proprofssurvey.com/blog/patient-engagement-software

For small healthcare and mental health practices, top HIPAA-compliant client portal solutions include [SimplePractice](https://www.simplepractice.com/features/client-portal/) (ideal for therapists and solo practitioners), Tebra (great for independent growing clinics), Practice Better (best for wellness and nutritionists), Healthie , and Spruce Health (focused on secure communication).[](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026) [[1]](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026)[[2]](https://www.simplepractice.com/features/client-portal/)[[3]](https://www.atlantic.net/hipaa-compliant-hosting/best-hipaa-patient-portal-software-in-2021/)[[4]](https://practicebetter.io/blog/4-hipaa-compliant-tools-your-practice-cant-live-without)[[5]](https://pabau.com/blog/hipaa-compliant-telehealth-platforms/)[[6]](https://www.hipaavault.com/resources/hipaa-compliant-telehealth-platforms/)[[7]](https://customer-portals.com/articles/hipaa-compliant-patient-portal/)Top Solutions for Small Practices - **SimplePractice:** Built for solo and small mental health or wellness practices. It features secure messaging, digital intake forms, calendar scheduling, and telehealth.[](https://www.atlantic.net/hipaa-compliant-hosting/best-hipaa-patient-portal-software-in-2021/) - **Tebra:** Combines practice management, patient communication, and online booking. It is well-suited for independent ambulatory and medical clinics.[](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026) - **Practice Better:** Tailored for dietitians, coaches, and alternative care providers. Offers secure portals, document sharing, and telehealth.[](https://practicebetter.io/blog/4-hipaa-compliant-tools-your-practice-cant-live-without) [[1]](https://practicebetter.io/blog/top-simplepractice-alternatives) - **Healthie:** An all-in-one platform featuring robust client engagement, dietary/lifestyle tracking, scheduling, and video visits.[](https://www.hipaavault.com/resources/hipaa-compliant-telehealth-platforms/) [[1]](https://www.caspio.com/healthcare-software/)[[2]](https://healthie-backup.webflow.io/blog/the-5-best-hipaa-compliant-telehealth-tools)[[3]](https://www.caspio.com/use-cases/build-patient-portal/) - **Spruce Health:** Focuses heavily on secure, centralized team and client communication, including encrypted SMS, voice calling, and faxing.[[1]](https://www.proprofssurvey.com/blog/patient-engagement-software/)[[2]](https://www.patientnow.com/resources/compare/marketing-automation-wellness-practices)[[3]](https://emitrr.com/blog/updox-alternative/)[[4]](https://sinch.com/customer-stories/spruce-health/) Key Features to Look For - **Encryption:** Data must be encrypted both in transit and at rest. - **Business Associate Agreement (BAA):** The vendor must legally sign a BAA accepting liability for protecting patient data. - **Audit Logs:** The system must track who views, downloads, or edits client data. - **Access Controls:** Role-based permissions ensure staff only see files relevant to them.[](https://www.hipaavault.com/resources/hipaa-compliant-patient-portals-with-wordpress-building-secure-and-accessible-platforms/) [[1]](https://www.hipaavault.com/resources/hipaa-compliant-patient-portals-with-wordpress-building-secure-and-accessible-platforms/)[[2]](https://www.moxo.com/blog/secure-client-portals-healthcare) If you tell me your **medical specialty** or **practice type** (e.g., mental health, physical therapy, primary care, nutrition), I can recommend the most tailored portal option for your workflow. For small healthcare and mental health practices, top HIPAA-compliant client portal solutions include SimplePractice (ideal for therapists and solo practitioners), Tebra (great for independent growing clinics), Practice Better (best for wellness and nutritionists), Healthie, and Spruce Health (focused on secure communication). How We Evaluated These Platforms 2. athenahealth Overview athenahealth provides a secure patient portal that allows patients to ac... The SimplePractice Client Portal is a HIPAA-compliant, HITRUST certified tool for therapy. It allows clients to: * **Send messages... Table_title: