Adding video to a healthcare app looks simple until the first security review. Every call can carry protected health information (PHI), so the video layer has to meet the same standard as the rest of your product. Choosing the right HIPAA compliant video API early saves months of rework, and it can decide whether hospitals approve your solution at all.
The timing matters too. Twilio announced it would retire Programmable Video, then reversed that decision in October 2024 (Twilio). Many teams that started looking for alternatives are still evaluating. If you're one of them, here's what to check.
What makes a HIPAA compliant video API?
There's no official HIPAA certification for software. A HIPAA compliant video API is one that gives you the safeguards HIPAA expects for PHI, from a vendor prepared to take responsibility for the parts it handles. That usually means signing a business associate agreement (BAA). In practice, look for:
- Encrypted media and signaling, such as SRTP for audio and video and TLS for signaling
- Secure sessions, using encrypted tokens so only authorized users can join a call
- Access controls, including host, co-host and participant moderation
- Recording controls, with a clear choice of where recordings are stored
Deployment: where your customers' data lives
Hospitals don't all have the same rules. Some require data to stay in one country. Others won't let PHI leave their own data centre. If you sell in Europe, GDPR and national data-sovereignty rules add another layer.
Choose a HIPAA compliant video API that supports on-premise, private cloud and hybrid deployment. Then you can meet each customer's requirements without maintaining separate versions of your product.
Reliability on real hospital networks
WebRTC works well in a demo. Hospital networks are a different story: congested Wi-Fi, firewalls, older devices and patients joining on weak mobile signals. A secure call that drops still fails the clinician.
Ask how each HIPAA compliant video API performs at low bandwidth, not just how it's secured. Adaptive technologies such as Scalable Video Codec (SVC) adjust quality to each connection in real time, keeping calls usable when the network isn't.
How much work integration takes
Your developers should spend their time on the features that make your product valuable, not on video infrastructure. Look for:
- SDKs for web, mobile and native apps
- Sample apps, documentation and a free trial, so your team can test before committing
- Customizable layouts and white-labeling, so video looks like part of your product
- EHR integration, especially Epic, if your customers expect to launch video from the chart
Why vendor stability is a compliance issue
In healthcare, switching video vendors isn't a simple code change. Every hospital customer may need a new security review. That's why vendor stability belongs in your compliance decision, not just your procurement one. Ask how long the product has existed, who owns it, and what the vendor has committed to on the roadmap.
A checklist for evaluating a HIPAA compliant video API
- Are media and signaling encrypted, and with which protocols?
- Will the vendor sign a BAA?
- Can you deploy on-premise, in a private cloud or as a hybrid?
- Where are recordings stored, and who controls them?
- How does video perform on low-bandwidth networks?
- Are there SDKs for every platform you support?
- Can you brand the experience as your own?
- Does it integrate with the EHRs your customers use?
- Will the vendor still support the product in five years?
How Vidyo fits
Vidyo gives healthcare software vendors a HIPAA compliant video API they can embed and brand as their own. VidyoPlatform uses SRTP media encryption, TLS and HTTPS signaling with industry-standard PKI, and encrypted session tokens. It's HIPAA and GDPR compliant. Partners can deploy it on-premise, in a private cloud or as a hybrid.
Its SVC technology adapts to each connection, with up to 4K quality when the network allows. Developers get SDKs for web, mobile and native apps, free sample apps, full documentation and a free trial. Professional services are available if you want help. Vidyo also integrates with Epic and was the first telehealth integrator with Epic (Enghouse Video). It's backed by Enghouse Systems, which has been building enterprise software for over 35 years.
Choosing your HIPAA compliant video API
The right HIPAA compliant video API should pass your customers' security reviews, work on their networks, and stay out of your developers' way. Use the checklist above with every vendor you compare.
At Enghouse Video, we believe communication should work as naturally as the healthcare teams using it. Our solutions help organizations maximize their healthcare technology investments by supporting secure virtual care, clinical collaboration, enterprise video management, and connected communication across the healthcare environment. As hospitals continue looking for practical ways to modernize, the organizations that achieve the greatest success will not necessarily be those making the largest investments. They will be the ones making the smartest use of the healthcare technology investments they have already made.
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