Doctors frequently need a method to communicate with patients outside of the office to increase availability and promote patient follow-through. Patients often have questions for their doctor that can be quickly and conveniently answered through a messaging service rather than through a scheduled, in-person appointment. However, HIPAA adds restrictions to communication that prohibit using traditional messaging services such as email, SMS, or even WhatsApp.
The purpose of Doctor’sNote is to provide a secure, HIPAA-compliant way for doctors and patients to communicate in a timely manner without fearing for a patient’s privacy. Our mobile application allows secure messaging between patients and doctors, along with appointment scheduling to facilitate their interactions. Existing apps such as MyHealthOnline and OhMD also allow HIPAA-compliant messaging; however, they lack consolidated features such as medication reminders and calendar event exports. Additionally, our app provides access to support groups. By creating a community of support through our platform, we hope to promote patient mental health and wellness.