HIPAA-Compliant Patient Portal Software Comparison (2026) Table_content: | Provider | Best For | Core Capabilities | ... Practice Better's HIPAA-compliant tools include: * **Built-in telehealth capabilities** * **Encrypted messaging portals** * **Mobi... Last Updated: * Best HIPAA compliant telehealth platforms: Quick comparison * 1. Pabau – Best HIPAA compliant telehealth platform ... Best HIPAA Compliant Telehealth Platforms for Doctors * Zoom for Healthcare. Familiar video interface. ... * Doxy.me. Browser-base... Specialty and small-practice patient portals * SimplePractice — Practice management with built-in HIPAA-compliant patient portal. ... SimplePractice : Built for solo and small mental health or wellness practices. It features secure messaging, digital intake forms, calendar scheduling, and telehealth. Tebra : Combines practice management, patient communication, and online booking. It is well-suited for independent ambulatory and medical clinics. Practice Better : Tailored for dietitians, coaches, and alternative care providers. Offers secure portals, document sharing, and telehealth. Healthie : An all-in-one platform featuring robust client engagement, dietary/lifestyle tracking, scheduling, and video visits. Spruce Health : Focuses heavily on secure, centralized team and client communication, including encrypted SMS, voice calling, and faxing. - **SimplePractice:** Built for solo and small mental health or wellness practices. It features secure messaging, digital intake forms, calendar scheduling, and telehealth.[](https://www.atlantic.net/hipaa-compliant-hosting/best-hipaa-patient-portal-software-in-2021/) - **Tebra:** Combines practice management, patient communication, and online booking. It is well-suited for independent ambulatory and medical clinics.[](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026) - **Practice Better:** Tailored for dietitians, coaches, and alternative care providers. Offers secure portals, document sharing, and telehealth.[](https://practicebetter.io/blog/4-hipaa-compliant-tools-your-practice-cant-live-without) [[1]](https://practicebetter.io/blog/top-simplepractice-alternatives) - **Healthie:** An all-in-one platform featuring robust client engagement, dietary/lifestyle tracking, scheduling, and video visits.[](https://www.hipaavault.com/resources/hipaa-compliant-telehealth-platforms/) [[1]](https://www.caspio.com/healthcare-software/)[[2]](https://healthie-backup.webflow.io/blog/the-5-best-hipaa-compliant-telehealth-tools)[[3]](https://www.caspio.com/use-cases/build-patient-portal/) - **Spruce Health:** Focuses heavily on secure, centralized team and client communication, including encrypted SMS, voice calling, and faxing.[[1]](https://www.proprofssurvey.com/blog/patient-engagement-software/)[[2]](https://www.patientnow.com/resources/compare/marketing-automation-wellness-practices)[[3]](https://emitrr.com/blog/updox-alternative/)[[4]](https://sinch.com/customer-stories/spruce-health/) 1. Practice Better Practice Better is the leading wellness-focused EHR specifically designed for health coaches, nutritionists, di... Digitize and Automate With HIPAA-Compliant Software * Clinical Decision Support Manage patient outcomes by leveraging timely, data... Healthie's HIPAA-compliant video conferencing solution for telehealth enables private practices, clinics, and organizations to con... What You Can Include in Your Patient Portal * Appointment Scheduling Allow patients to book and confirm appointments online. * Hea... It ( Spruce Health ) is ideal for clinics and practices where HIPAA-compliant communication is critical. Secure messaging, video v... 18. Spruce Health Spruce Health focuses on secure patient communication with automation that supports consistent messaging in heal... It ( Spruce Health ) centralizes all patient interactions, enhances team collaboration, reduces no-shows, and ensures secure, effi... Although healthcare is undergoing a period of intense digital transformation, fax is still a cornerstone of healthcare communicati... Encryption: Data must be encrypted both in transit and at rest. Business Associate Agreement (BAA): The vendor must legally sign a BAA accepting liability for protecting patient data. Audit Logs: The system must track who views, downloads, or edits client data. Access Controls: Role-based permissions ensure staff only see files relevant to them. - **Encryption:** Data must be encrypted both in transit and at rest. - **Business Associate Agreement (BAA):** The vendor must legally sign a BAA accepting liability for protecting patient data. - **Audit Logs:** The system must track who views, downloads, or edits client data. - **Access Controls:** Role-based permissions ensure staff only see files relevant to them.