Please support Telehealth.org’s ability to deliver helpful news, opinions, and analyses by turning off your ad blocker. Covid has accelerated the use of the virtual world, and virtual meetings are no exception. With the expansion of telehealth services, HIPAA compliant telehealth platforms are in demand, and clients and patients are increasingly accessing Zoom telehealth visits. Zoom has noticed this, and not everyone who uses their platform has a working knowledge of all the devices that can run Zoom. As you have undoubtedly encountered, this sometimes means that clinicians end up in the tech-tutor role, helping clients download Zoom onto their PC or launch the app on their phone.
In response, Zoom has announced that they have created a version of the platform capable of launching from the Apple iOS mobile browser. People with iPhones and iPads will now no longer require downloading and utilizing the Zoom app. Launching from the browser will offer the same confidentiality that all other ways to access the Zoom platform do and is, therefore, HIPAA compliant in the paid version (but not the free version). This will be the first browser-capable adaptation. The goal is eventually to have this capability for all of the most common browsers, reducing the amount of time that providers and IT professionals spend coaching patients through tech support about Zoom telehealth visits. This also gives clients/patients and providers more flexibility in conducting Zoom telehealth appointments and eliminates the need for clients/patients to download any software.
Zoom has revealed some new Zoom telehealth features, including making these enhancements accessible to other OS users and allowing providers to tailor their HIPAA compliant telehealth visits. Providers will be able to forward a meeting link to patients via email or text without revealing the web scheduler’s contact information. They’ll also be able to send chat messages to clients/ patients in the virtual waiting room, as well as play a pre-recorded video as clients/patients wait for you to appear for the Zoom telehealth session.
Points to Remember Regarding Zoom
Before using new Zoom telehealth visit features, it is essential to know the basic instructions in Zoom to make it easier to comply with the new ones. These include:
1. The host can lock the meeting during Zoom meetings to prevent new participants from joining, even if they have a meeting ID and password. To do so, hosts have to select the “Participants” option from the bottom of the Zoom Window, which will lead to the appearance of a pop-up box with a button showing “Lock Meeting.” When this option is selected, Zoom will prevent the entry of additional participants.
2. Whenever the session involves the patient or their family, a password is recommended for an additional safety measure. To enable this, an option called “Password Use” is used while creating meetings. When it is activated, the attendees will have to enter the password while joining.
3. If the host wants to pause the meeting due to some urgent work, the host can put attendees on hold. To activate this, the host clicks on the attendee’s video thumbnail and chooses “Start Attendee On-Hold.” On activating this option, the attendee’s audio and video connections will be disabled for some time.
4. Zoom is effective with individuals, couples, and groups, including wExit Visual Builderhen a meeting consists of over 100 participants, or the meeting requires voting.
Now that the world is moving towards a digital world, clinicians can enjoy the many new features offered by Zoom to enhance their telehealth services.
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