Best Zoom for Healthcare 2024 Alternatives (Features and Pricing) | Carepatron

Introduction

Popularized by the COVID pandemic, the Zoom web portal has quickly solidified its name within the healthcare community as a valuable alternative to in-person appointments. Practitioners and providers can develop meaningful relationships with patients from the comfort of their homes using their Zoom accounts and run successful online healthcare practices without fuss.

However, while there are many benefits to Zoom's services, it's important to recognize that it may not be the best option for you and your clinical needs. While Zoom is great for connecting with patients remotely, it fails to tick many boxes when it comes to managing health information and adopting practice management software that works. 

Fortunately, we're here to help! To learn more about your options regarding health software alternatives, including telehealth, we've collated important research to help you make more informed healthcare decisions.

What is Zoom for healthcare?

Zoom is a highly reputable video conferencing platform on which you can connect with clients from anywhere in the world and build meaningful connections. Whether using the Zoom desktop client or mobile app, Zoom elevates the quality of online appointments and video communications and can help boost client satisfaction in your practice.

Zoom is a sophisticated tool used by thousands of businesses and integrates many valuable security features together, including:

• Virtual meetings
• Scheduled meetings
• Team chat channels
• Zoom phone system
• Online whiteboard
• Captioning
• Live streaming

Zoom offers basic plan with limited features, a pro version for $14.99 per month per user, a paid plan, a business plan for $19.99 per month per user, a paid license, and an Enterprise plan also at $19.99 per month per user.

Top 5 alternatives to Zoom for healthcare 

To help you out, we've scoured the market for the five best alternatives to your Zoom account. These alternatives allow you to take video meetings, carry out video conferences with patients, and offer meeting hosts and other valuable practice management features.

Carepatron

Carepatron is one of the main healthcare administration solutions on the market and is utilized by over 10,000+ health professionals globally. As an all-in-one healthcare administration and practice management software with renowned technology systems, Carepatron balances video conferencing and instant messaging capabilities with the following features. Carepatron also provides a business associate agreement to ensure HIPAA compliance.

Pros

• Clinical documentation: Utilize voice-to-text transcription services and a wide range of templates, tools, and storage to ensure high-quality clinical notes. Keep all notes in one place and accessible across various devices.
• Appointment scheduling: Manage all patient appointments efficiently. Carepatron's scheduling feature allows flexibility to operate on your own schedule and maximize patient appointments.
• Appointment reminders: Automated reminders significantly reduce no-shows, potentially decreasing them by up to 99%, saving time and reducing costs.
• Billing and coding: Generate automated invoices with accurate coding standards for faster reimbursements. This feature speeds up the claim process, ensuring you receive every cent you deserve.

Cons

• Complex initial setup: The comprehensive features can make the initial setup time-consuming and require a learning curve.
• Limited customization: Some users may find the customization options limited compared to other specialized healthcare software.
• Additional costs for advanced features: While the basic features are included in lower-tier plans, accessing more advanced functionalities may require additional costs.

Pricing

• Starter: Free plan
• Professional: $12 per user/month
• Organization: $19 per user/month

Ratings

• Capterra: 4.6/5 (based on 236 reviews)
• G2: 4.5/5 (based on 240 reviews)

TheraNest

Well-known within the therapy realm, TheraNest offers high-quality healthcare solutions that allow patients to access its various features, including video conferencing. The platform is tailored to this target and offers unified communications tools to enhance collaboration during group sessions. Using established software and human services, TheraNest promotes business growth through the following:

• Clinical documentation and storage
• Medical coding
• Appointment scheduling
• E-prescriptions

Pros

• Specialized: TheraNest is a great option for those within the mental health industry, making it a highly specialized option for those with similar needs. The platform is tailored exactly for this target. 
• Intuitive interface:  It's smooth and easy to use, regardless of your technical skill, which is especially important to save time. 

Cons

• Scheduling issues: User reports point to some scheduling flaws, making the system difficult to use. It's also outdated in parts, which is troubling when considering other applications that work with much newer technology.
• Limited integrations: TheraNest has fewer integrations with other healthcare systems and software, which can limit its functionality and interoperability with existing tools.
• Mobile app limitations: The mobile app lacks some features available on the desktop version, which can be inconvenient for practitioners who need to access all functionalities on the go.

Pricing

• Up to 30 clients: $39/month
• Up to 40 clients: $50/month
• Up to 50 clients: $60/month
• Up to 80 clients: $91/month
• Over 80 clients: Contact for customized prices.