[](https://www.hipaavault.com/resources/hipaa-compliant-patient-portals-with-wordpress-building-secure-and-accessible-platforms/) [[1]](https://www.hipaavault.com/resources/hipaa-compliant-patient-portals-with-wordpress-building-secure-and-accessible-platforms/)[[2]](https://www.moxo.com/blog/secure-client-portals-healthcare) To build a HIPAA-compliant patient portal, you need to address essential components like: * **Secure authentication** * **PHI hand... Building HIPAA-compliant patient workflows * Patient consent and e-signature flows. Consent workflows require multiple approvals: ...

For small healthcare practices, the "best" client/patient portal is rarely a standalone tool. Instead, it is typically bundled into an **Electronic Health Record (EHR)** or **Practice Management (PM)** system that natively signs a **Business Associate Agreement (BAA)**.[](https://patient-protect.com/post/top-8-hipaa-compliant-ehr-systems-for-independent-practices-2026) [[1]](https://patient-protect.com/post/top-8-hipaa-compliant-ehr-systems-for-independent-practices-2026)[[2]](https://riveraxe.com/patient-portals-in-healthcare/)[[3]](https://www.assorthealth.com/blog/hipaa-compliant-answering-service-for-medical-offices)[[4]](https://customer-portals.com/articles/patient-portal-software/)[[5]](https://patient-protect.com/post/top-7-hipaa-compliant-practice-management-software-2026) The top solutions are organized below by practice type and workflow style: All-in-One Practice Management & EHR Portals (Best for General/Medical Clinics) - **[athenahealth](https://www.athenahealth.com/) (athenaOne):** Frequently top-ranked for independent and small ambulatory practices. It features robust patient engagement (athenaCommunicator), integrated telehealth, and an exceptionally smooth mobile patient experience via athenaPatient.[](https://omnimd.com/blog/best-ehr-systems-small-practices/) [[1]](https://omnimd.com/blog/best-ehr-systems-small-practices/)[[2]](https://www.atlantic.net/hipaa-compliant-hosting/best-hipaa-patient-portal-software-in-2021/)[[3]](https://pabau.com/blog/hipaa-compliant-telehealth-platforms/)[[4]](https://www.ehrinpractice.com/best-ehr-patient-portals-comparison.html)[[5]](https://www.researchandmarkets.com/articles/key-companies-in-clinical-documentation-software-market-by?srsltid=AfmBOoqaIsp0L0KfLqqEsfy_WrXRBCWzt-YgbbjIGcODMafX-sfIFiui) - **[Tebra](https://www.tebra.com/) (Kareo + PatientPop):** Built specifically for independent medical practices and small billing teams. Tebra combines modern online booking, automated reminders, digital intake forms, and payment tools into a unified portal interface.[](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026) [[1]](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026)[[2]](https://agiled.app/blog/best-client-management-software-for-healthcare-providers)[[3]](https://monday.com/blog/crm-and-sales/hipaa-compliant-crm/)[[4]](https://www.vozohealth.com/blog/best-patient-portal-software-for-small-clinics)[[5]](https://prombs.com/blog/medical-billing-software-for-small-business/) - **[AdvancedMD](https://www.advancedmd.com/):** Ideal for small-to-midsize multi-provider practices that need deep administrative customizability, precise scheduling workflows, and secure patient document collection.[](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026) [[1]](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-medical-billing-services-small-practices-usa-xzjpc)[[2]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2PQraYxQso) Behavioral Health & Wellness Portals (Best for Therapists, Coaches & Dietitians) - **[SimplePractice](https://www.simplepractice.com/):** Widely considered the gold standard for solo and small group mental health practices. It wraps scheduling, notes, telehealth, automated billing, and a clean client portal into an intuitive system.