Zoom for dietitians HIPAA compliant: what a BAA covers and the video options

Zoom for dietitians, HIPAA compliant: the short answer

Zoom says it has a standard business associate agreement (BAA) that it signs when a customer requires one, and Zoom wrote in 2023 that its free Basic plan has no option to sign one. For client sessions under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), Practice Better's help center says the same: a paid Zoom plan with its own signed BAA, since a free Zoom account is not enough for client health information.

HIPAA has no certification for software. Zoom's compliance FAQ says none exists, and HHS says it does not certify technology products. This is general information, not legal advice.

What HIPAA asks of a video tool: the Business Associate Agreement

HHS says a covered entity may share protected health information with a business associate once a contract or other written arrangement, the BAA, gives satisfactory assurances. The rule text on eCFR defines a business associate as a person who creates, receives, maintains or transmits protected health information on behalf of a covered entity.

A covered entity includes a health care provider that sends health information electronically in a covered transaction, and CMS offers a decision tool for that check. HHS's telehealth page says the COVID-19 enforcement discretion for telehealth expired in 2023, so the leniency it gave certain video apps has ended.

Using Zoom for client sessions: a paid plan and its own agreement

Practice Better's help center says a paid Zoom plan with a signed BAA, plus Zoom's recommended security settings, is required for HIPAA compliance. Zoom's plan names and prices are on Zoom's own pages. Practice Better lists these steps:

1. Choose a paid Zoom plan; a free account is not enough for client health information.
2. Hold a signed BAA with Zoom for that account.
3. In the Zoom dashboard, Meeting tab, turn on the Waiting Room and the Meeting Passcode.
4. Use a generated meeting ID for each client appointment, not your Personal Meeting ID.
5. In Practice Better, open Settings, then Integrations, and link the Zoom account.

Group sessions run through your linked Zoom account, so your Zoom plan sets the group size. They need Professional or higher, Zoom sessions on Starter are one-to-one, and the Zoom integration is not on Sprout.

Built-in video in a practice platform

Practice Better's built-in video runs one-to-one in the browser on every paid plan from Starter, while its group sessions use your own Zoom account, which needs a paid Zoom plan with its own Business Associate Agreement. Practice Better telehealth covers the setup.

Practice Better's telehealth FAQ calls the built-in video fully compliant with HIPAA, which is the vendor's claim. The BAA you sign in your account covers data stored in Practice Better, and Practice Better says it does not extend to third-party tools used alongside it. For what it says about the agreement, see is Practice Better HIPAA compliant.

A dietitian who sees clients one-to-one can stay inside the built-in video and has no separate Zoom bill. One who runs group classes needs a paid Zoom plan with its own BAA. The built-in video can be tried during Practice Better's 14-day trial, or 30 days on Team: the sign-up asks for a credit card, and the card is charged at the end of the trial unless you cancel.

Recording sessions and AI notes

Recording a built-in session needs the AI Charting Assistant add-on. Practice Better says recordings are audio, and only practitioners can open them. The add-on is $10, $20 or $40 a month per practitioner for 20, 60 or 120 hours, as read on October 30, 2026, with extra minutes at 2 cents; Practice Better pricing has the other add-ons. Practice Better's help center opens it to every paid plan from Starter.