Ratings

• Capterra: 4.4/5 (based on 926 reviews)
• G2: 4/5 (based on 78 reviews)

Doxy.me

Trusted by clinicians worldwide, Doxy.me is a game changer for many within the healthcare industry. It allows practitioners to carry out high-quality telemedicine solutions and engage patients on a meaningful level to work towards effective treatment. They offer many advanced features too, including:

• Live chat
• Waiting room
• Mobile health
• HIPAA compliance

Pros

• High-quality video: Doxy.me provides an excellent alternative to Zoom. It provides a high-quality video chat with valuable features such as a waiting room and a patient queue. You can exercise high control over your patients and view a high video resolution. 
• HIPAA compliance: You can rest easy knowing your information and data are in good hands, with Doxy.me prioritizing encryption and security measures to maintain confidentiality at all times. 

Cons

• Small scope: Doxy.me succeeds at communication but lacks many practice management features. These include online payments, documentation production and storage, and resource libraries.
• Occasional connectivity issues: Some users have reported occasional connectivity issues, which can disrupt telehealth sessions.
• Limited customization: The platform offers limited customization options, which may not meet the specific needs of all practices.

Pricing

• Free plan
• Professional plan: from $28 per month
• Clinic plan: from $39 per month

Ratings

• Capterra: 4.6/5 (based on 1,161 reviews)
• G2: 4.5/5 (based on 91 reviews)

Practice Perfect

A popular practice management software and EMR platform, Practice Perfect is a great way to streamline your workflows and promote higher efficiency in your practice. They offer a free version with many developed features, including:

• Clinical documentation and storage
• Appointment scheduling
• Appointment reminders
• Patient profiles
• Operational analytics and insights

Pros

• Customizable interface: Most features can be tailored to meet your unique needs, making it a highly scalable platform suitable for practices of all sizes.
• Easy navigation: Practice Perfect implements a smooth interface that enhances interoperability and maintains high performance, regardless of data load.
• Comprehensive feature set: The platform offers a wide range of features, from clinical documentation to operational analytics, providing an all-in-one solution for practice management.
• Business associate agreement: Practice Perfect provides a BAA to ensure HIPAA compliance, which is essential for protecting patient data.

Cons

• Web-browser-based: This application is only available on the web, which can be inconvenient to load. Mobile applications are generally more intuitive and seamless to use and can manage data more efficiently.
• Costly: This platform is one of the more expensive options, making it difficult for some practices to justify the cost, especially when compared to other alternatives.
• Limited offline access: Practice Perfect is web-based and requires an internet connection for use, limiting accessibility in areas with poor connectivity.

Pricing

• Up to four users: $180 per month
• There's an additional $15 per month for every additional user.

Ratings

• Capterra: 3.5/5 (based on 13 reviews)
• G2: 4.3/5 (based on 6 reviews)

SimplePractice

Finally, another highly regarded virtual care platform is SimplePractice, which can help boost productivity and increase patient engagement in your practice. The platform can leverage your strengths, work towards growing your clientele, and achieve long-term healthcare goals for both you and your patients. Some of their features include:

• Appointment scheduling
• Billing
• Medical coding 
• Clinical documentation
• Telehealth

Pros

• HIPAA compliant: SimplePractice cares about your security. As a HITRUST-certified system, all your data is guaranteed to be kept private and secure. This is so important, especially in today's growing technological landscape! 
• Free trial: SimplePractice offers a free trial, meaning you can experience all they have to offer without locking into any prices. It's a good way to test the waters and evaluate if their software is right for you. 

Cons

• Outdated technology: SimplePractice has been around for a while, and due to increasing market demands, other applications have now developed more seamless functions that may further benefit your clinic.
• Lacking support: While SimplePractice has many helpful resources, connecting with specialists who can guide you through using their services can be difficult if challenges arise.
• Data migration challenges: Some users have reported difficulties with data migration when transitioning to SimplePractice from other platforms, which can be time-consuming and complex.

Pricing

• Starter: $29/month
• Essential: $69/month
• Plus: $99/month

Ratings

• Capterra: 4.6/5 (based on 2,656 reviews)
• G2: 4.1/5 (based on 118 reviews)

Final thoughts

While Zoom is a fine choice for collaborative healthcare, it has several drawbacks. It does not touch on many significant collaborative healthcare capabilities that health platforms should support.

Carepatron is an excellent option for healthcare organizations. It uses a streamlined approach to optimize your workflow, increase efficiency, and allow you to do what you do best. It's inexpensive and designed in collaboration with healthcare professionals, so all your needs can be met easily. You can rest easy knowing you're in good hands, with HIPAA compliance for protected health information and security measures working round the clock to protect your business and the longevity of your practice.

Additionally, Carepatron excels in clinical documentation software and mental health practice management software, making it a comprehensive solution for your practice.