[](https://customer-portals.com/articles/patient-portal-software/) [[1]](https://customer-portals.com/articles/patient-portal-software/)[[2]](https://www.simplepractice.com/features/client-portal/)[[3]](https://skriber.com/blog/best-ehr-for-private-practice)[[4]](https://pabau.com/blog/behavioral-health-practice-management-software/) - **[Healthie](https://secure.gethealthie.com/):** Highly recommended for dietitians, nutritionists, and wellness-focused small teams. Offers robust mobile apps, secure direct messaging, and program/diet tracking alongside intake flows.[](https://www.knack.com/health/patient-portal/) [[1]](https://www.knack.com/health/patient-portal/)[[2]](https://www.keragon.com/blog/best-patient-portal-software)[[3]](https://practicebetter.io/blog/best-secure-client-portal-for-wellness-practitioners) - **[Jane App](https://jane.app/):** Popular for allied health (physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture). Features gorgeous online booking, straightforward charting, and compliant client communication.[](https://verticalsaasindex.com/industries/healthcare) [[1]](https://verticalsaasindex.com/industries/healthcare)[[2]](https://lunacal.ai/blogs/scheduling-software-health-coaches-hipaa)[[3]](https://www.oncehub.com/blog/therapist-appointment-scheduling-software) Dedicated Communication & Standalone Portals - **[Spruce Health](https://sprucehealth.com/):** Best if you want to untangle patient communication from a clunky EHR. It provides a unified, HIPAA-compliant system for secure text, calling, video, and intake forms tailored for independent clinicians.[](https://clinicssoft.com/best-hipaa-compliant-website-builders-with-patient-portal-integration-for-small-medical-clinics/) [[1]](https://clinicssoft.com/best-hipaa-compliant-website-builders-with-patient-portal-integration-for-small-medical-clinics/)[[2]](https://www.proprofssurvey.com/blog/patient-engagement-software/) Private Practice Experiences To help narrow down the best fit for you, tell me: - What is your **medical specialty or practice type** (e.g., therapy, physical therapy, primary care)? - Do you need **medical billing and insurance claims** integrated, or just scheduling and intake? For small healthcare practices, the "best" client/patient portal is rarely a standalone tool. Instead, it is typically bundled into an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Practice Management (PM) system that natively signs a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Top 8 HIPAA-Compliant EHR Systems for Independent Practices (2026) Ranked guide to the 8 EHR platforms most commonly adopted by in... The most common setup you'll see is the integrated portal. This type is baked directly into a provider's Electronic Health Record ... Every vendor has a business associate agreement (BAA) ready to sign, claims to be fully secure, and promises to integrate with you... Category 2: Practice Management Platforms with Built-In Patient Portal. For specialty practices and small clinics where the practi... Top 7 HIPAA-Compliant Practice Management Software for Independent Practices (2026) Ranked guide to the 7 practice management plat... The top solutions are organized below by practice type and workflow style: athenahealth (athenaOne): Frequently top-ranked for independent and small ambulatory practices. It features robust patient engagement (athenaCommunicator), integrated telehealth, and an exceptionally smooth mobile patient experience via athenaPatient. Tebra (Kareo + PatientPop): Built specifically for independent medical practices and small billing teams. Tebra combines modern online booking, automated reminders, digital intake forms, and payment tools into a unified portal interface. AdvancedMD : Ideal for small-to-midsize multi-provider practices that need deep administrative customizability, precise scheduling workflows, and secure patient document collection. - **[athenahealth](https://www.athenahealth.com/) (athenaOne):** Frequently top-ranked for independent and small ambulatory practices. It features robust patient engagement (athenaCommunicator), integrated telehealth, and an exceptionally smooth mobile patient experience via athenaPatient.