Lately, it seems that more and more health care providers are increasingly interested in secure HIPAA compliant communication and the different platforms available to them. These providers and their support staff want to improve communication at their practices while still remaining compliant.    

As a member of our sales team, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with many of the interested practices who reach out to pMD to learn about what we have to offer in this space. pMD has two different HIPAA compliant communication products: our Free Secure Messaging and our more robust Clinical Communication option. If you just did a double take to see if you misread “free,” no, you were not mistaken!

‍Free or Paid: Which to Use for Your HIPAA Compliant Communication?

‍Are you curious about when our free option is the best fit for a user or when they might benefit more from our paid option? Continue reading to learn what I listen for when I speak with potential clients and help them decide which product will best suit their needs!

‍Using pMD’s Free App for Texting PHI

‍When I have the opportunity to speak with someone who is looking into the options they have for secure messaging, the first question I ask is, “What are your needs, and how many people do you need to message?” If the prospect tells me, “My colleague and I want to be able to message with each other about PHI (Protected Health Information) on our phones while remaining HIPAA compliant,” that is generally a cue for me that they have fairly simple needs and are most likely a good fit for our more basic Free Secure Messaging. Generally, groups with under five users that need to communicate basic information in a HIPAA-compliant and streamlined fashion are a good fit for our free product, and I suggest that they go to the App Store or the Google Play store and sign themselves up for pMD’s Free Secure Messaging. They can then get started right away!I also often speak with groups who tell me about how much time they’re wasting trying to keep PHI out of their text messages by using cryptic symbols or hieroglyphics, and they end up having to just pick up the phone and call to find out who and what the message is even about! They recognize that they’re wasting even more precious time in their busy schedules and want a better solution that reduces inefficiencies.

‍When to Consider pMD’s HIPAA Compliant Clinical Communication

‍For larger groups who have complex workflows and more users needing to communicate about patients or securely send PHI, I suggest they evaluate our Clinical Communication product. Clinical Communication users can securely message using pMD on either their mobile device or the website, so they can stay compliant whether they’re on the go or stationed in front of a computer. pMD Clinical Communication also includes patient-centric messaging, allowing users to store a variety of information and message history. This removes the need to search through hundreds of messages to find one specific conversation with Dr. Smith about patient John Doe’s condition three weeks ago.

‍Texting Patients

‍Another great use case I often hear is the need to message with patients. This is a feature of our Clinical Communication product, which allows users to easily send messages to their patients while keeping their health information secure.

‍pMD Platform Update Offers Secure, HIPAA Complainant Video Chat

‍pMD is always innovating and working to meet the needs of our customers. We very recently released our new Video Chat function, so if you prefer a more face-to-face interaction with your colleagues, feel free to give it a try! We hope that by allowing providers to communicate in a more streamlined and efficient fashion amongst themselves and their supporting staff, we can give them back more time to be doctors and provide care to their patients.

Contact pMD to Learn More!

‍If you’re interested in learning more about our Free Secure Messaging or Clinical Communication products, please submit your information here and we’re happy to help you evaluate which product would be the best fit for you! Don’t miss out on our signature text tone: the goat squeal!