Is SimplePractice HIPAA-Compliant and Does It Support Telehealth?

Updated

Yes to both, based on SimplePractice's own product claims. The site describes SimplePractice as a "HIPAA-compliant EHR and practice management software," and it lists integrated telehealth as a core feature for therapists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and psychiatrists. The same page states the platform supports both in-person and virtual sessions. Two caveats matter before you decide: the HIPAA claim is the vendor's own marketing statement, and you should verify the specifics of any Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and telehealth configuration for your own practice.

What SimplePractice claims about HIPAA compliance

The homepage positions HIPAA compliance as a headline attribute of the product, not a footnote. It calls the software "HIPAA-compliant" and repeats the phrase in the specialty descriptions — for example, telling speech-language pathologists they can "run your practice with peace of mind" with "HIPAA-compliant software."

What that tells you:

  • SimplePractice markets itself specifically to health and wellness professionals who handle protected health information (PHI), so compliance is central to its positioning rather than an add-on.
  • The claim covers the EHR and practice management platform as a whole, including documentation, scheduling, and billing tools.

What it does not tell you from this page alone:

  • Whether a signed BAA is included automatically, and on which plans.
  • How the platform handles specific edge cases in your workflow (for example, how you share records with a third party, or what happens if you export data).

Those are the details to confirm directly with SimplePractice before you rely on the platform for compliance. Vendor claims describe the product; your own obligations under HIPAA still depend on how you configure and use it.

Telehealth capabilities as described

Telehealth is presented as an integrated feature, not a separate product you bolt on. The site lists "integrated telehealth" alongside a template library and insurance tools as part of what therapists get, and it frames virtual sessions as a normal way to deliver care across the specialties it names.

From the page, the practical picture is:

Question What the site indicates
Is telehealth included? Yes — described as an integrated feature of the EHR
Who is it for? Therapists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychiatrists
In-person sessions too? Yes — the site says you can treat clients "in-person or virtually"
Separate add-on? Not indicated as separate; presented as part of the platform

The specialties listed are the strongest signal about fit. If you are a therapist, SLP, OT, or psychiatrist, the telehealth feature is described in terms aimed at your workflow. If your discipline is not among those named, check the "View all specialties" path on the site rather than assuming coverage.

How to verify before you commit

Because compliance and telehealth setup are the two things you cannot get wrong, treat the marketing claim as a starting point and confirm the operational details yourself.

  1. Ask about the BAA. Confirm whether a Business Associate Agreement is provided, when it takes effect, and whether it covers telehealth sessions specifically.
  2. Test telehealth in the trial. The site advertises a free 30-day trial with no credit card required. Use it to run an actual virtual session and check audio/video quality, how clients join, and what the experience looks like on a phone.
  3. Check your documentation flow. Confirm how session notes, consent forms, and client communications are stored and whether any step takes data outside the compliant environment.
  4. Match the tool to your discipline. Confirm the templates and workflows for your specialty exist before assuming the general feature set covers you.
  5. Review your own obligations. HIPAA compliance is shared: the software can be compliant while your use of it is not.

Who this fits

SimplePractice looks like a reasonable fit if you are a solo or small-practice provider in one of the named specialties, you want scheduling, documentation, billing, and telehealth in one HIPAA-marketed system, and you are willing to verify the BAA and test the video experience during the trial.

It may be a weaker fit if your discipline is outside the listed specialties, if you need compliance guarantees documented in a specific way before signing, or if your telehealth needs are unusual enough that a general integrated tool may not cover them. In those cases, use the trial to test the exact scenario you care about rather than relying on the feature list.