[](https://omnimd.com/blog/best-ehr-systems-small-practices/) [[1]](https://omnimd.com/blog/best-ehr-systems-small-practices/)[[2]](https://www.atlantic.net/hipaa-compliant-hosting/best-hipaa-patient-portal-software-in-2021/)[[3]](https://pabau.com/blog/hipaa-compliant-telehealth-platforms/)[[4]](https://www.ehrinpractice.com/best-ehr-patient-portals-comparison.html)[[5]](https://www.researchandmarkets.com/articles/key-companies-in-clinical-documentation-software-market-by?srsltid=AfmBOoqaIsp0L0KfLqqEsfy_WrXRBCWzt-YgbbjIGcODMafX-sfIFiui) - **[Tebra](https://www.tebra.com/) (Kareo + PatientPop):** Built specifically for independent medical practices and small billing teams. Tebra combines modern online booking, automated reminders, digital intake forms, and payment tools into a unified portal interface.[](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026) [[1]](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026)[[2]](https://agiled.app/blog/best-client-management-software-for-healthcare-providers)[[3]](https://monday.com/blog/crm-and-sales/hipaa-compliant-crm/)[[4]](https://www.vozohealth.com/blog/best-patient-portal-software-for-small-clinics)[[5]](https://prombs.com/blog/medical-billing-software-for-small-business/) - **[AdvancedMD](https://www.advancedmd.com/):** Ideal for small-to-midsize multi-provider practices that need deep administrative customizability, precise scheduling workflows, and secure patient document collection.[](https://xchange.avixa.org/posts/10-best-hipaa-compliant-patient-portal-solutions-for-secure-healthcare-communication-in-2026) [[1]](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-medical-billing-services-small-practices-usa-xzjpc)[[2]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2PQraYxQso) 1. Athenahealth. Athenahealth is the system that comes up in practically every conversation about EHRs for independent practices. ... Top 12 HIPAA-Compliant Patient Portal Software * Cerbo – Best for customizable patient workflows. Cerbo by MD HQ provides patients... Best HIPAA compliant telehealth platforms in 2026: Top 7 compared * Best HIPAA compliant telehealth platforms: Quick comparison. * athenaCommunicator is athenaHealth's core patient engagement suite within athenaOne. It offers features like secure messaging, aut... Its strengths lie in real-time documentation, advanced analytics, and streamlined patient engagement tools. Athenahealth ( athenah... 10 Best HIPAA Compliant Patient Portal Solutions for Secure Healthcare Communication in 2026 * 10 Best HIPAA Compliant Patient Por... 4-9. Practice Better, Kareo, TherapyNotes, Cliniko, HubSpot, vCita. Practice Better (~$25/mo) targets nutrition and wellness pract... Table_title: 15 best healthcare CRM platforms for providers and practices Table_content: | Platform | Use case | Notable feature | Tebra is designed for independent medical practices that need more than a basic patient portal. Kareo merged with PatientPop to form Tebra, and it remains one of the most popular choices for independent practices. The platform... Why It ( AdvancedMD ) Matters for Small Practices AdvancedMD makes sense for small practices that are growing toward mid-size and ... AdvancedMD EHR Tutorial | Learn to Manage Your Practice Management (Step by Step) advanced MD is a cloud-based electronic health r... SimplePractice : Widely considered the gold standard for solo and small group mental health practices. It wraps scheduling, notes, telehealth, automated billing, and a clean client portal into an intuitive system. Healthie : Highly recommended for dietitians, nutritionists, and wellness-focused small teams. Offers robust mobile apps, secure direct messaging, and program/diet tracking alongside intake flows. Jane App : Popular for allied health (physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture). Features gorgeous online booking, straightforward charting, and compliant client communication. - **[SimplePractice](https://www.simplepractice.com/):** Widely considered the gold standard for solo and small group mental health practices. It wraps scheduling, notes, telehealth, automated billing, and a clean client portal into an intuitive system.