Is your team using personal messaging apps to send a quick update, ask a question, or coordinate care fast? Using text and other personal messaging apps can feel like the easiest option.
But once that happens, you can’t control that data or pull it back, and that’s a HIPAA violation.
You need a HIPAA-compliant team chat app that feels just as convenient for your team to use while also giving you the security and control your business needs.
Why Personal Messaging Apps Create HIPAA Violations
Personal messaging apps may feel like the fastest way for your team to communicate, but they’re not HIPAA-compliant.
- Patient data gets stored on personal devices. Messages, photos, and files are automatically saved to each employee’s personal device, and you can’t pull them back or control what happens to them next. And when an employee leaves, they take that information with them.
- You lose control over who sees what. Personal messaging apps don’t give your business the control you need because your team’s communication happens outside your business’s managed space. Anyone can create new group chats, add other people, and share patient-related information there without you knowing.
- Your team has no single source of truth. When messages are spread across personal texts and separate messaging apps, internal communication becomes hard to track. Your team has no single source of truth for patient-related updates. That increases the chance that important updates get missed or lost between your team, their devices, and shifts.
What Your Team Needs Instead
To make your internal communication HIPAA-compliant without a complicated rollout, you need a team chat app built for healthcare teams.
Your team chat app should have:
- Built-in HIPAA compliance so you’re not relying on workarounds or extra steps.
- Healthcare workflow support so communication fits the way your team works, including EMR-connected communication.
- Access controls so you can control who can access chats and see patient-related communication.
- Admin control so you can limit who can open new group chats and control exactly who can see and do what.
- One-click offboarding so you can remove access right away when someone leaves.
- Secure cloud storage so patient-related messages and files are not saved on personal devices.
- An intuitive and easy-to-use experience so your team does not go back to texts and personal messaging apps.
- One secure place for communication and updates so your team has one clear place for patient-related conversations and the latest updates.
Zenzap is one of the best secure HIPAA-compliant team chat apps that gives healthcare organizations mobile-first ease of use, admin control, EMR integration, and pricing that works for teams of any size.
Top 5 HIPAA-Compliant Team Chat Apps for Internal Communication
To make your internal communication HIPAA-compliant, you need a team chat app built for healthcare teams. Here are five options to consider.
1. Zenzap
Zenzap is a HIPAA-compliant team chat app built for healthcare organizations of any size, which gives you the professional features and admin control you need while still being intuitive and easy to use.
Key features:
- HIPAA-compliant out of the box
- Includes BAA
- You can set data to be stored in the US
- Patient-specific chats connected directly to the EMR
- Patient info, medical history, assigned doctors, and test results are pushed into chat automatically
- Nothing is saved on personal devices
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Works across mobile, desktop, and tablet
- Permission management and granular admin controls
- Control over who can open new group chats
- One-click offboarding
- Audit logs and activity tracking
- Zero training required
- Transparent pricing starting at $3 per user per month
What to consider:
Zenzap is built as a team communication app, designed to work alongside your existing tools for HR, accounting, and other business functions, not replace them.
2. TigerConnect
TigerConnect is built for large hospital systems and enterprise healthcare networks.
Key features:
- Established clinical communication platform.
- Used by large hospitals and complex hospital networks
- Voice and video
Cons
TigerConnect is a clinical communication app that comes with strict annual contracts and pricing that starts around $8 to $20 per user per month for the basic plan, with added costs for extra features.
It can feel overly complex for many teams, and it has been around for more than 15 years, so it’s outdated, and the learning curve can be steep.
3. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is built for businesses that already use Microsoft 365.
Key features:
- Included for businesses that already use Microsoft 365.
- Covers video, chat, file sharing, and document collaboration in one place.
- Strong security and integrations.
What to consider:
Microsoft Teams wasn’t built for healthcare, and the mobile experience can feel heavy and complex for busy healthcare teams. To make it HIPAA compliant, your business has to put in significant IT setup and security configuration. It’s expensive because you need a higher plan to do that, starting at $22 per user per month.
It’s also important to note that clinical workflows and EMR integration aren’t included by default.
4. Slack
Slack is a team communication app built for highly technical teams.
Key features:
- Complex automation and flows
- Flexible channel structure
What to consider:
Slack is a well-known team communication app, but it’s built for tech companies, not medical teams. HIPAA compliance is only available on the Enterprise Grid plan, starting at around $12 per user per month, and it doesn’t offer patient-specific workflows or EMR integrations.
For healthcare and non-technical teams that need something fast and easy on mobile, the interface can feel more complex.
5. PerfectServe
PerfectServe is built for large healthcare networks with a focus on physician scheduling and on-call management.
Key features:
- Strong fit for physician scheduling and on-call management.
- Includes secure messaging alongside complex scheduling workflows.
What to consider:
PerfectServe isn’t built to be a team messaging app, so it’s less convenient for everyday team chat. It’s more focused on scheduling and operations than day-to-day team chat and requires a more complex rollout process.
Stop Relying on Texts for Sensitive Communication
If your medical team is using texts or personal messaging apps for internal communication about patients, your team communication isn’t HIPAA-compliant and puts patient-related information outside your control.
The right team chat app resolves this issue without complicating everyday team communication. It gives you control. It keeps patient-related team communication in one place. And it gives your team a HIPAA-compliant chat they will actually use.
To make your internal communication HIPAA-compliant, move your team off texts and personal messaging apps and onto a HIPAA-compliant team chat app built for healthcare, like Zenzap.
