BloomText vs iPlum: HIPAA Messaging Without the App Download

Quick answer

iPlum gives individual practitioners a second HIPAA-compliant phone number with calling, texting, voicemail, and a phone tree. It works well as a personal second line. But for HIPAA-secure texting, patients need to download the iPlum app or use a web portal. Regular SMS through iPlum is not the HIPAA-compliant channel. BloomText takes a different approach: it is built for organizational messaging where patients reply via standard SMS, team members share visibility into conversations, and a signed BAA is included on every plan including the free plan.

Feature comparison between BloomText and iPlum
Feature	BloomText	iPlum
Patients reply via SMS, no app requirediPlum's HIPAA-secure texting requires patients to use the iPlum app or web portal. Regular SMS through iPlum is a separate, non-HIPAA channel.	Included	Not included
Signed BAA on free planiPlum requires the Professional plan ($14.99-$20.99/user/month) for HIPAA compliance and BAA. BloomText includes a BAA on every plan including free.	Included	Not included
Team messaging and shared conversationsiPlum is designed as an individual second phone number. BloomText is built for teams where multiple staff members share patient conversations.	Included	Not included
Cross-organization messagingBloomText cross-org messaging is free. iPlum is a personal communication tool without organizational collaboration features.	Included	Not included
Second phone numberiPlum gives each user a separate phone number for calling and texting. BloomText provides a practice-level number, not individual second lines.	Not included	Included
Phone tree with extensionsiPlum includes an auto-attendant phone tree. BloomText is messaging-focused and does not include phone system features.	Not included	Included
Conversation audit trailBoth platforms log communications. BloomText provides organization-level audit with admin controls. iPlum provides individual call and text logs.	Included	Included
Admin removal of departing staffBloomText admins remove access in one step and conversation history stays. iPlum accounts belong to individual users.	Included	Not included

Feature

BloomText

iPlum

Patients reply via SMS, no app requirediPlum's HIPAA-secure texting requires patients to use the iPlum app or web portal. Regular SMS through iPlum is a separate, non-HIPAA channel.

Signed BAA on free planiPlum requires the Professional plan ($14.99-$20.99/user/month) for HIPAA compliance and BAA. BloomText includes a BAA on every plan including free.

Team messaging and shared conversationsiPlum is designed as an individual second phone number. BloomText is built for teams where multiple staff members share patient conversations.

Cross-organization messagingBloomText cross-org messaging is free. iPlum is a personal communication tool without organizational collaboration features.

Second phone numberiPlum gives each user a separate phone number for calling and texting. BloomText provides a practice-level number, not individual second lines.

Phone tree with extensionsiPlum includes an auto-attendant phone tree. BloomText is messaging-focused and does not include phone system features.

Conversation audit trailBoth platforms log communications. BloomText provides organization-level audit with admin controls. iPlum provides individual call and text logs.

Admin removal of departing staffBloomText admins remove access in one step and conversation history stays. iPlum accounts belong to individual users.

Personal second line vs organizational messaging

iPlum is built around a simple idea: give a healthcare professional a second phone number so work calls and texts stay separate from personal ones. That is a good fit for solo practitioners. But as soon as your practice has more than one person communicating with patients, the model breaks. Patient conversations live on individual iPlum accounts. There is no shared inbox, no team visibility, and no way to hand a conversation to another staff member. BloomText is built for the organizational use case: multiple staff members share patient conversations, and the practice controls the communication.

The app download problem

iPlum offers two texting modes: regular SMS and "secure texting." Regular SMS works like normal texting, but iPlum states that HIPAA-secure texting requires patients to set up a free iPlum account and use the iPlum app or web portal. In practice, this means your HIPAA-compliant channel requires patient adoption of a new app. With BloomText, patients reply to a standard text message from any phone. No app, no portal, no account creation.

Pricing for teams

iPlum's HIPAA-compliant Professional plan starts at $14.99/user/month (annual) or $20.99/user/month (monthly). Every user who needs HIPAA compliance needs their own Professional account. For a 10-person practice, that is $150-$210/month before any SMS or calling costs. BloomText starts with a free plan that includes a signed BAA and cross-organization messaging. Team chat is $14.50/user/month, and patient SMS starts at $129/month for up to 140 contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is iPlum HIPAA compliant?

iPlum offers HIPAA compliance on its Professional and Enterprise plans, which include a BAA, encrypted texting, and call logging. The Standard plan does not include HIPAA compliance. For HIPAA-secure texting, patients need to use the iPlum app or web portal.

Do patients need to download iPlum?

For HIPAA-secure texting, yes. iPlum distinguishes between regular SMS (not HIPAA-compliant for PHI) and secure texting (requires iPlum app or portal). With BloomText, patients reply via standard SMS without downloading anything.

Can multiple staff members see the same patient conversation in iPlum?

No. iPlum is designed as an individual second phone number. Each user has their own account and conversations. BloomText is built for teams where multiple staff members share patient conversations and can hand off or triage together.

How does pricing compare for a small practice?

For a 10-person practice needing HIPAA texting: iPlum Professional is $150-$210/month (all users need individual accounts). BloomText team chat is $145/month for 10 users, with patient SMS starting at $129/month. BloomText also includes a free tier with a signed BAA for cross-organization messaging.

Trusted by today's leading healthcare professionals

Streamlined appointment schedulingWith BloomText Broadcast SMS Messaging, I literally took the job of 20 employees and I can do it by myself in three and a half hours.— Chief Administrative Officer, Radiology
Best HIPAA app on the marketBloomText has brought our clinic into the modern age, and our patients love being able to communicate with us via text or through our website.— Office Administrator, Family Medicine
Excellent for acute careBloomText is the nervous system for my business. It helps us differentiate ourselves in terms of our communication and our quality of care.— Clinical Director, Acute Care

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Streamlined appointment schedulingWith BloomText Broadcast SMS Messaging, I literally took the job of 20 employees and I can do it by myself in three and a half hours.— Chief Administrative Officer, Radiology

Best HIPAA app on the marketBloomText has brought our clinic into the modern age, and our patients love being able to communicate with us via text or through our website.— Office Administrator, Family Medicine

Excellent for acute careBloomText is the nervous system for my business. It helps us differentiate ourselves in terms of our communication and our quality of care.— Clinical Director, Acute Care

BloomText vs iPlum

Quick answer

Feature comparison

When to use BloomText

When to use iPlum

Personal second line vs organizational messaging

The app download problem

Pricing for teams

Frequently Asked Questions

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