps rehab practices achieve growth, improve their patient relations and facilitate high-quality remote care.
Features
- Online scheduling
- Billing software
- Telehealth features
- Digital patient intake
- EMR
- Interoperability
- Analytics
Pros
WebPT has sophisticated billing options, making it easy for patients to make payments.
Cons
The customer support at WebPT isn't very hands-on and it can be difficult getting appropriate responses to complaints. Additionally, the cancellation process is fairly complicated.
Pricing
- Lite package is $3/day per provider
- Standard package is $6/day per provider
- Enterprise package is custom pricing
CareCloud
Description
CareCloud is a highly-integrated practice management system that helps healthcare businesses to achieve growth. They have solutions for practices of all different sizes and offer a wide range of HIPAA-compliant tools to improve efficiency and productivity.
Features
- EHR (electronic health records)
- Telehealth features, including video conferencing
- Patient experience management
- Healthcare analytics
- Interoperability
- Chronic care management
- Automation capabilities
Pros
The interface of CareCloud is easy to navigate, making it accessible for users who have little technology experience. The functionality of the platform is also good, and it can be integrated with other systems.
Cons
There have been user complaints of connectivity issues with CareCloud. Additionally, although the interface is easy to use, some of the technology is reasonably complicated.
Pricing
CareCloud’s pricing isn’t available on their website. Request a quote if you want to find their prices.
NextGen Healthcare
Description
NextGen Healthcare is a HIPAA-compliant award-winning practice management system that caters to a very diverse range of different specializations. NextGen Healthcare has been around for a long time, and they are constantly looking for innovative ways to develop their system and cater to their users.
Features
- Care of coordination
- Analytics
- Patient engagement
- Interoperability
- Telehealth and virtual visits
- EHR
- Revenue cycle management and billing assistance
Pros
NextGen is designed to relieve administrative stress so that clinical staff can focus on treating their patients. It is also fairly user-friendly and has a great support team.
Cons
NextGen Healthcare’s platform is very robust and although this can offer lots of options for businesses, it also takes a lot of time to get used to.
Pricing
Request a quote on the NextGen Healthcare website to determine pricing.
Counsol
Description
Counsol is a highly-customizable system that allows healthcare businesses to focus on growth, productivity and organization. The platform focuses on making telehealth accessible to all healthcare providers and in doing so, improving healthcare for patients.
Features
- Custom client site for patients to access relevant information
- Secure messaging
- Documentation creation and storage
- Online scheduling and calendar
- Video conferencing
- Group sessions
- Billing and invoicing
Pros
The most significant pro for Counsol is their customizable features. Most healthcare businesses want to maintain control over managing their practice, which is definitely achievable with Counsol’s system.
Cons
Users have reported experiencing difficulties with the appointment scheduling features. It is hard to delete and edit the schedules once they have been changed.
Pricing
- Standard plan is $49.95/month
- Standard plus plan is $59.95/month
- Premium plan is $64.95/month
- Premium plus plan is $69.95/month
TherapyNotes
Description
TherapyNotes is a cloud-based platform that offers solutions for healthcare businesses looking to improve their productivity and organization. With a range of different features mainly designed for mental health providers, TherapyNotes allows these practices to streamline administration and spend more time with their patients.
Features
- Appointment scheduling
- Telehealth features, including video conferencing
- Client portal
- Billing and invoicing assistance
- E-prescriptions
- Clinical note templates and electronic records management
Pros
TherapyNotes has a good set of basic practice management features. The system has been around for a while, which is reflected in their excellent customer support team.
Cons
Product improvements for TherapyNotes can be quite slow. Also, additional features come at a cost and depending on your business needs, these can add up quickly.
Pricing
Solo plan is $49/month for one user
Group plan is $59/month for the first user ($30/month per additional clinician)
Enterprise plan (30+ users) is $59/month ($30/month per additional clinician)
How to choose the best teletherapy platforms for your clinical practice
Given the wide range of available options, it can be hard to know where to start. Here are the top things we think you should be on the lookout for when you are comparing HIPAA-compliant teletherapy platforms.
- Implementation: The best teletherapy platforms are those that are easy to implement. You want to find one that doesn’t require an extensive download - which is why cloud-based systems are often preferable.
- Pricing: Unsurprisingly, pricing plays a big role in finding the best system for your business. Depending on your budget, as well as your needs, you’ll want to look for a platform that is affordable while still high-performing.
- Integration: You may want to invest in a platform that is all-in-one, or you may want it to slot seamlessly in with the other systems you already have up and running. Either way, good integration is essential.
- Compliance: Although all of the platforms we’ve mentioned in this article are HIPAA-compliant, it’s still a good idea to conduct some research yourself. Read the privacy policies thoroughly and make sure they have suitable security measures in place so the privacy of your patients is guaranteed.
FAQ around telehealth compliance
Is HIPAA the same for telehealth as it is for in-person visits?
Essentially, the answer is yes. HIPAA is applicable to virtual consultations in the same way it is for in-person appointments. There are a few differences in regards to how compliance is upheld, but the same guidelines are applied.
Do I need a Business Associate Agreement with a telehealth platform?
Yes, absolutely. In order to maintain HIPAA-compliance, you will need to enter into a BAA.
Can I (as a provider) deliver telehealth services from my home?
Yes, providers can deliver telehealth from home. You should ensure reasonable compliance standards are in place, such as your family members not being able to hear your client consultations.
Do I need informed consent from my patient to deliver telemedicine?
This is a difficult question to answer, mostly because of state variation in law. You should conduct research into whether informed consent is a requirement where you live/work, and respond appropriately.
What questions should I ask a telehealth platform to ensure they are HIPAA compliant?
Investing in a new telehealth platform can be worrying. To ensure they are doing everything they can to maintain compliance, we recommend asking the following questions:
- Can I see a copy of your most recent HIPAA compliance audit?
- Are you willing to sign a BAA?
- What physical, technical and administrative safeguards do you have in place?
Ace Every Workday With Carepatron
Choosing a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform is tricky whether you're delivering therapy or medical services. You need practice management software to bring all your client information together and communicate effectively with clients. In this article, we've looked at the top 20 telemedicine platforms that are HIPAA compliant, but ultimately what you choose depends on your requirements. If you want a simple platform to store all your practice data safely and communicate with clients at an affordable price, go for Carepatron. With many excellent features like patient records and billing services, Carepatron is the best software for practice management.
So why not join Carepatron for free today to become a practice management wiz?