[](https://customer-portals.com/articles/patient-portal-software/) [[1]](https://customer-portals.com/articles/patient-portal-software/)[[2]](https://www.simplepractice.com/features/client-portal/)[[3]](https://skriber.com/blog/best-ehr-for-private-practice)[[4]](https://pabau.com/blog/behavioral-health-practice-management-software/) - **[Healthie](https://secure.gethealthie.com/):** Highly recommended for dietitians, nutritionists, and wellness-focused small teams. Offers robust mobile apps, secure direct messaging, and program/diet tracking alongside intake flows.[](https://www.knack.com/health/patient-portal/) [[1]](https://www.knack.com/health/patient-portal/)[[2]](https://www.keragon.com/blog/best-patient-portal-software)[[3]](https://practicebetter.io/blog/best-secure-client-portal-for-wellness-practitioners) - **[Jane App](https://jane.app/):** Popular for allied health (physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture). Features gorgeous online booking, straightforward charting, and compliant client communication.[](https://verticalsaasindex.com/industries/healthcare) [[1]](https://verticalsaasindex.com/industries/healthcare)[[2]](https://lunacal.ai/blogs/scheduling-software-health-coaches-hipaa)[[3]](https://www.oncehub.com/blog/therapist-appointment-scheduling-software) Invite clarity with tools in the secure Client Portal for therapists. ... Clients can easily view appointments, reschedule, or mes... SimplePractice is one of the most popular EHRs for solo and small private practices, especially in mental health and wellness fiel... SimplePractice: Best for solo therapists and small group practices SimplePractice is the most widely adopted SaaS in solo private ... Common Portal Features (and How to Build Them with Knack) * Function. What It Does. * Patient Intake Forms. Onboarding new patient... Clinked. Clinked is a HIPAA-compliant patient portal designed to support secure communication, document sharing, and collaboration... What makes a client portal right for wellness practice A secure client portal for wellness practitioners handles the full scope of... All Healthcare Software for Small Practices * 🧠 SimplePractice. Practice Management. 9.1. All-in-one practice management for ther... Jane App Jane App is popularly known in health and wellness clinics for online booking, scheduling, charting, secure messaging, te... Jane App combines scheduling and clinical charting into a highly polished, modern design. This software is famous for its beautifu... Spruce Health : Best if you want to untangle patient communication from a clunky EHR. It provides a unified, HIPAA-compliant system for secure text, calling, video, and intake forms tailored for independent clinicians. - **[Spruce Health](https://sprucehealth.com/):** Best if you want to untangle patient communication from a clunky EHR. It provides a unified, HIPAA-compliant system for secure text, calling, video, and intake forms tailored for independent clinicians.[](https://clinicssoft.com/best-hipaa-compliant-website-builders-with-patient-portal-integration-for-small-medical-clinics/) [[1]](https://clinicssoft.com/best-hipaa-compliant-website-builders-with-patient-portal-integration-for-small-medical-clinics/)[[2]](https://www.proprofssurvey.com/blog/patient-engagement-software/) Blaze * Best for clinics that need customizable patient portal workflows and integrations. * Pricing: From $400/month; Enterprise ... 2. Best for Secure Communication: Spruce Health It is ideal for clinics and practices where HIPAA-compliant communication is criti... To help narrow down the best fit for you, tell me: What is your medical specialty or practice type (e.g., therapy, physical therapy, primary care)? Do you need medical billing and insurance claims integrated, or just scheduling and intake? - What is your **medical specialty or practice type** (e.g., therapy, physical therapy, primary care)? - Do you need **medical billing and insurance claims** integrated, or just scheduling and intake?